“Starters’ Orders”
Competition for Favorite Recipes

Appetizers, Hors d’Oeuvres,
Canapés, and Starters

Round 2
of the Competition
for the Favorite Recipes of the Friends
of the Research Group on Manuscript Evidence

Logo (2024) of the Friends of the Research Group on Manuscript Evidence

[Posted on 25 February 2025, with updates]

Following the completion of Round 1 and the awards of its Prizes and the creation of its Award Certificates for the Prize Winners, we turn to Round 2.

For Round 1 and its Entries, see:

• Three-Step Program, Lemonade Included
• RGME Favorite Recipes for Lemonade, Etc.

After exploring recipes for Lemonade, Etc., and awarding prizes for the winning entries in our Friends Meeting 3 (27 January 2025), we sought suggestions for the subject of Round 2 in our Competition for Favorite Recipes (and stories about them) for the RGME Friends Favorite Recipes Cookbook.

Prizes for the Favorite Recipes for “Lemonade, Etc.” Wrapped and ready to send. Photograph by Mildred Budny.

Our Favorite Recipe Competition now turns to Round 2. The theme for this round was chosen at our Fifth Meeting (23 February 2025).  We wondered: Shall we move from drinks such as lemonade to hors d’oeuvres, entrées, soups, salads, etc., or go straight to desserts? At once came the collective answer: “Starters!”

Starters’ Orders

So we order Starters for our next Round of Recipes.

For this round, we consider Appetizers, Hors D’Oeuvres, Canapes, Finger Food, and Starters of many kinds.

Whatever they are called, this multi-form and multi-purpose variety of foodstuffs is designed to perk the appetite (as “amuse-bouches” or the like), serve as bite-size morsels of deliciousness, stave off hunger in place of a meal when time or opportunity constrains, start a round of courses for a full meal, or stand in between courses as a sort of intermission within an elaborate meal.

Their creation can draw upon a wide range of ingredients and culinary traditions, along with time-tested recipes perhaps handed down in the family. They might also take inspiration from improvisations drawing together what is on hand in the pantry, in the fridge, on the shelves, in the garden or orchard, in the market, or in the shop. They might comprise single ingredients or types of ingredients — such as a handful of nuts, a selection of olives, a piece or pieces of cheese, a nibbling of crudités — or combinations of flavors, textures, and tastes, such as with sauces or dips for fruits and vegetables, raw or cooked.

They serve many purposes and take multiple forms. For example, one widespread genre, Canapes, might be described as:

“a type of starter, a small, prepared, and often decorative food, consisting of a small piece of bread (sometimes toasted) or cracker, wrapped or topped with some savoury food, held in the fingers and often eaten in one bite.”

————— Canapes

What are some of your favorites, and do you have stories about them? Let us know!

As for this Round on the ride to our RGME Friends’ Favorite Recipes Cookbook, shall we call it “Starters’ Orders”?

“Angels on Horseback”. Photograph by Lana via e Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic lic.

Given the name of this game, might there, among the entries, be room for one or other of these offerings, which involve sticks or skewers?

• Devils on Horseback
• Angels on Horseback

Prizes and Incentives

As with Round 1, prizes (provided by a donation) await the winning entries. Please send in your entry, with title, description, and story. Sending more than one entry is allowed, indeed encouraged.

We will review the entries and award prizes at one of our Friends’ Meetings. See their schedule:

• Meetings of the Friends of the Research Group on Manuscript Evidence

Also please visit our Eventbrite Registration Portal for information about our events and registration for them.

• RGME Eventbrite Collection

A list of customary or popular offerings in this broad category might jog your memory and perk your interest.

• Category: Appetizers

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From Soup to Nuts

We aim, over time, to gather recipes and stories to fill a cookbook. In this way, we can compare notes and share experiences reflecting the range and breadth of our RGME community. A full-course meal, perhaps, in a veritable Feast.

13-Course Place Setting. Photograph (2019) By Hopefulromntic21 – Own work, via Wikimedia Commons via CC BY-SA 4.0.

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Comments, questions, or suggestions?

Send your entries and contact the Friends via

• friends.of.rgme@gmail.com

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Haarlem, Frans Hals Museum, Still Life with Fruits, Nuts, and Cheese (1613) by Floris Claesz van Dyck (1575–1651). By Floris van Dyck – The Yorck Project (2002) 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei (DVD-ROM), distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH. ISBN: 3936122202., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=150586

Note on the Image: Haarlem, Netherlands, Frans Hals Museum, “Still Life with Fruits, Nuts, and Cheese” (1613) by Floris Claesz van Dyck (1575–1651). Credit: By Floris van Dyck – The Yorck Project (2002) 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei (DVD-ROM), distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH. ISBN: 3936122202., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=150586.

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