New Year’s Eve…Family Style

As a former bartender there is one thing that I can say about December 31st…

New Year’s Eve is notoriously amateur night.

Big crowds, big prices, big expectations, and many times, big letdowns.

Why not trying staying in with the people that will make the coming year special?

Try settling in with the family for a fun filled night at home.

Play some favorite board games like Twister or Cranium, have some appetizers, watch the ball drop and make some crafts to remember for years to come.

Here are some of our recipes we’ll be making to hang out with our friends and their little ones this year. Tomorrow I’ll feature some great new year’s crafts!

Recipes:

For the evening’s dining festivities I’d plan a menu of appetizers and food you can munch on all evening. Kids love finger foods and young kids especially are grazers. They are all more apt to try new things when they can pick and choose from a big tray of options. Since it’s New Year’s we’ll put out a kid friendly yet slightly elegant selection.

Everyone in the pool
Baked Brie with veggies, and fruit

1 large brie wheel
1 cup carrot sticks
1 cup jicima sticks
2 large apples, sliced
2 large pears, sliced

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place a large piece of aluminum foil on your counter. Slice off the top portion of rind off of your brie wheel. Wrap up the wheel of brie in your foil. Put it on a cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes until warm and gooey.

Unwrap brie and place it on a plate surrounded by apples, jicima, pears and carrots and let your kids dip dunk them into the cheesy pool!

Talking Turkey Meatballs

1 12 ounce jar chili sauce
1 10 ounce jar grape jelly
1 t garlic powder
1 T dry minced onions
2 T worcestshire sauce
2 dashes hot sauce
S&P
1 bag prepared turkey meatballs (or you could make your own)

Toss everything except the meatballs into a crock pot. Stir together well. Add in prepared meatballs and toss to coat. Cook on high for 2-3 hours. Serve with lots of toothpicks for easy grabbing.

Crostini with black eye pea salsa (good luck for new years)

Crostini:
1 large whole wheat baguette
½ T olive oil
2 garlic cloves cut in half

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cut the baguette on an angle into ½ inch slices. Brush the slices with olive oil and toss them onto a baking sheet and into the oven for 5 minutes. Turn the tray 180 degrees and bake for an additional 5-7 minutes. Remove from the oven and rub each piece with garlic cloves.

Black Eyed Pea Salsa:

2 ripe avacados
2 tomatoes, chopped
½ cup red onion, chopped
1 jalepeno, seeded and chopped
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
1 garlic cloved, minced
1 11 ounce can white corn, drained
1 15 ounce can black eyed peas, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ lemon, juiced and zested
S&P

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Mix well. Let sit in fridge for 1-2 hours for flavors to meld. Serve on warm crostini.

Cocktails:

It’s a special night, so special libations are in order. For the kids, give them something fancy and memorable.

Grownup Cocktail
Pomegrate Champagne Cocktails
Sparkling wine
Pomegranate juice (such as POM)

Pour 1 tablespoon of POM juice into the bottom of a champagne flute. Fill the remainder with champagne.

Kids Mocktail (My kids don’t drink soda so you could opt to leave it out too)
Pinegrante fizz
Pineapple juice
POM juice
Sierra Mist

Pour 1 tablespoon of POM juice over ice. Pour in equal parts pinapple juice and lemon lime soda. Serve in a pretty glass.