What are your favorite party food ideas for New Years Eve?
Please share in the comments and tell us what are your traditions? It's interesting reading what others do to bring in the new year or if there are special foods you like to make.
Isn't that a cool picture above?
It's Singapore on New Year's Eve, and no, we won't be doing anything quite that cool. (Although our son visited there last year and loved it, did you know English is the primary language there, and that it's very safe and clean? His pictures were really neat, but I'm not sure the 24 hour plane trip would be worth it…) We always go to Joe & Meg’s on New Year’s Eve, which was especially nice when they lived right next door so we didn't have to drive anywhere, and the kids would have their own party right here at our place. There are always lots of fun friends and games, and one year Joe and I were partners and won it all. Keep in mind I’m rotten at things like foosball, darts, euchre, etc., but Joe is good at all of those and that night even I was on fire. So this drove Meg crazy because she’s super competitive! Haaaaa, that made it even more fun.
Last year they were out of town since Meg's Mom had just passed away, we loved her Mom too, it was so sad! (Plus whenever someone loses their parent, it brings out more of the emotions from saying goodbye to my Mom 3 years ago.) So we went to our friends the Gaynor's house, but this year we're all back to Joe & Meg's. 🙂
Party food ideas for New Years Eve and what I'm bringing…
This year I have it narrowed down to these ideas and I'm leaning toward this first one…
- Grilled Bacon Wrapped Shrimp and Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs with a Brown Sugar Glaze!
- These Bacon Pineapple Rollups
I thought I'd show you a few more of my favorite appetizer or dessert recipes that are great to take for a group, but if none of them grab you, click here to scroll through the entire list of appetizer ideas and here are the desserts:
- Last year I took this crazy-sounding but so delicious cranberry dip
- One year I took this Simple Pull-Apart Cheesy Herb Bread Recipe
- Spinach Dip Without the Nasty MSG Soup Mix — an oldie but a goodie, with a soft bread bowl, yum!
And here are some good-to-take places dessert recipes, some are gluten-free for your grain-sensitive friends and others are not:
I hope these recipes get you some great compliments at your New Year's Eve gathering. 🙂
Be safe everyone!
Notice I didn’t say, “See you next year?” #lame
Brenda Davis says
This year we are smoking two of K’s chickens to share. Yummy!
Melissa Malinowski says
“Be safe everyone! Notice I didn’t say, “See you next year?” #lame”
You crack me up! Well, I’ll probably be getting totally crazy watching Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin eve. haha. Cheers my friend!
KitchenKop says
That does sound crazy Melissa!!! Add a good book to that scene and it sounds nice and peaceful to me!
xoxo,
Kel
leah says
My hubby went to a church function and I stayed home with the kids since they’re too little to enjoy really late nights yet. So I put them to bed and enjoyed some quiet contemplation…something that is rare around here, with three little boys! Thought about the past year, which has been a tough one, and about my hopes for 2010. By 10:00, I was asleep…it was great!
Anna says
This year we are in the middle of some bedroom remodeling projects that became derailed from the projected schedule. The house was too chaotic with stuff everywhere in the interim to invite people over, so we aren’t doing much in the way of celebration. For New Year’s Eve we watched a nice animated movie, UP, which my husband and son had seen, but I hadn’t yet but wanted to. It was a very sweet movie and a nice way to end and start a year and decade (I know, the decade really starts in 2011, but YKWIM).
NYE dinner was easy-peasy – I simply gleaned from the fridge: tossed red leaf lettuce salad with grape tomatoes from our abundant weekly CSA box with homemade mustard vinaigrette & shaved parmigiano reggiano cheese, leftover *really* meaty bone broth stew with carrots & potato (also CSA), and roasted cauliflower (also CSA). Leftover CA artisan cheese from a get-together with friends the previous night, as well as chipped dark chocolate & coconut meringue cookies I baked yesterday (with leftover egg whites from making egg nog all week) were for dessert. Fife Zinfandel wine from TJs, one of my favorites. Mmmm…
Lisa Imerman says
AnnMarie the Texas New Year sounds awesome. Never been to TX but do want to go there some day!!
We are doing our same routine which is stay home (with 4 kids, it is the best way to spend it). We always have filet mignon (grass-fed, local beef), Alaskan King Crab (probably not sustainable, from Costco, but we only do it this one time a year). Shrimp cocktail (roasted shrimp recipe from Barefoot Contessa), organic baked sweet potatoes and organic green beans cooked with herbs, onions and real butter. We use real grass-fed butter to dip the crab in. Sparkling Organic Apple Cider and Homemade apple Crisp for dessert. Ran out of ice cream and too far to go to Whole Foods to get more, so will make due without tonight. Then we play family games and watch the ball drop!!
Tomorrow is just hang around the house and relax!!
Raine Saunders says
We are going to our good friends and business partner’s home for the evening. They have four kids, so it’s easier for us to go to their home than the other way around (and their home is larger). We probably will just be having snacks since dinner will be past by then, but we’ll probably make something quick for dinner at home like tacos tonight (with grass-fed beef, of course!).
Today I found a nice marion berry cobbler from a farm in Oregon with very decent ingredients. I also got some Julie’s Organic ice cream to go with it. I wanted to make something festive, but have run out of time…and I already made an enormous, healthy berry pie with a sprouted crust on Christmas Eve, which everyone loved. It was the first pie I have ever made in my life, and I’m 40 years old! Up until recently I was never that excited about cooking, but since I discovered real food I’ve become more and more interested and have been trying lots of new things.
It’s fun to read about everyone’s new year’s eve activities here. I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe new year celebration, whether you are at home having a quiet night or go out on the town. 🙂
Ann Marie @ CHEESESLAVE says
We are outside of Austin, Texas at a resort called Lost Pines. It’s awesome! There’s a big dinner tonight — I think they said BBQ brisket — and there’ll be two-stepping and a Shiner Bock toast to the new year. As much as I love Shiner Bock (local Austin beer) I will probably drink wine.
They have tons of activities all day today too — face painting, baby longhorns, glow-in-the-dark putt putt, pool, wii, s’mores, hay rides, and horse-drawn wagon rides. The kids are loving it! My sister and I went for a long walk all over this morning — got a good workout. We may go in the pool today too — it’s outdoors but heated!
Everyone just left for Austin to get nachos for lunch– I have some peace and quiet in the hotel room. I’m getting the ads scheduled — gotta get it done before tomorrow. And I started reading Knockout by Suzanne Somers — very interesting book!
The food here in Texas is AMAZING. We had some delicious meals which I will blog about. Unbelievably good Tex Mex, fried chicken livers with mashed potatoes & biscuits and gravy, and awesome BBQ.
Happy new year!
Kimberly Hartke says
We are having two of my husband’s brothers (and their wives) for an early supper. I plan to cook Stanley Fishman’s Leg of Lamb Roast with Apples from his awesome cookbook, Tender Grassfed Meat.
We will ring in the new year around 7pm by watching the Australian celebration on our VCR!! This is very appropriate, because I have had close to 2000 visits on my blog from Austrialia this year! Crikey!
Chef Nancy says
This year we will dance the night away in Big
Soli says
This year I am actually going out! Having dinner with a friend of mine as a local restaurant/fromagerie, five courses paired with alcohol. Should be delicious.
And I love this place. I need to go on a Wednesday because that is their foie gras night and I suspect they source it from the place in NY that treats the ducks well.
Local Nourishment says
We usually have Martinelli’s sparkling apple cider as the Times Square ball drops and the next door neighbors light fireworks, but this year we’re having apple kefir! We are going to try awfully hard to stay up till midnight. New Year’s Day we usually have a breakfast casserole while watching the Rose Parade, then snack all day while football is on. This year’s snacks are decidedly different: kale and sweet potato chips, cheese dip, beef jerky, chicken liver pate, soaked granola, etc. All homemade, all local.
Hallee says
Have a great time!
So far, no New Year’s Eve traditions for us. Every year has been different. This year, I’m driving Kaylee to Knoxville (https://www.halleethehomemaker.com/2009/12/letting-go/) and will spend the night there at a friend’s house and come home Friday.
For New Year we eat blackeyed peas (cooked with a smoked turkey leg), turnip greens, and cornbread. That is a tradition we never miss – I think Gregg and I are too southern to skip the peas on New Year. heh.
Hallee