Recipe(tried): New Year's Party Recipes for Kim in Kansas....

Hi Kim,

What fun, a New Year's Day Party! And, it seems you have a perfect number of people coming over. Cooking hors' doeuvres for 20 is a snap. I would have a combination of cold and hot items. The following are easy to prepare and fast too! Let me know if you need the recipes for these:

Spinach Dip in a round Hawaiian Bread dome
Chutney Cheese Spread with Crackers
Mini Meatballs in Sauce in a crockpot


Assorted Pinwheels (see article and recipes from St. Pete's Time, Florida In TASTE Section) I have gone ahead and copied the recipes for these from the paper today, they look really yummy!

If there is a Costco or Sam's near you, by all means check out the boxes of hors'doeuvres they have. Many have mini bites that are very delicious. That is the first place I would definitly go...then build around what they don't have.

Also, a platter of chicken wings with Bleu Cheese and Celery sticks. You can buy a huge package of wings at Sam's or Costco.

A large ham from Honey Ham or Ham Heaven, sliced and put on platters with assorted cheeses, mustards and mayo and lots of mini rolls.

Here are some party recipes that I have used with great success at my parties...


Everyone loves this one...

Chile Cheesecake
serves 10-12

1 c. crushed tortilla chips
3 T. melted butter
2 8 oz. softened cream cheese
2 eggs beaten
1 jalopeno pepper, cored, seeded and diced
1 4 oz. can of diced green chilies
4 oz. shredded Colby cheese
4 oz. shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
1/2 c. sour cream
chopped tomatoes
chopped scallions
diced black olives
sliced avocados

Mix the chips and butter and press into bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Preheat oven to 325 and bake 15 minutes. Leave the oven on. Mix the cream cheese and eggs. Add the cheeses, green chilies and jalapeno. Pour into the crust and bake 30 min. Remove from oven and let cool 5 min. Remove from the pan. SPread the sour cream over the top and add the rest of ingredients in order given. Serve with tortilla chips.


Here's an idea for the bar, keep some wine bottles on ice in a huge bucket along with club soda bottles for spritzers! A fun thing to do is to go to the local hardware or K-Mart or Walmart and see if they stock those aluminum or tin mop buckets and fill them with ice for bottles of wines, soda and beer. Or, better yet, see if they have a large, round container.

White Wine Spritzer

3 oz. club soda
chilled white wine

Pour wine into wine glass with ice. Fill with club soda and stir gently.

This is a great dip with raw vegetables....

Bleu Cheese Dip with Raw Veggies
serves 8

1 3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. small-curd cottage cheese
2 T. sour cream
1/4 t. Tabasco
1/2 t. dill
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 1/2 oz. bleu cheese dip mix or use crumbled bleu cheese
1/4 c. radishes, finely chopped
1/4 c. celery, finely chopped
1/4 c. scallions, finely chopped
1/4 c. green bell pepper, finely chopped

In a food processor, chop all the veggies. Set aside in a bowl. Put cream cheese, cottage cheese and sour cream in the food processor and blend. Add Tabasco, dill, garlic and bleu cheese mix or the cheese. Blend. Stir in the veggies. Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving.


Here's another drink idea...get a huge glass punch bowl and fill it with this. I would have at least 3 gallons already pre-mixed so that all you do is pour into the punch bowl when needed. These are really, really gooooood!!!

Zombies
serves 8

12 oz. white rum
12 oz. dark rum
4 c. pineapple juice
1 1/2 c. orange juice
1 c. lime juice
4 oz. dark rum

Mix all the ingredients, except the last one, in a large pitcher. Stir well, This can be made a day ahead. Pour ice over in a glass and float the rum on top.


Here's another hor'doevre that goes a long way...

Artichoke Cheese Squares
makes 77 squares

1/4 c. onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, mashed
3 T. bacon fat
4 eggs beaten until frothy
1 14 oz. jar artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/2 lb. Swiss Cheese, grated
2 T. parsley, minced
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. oregano
1/4 t. Tabasco
1/2 c. dry unseasoned bread crumbs

In a frying pan, saute onion and garlic in bacon fat. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour into a greased 7x11-inch baking dish. Bake in a preheated 325 degrees oven for 25-30 min. Cut into 1-inch squares.


Everyone seems to like thee little bites....
Asparagus Wraps
makes 10 servings

6 oz. bleu cheese, crumbled
1 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1 lb. white bread loaf, crust removed
1 10 oz. pkg. frozen asparagus
1/2 c. butter. melted

Mix the bleu cheese, cream cheese and egg. Flatten each piece of bread with a rolling pin. Spread the mixture on each piece and add one piece of asparagus on each. Roll the slices. Plae in freezer at least 4 hours. Whenready to serve, place on baking sheet and brush with butter. Bake in preheated oven for 10 min. Cut into bite-size pieces.


Here's a fun, delicious drink for New Years!!
Apricot and Champagne Drink
serves 8

1 750-ml bottle brut champagne, chilled
2 1/2 c. apricot nectar, chilled
3 T. Grand Marnier

Mix all together. Pour into champagne flutes.

ANd lasatly, here is the recipe from the paper and variations of it. They really look good!! If you need to get more drink recipes, go to www.stpetestimesonline.com. These are from the St. Peterburg Times, Florida newspaper, the TASTE section.

Stilton Pinwheels With Walnuts and Honey
By JANET K. KEELER, Times Staff Writer
Published December 28, 2005

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1/3 cup Stilton or other blue cheese, at room temperature

1/4 cup cream cheese, at room temperature

1 sheet purchased frozen puff pastry, thawed

2 cups (about 8 ounces) walnut halves

Honey for drizzling

In a miniprocessor or by hand, mix blue cheese and cream cheese until well blended.

On a lightly floured pastry cloth or board, unfold the pastry sheet according to the package directions. Cut in half lengthwise.

Carefully and without tearing pastry, spread half of the cheese mixture to cover one piece of pastry, leaving a 1/4-inch border on one long edge. Beginning with the long, coated edge, tightly roll the pastry, forming a long jelly roll-style log. Moisten the border with water and pinch the edge to form a secure seam. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour before baking. (Rolls can also be frozen.) Repeat with the remaining piece of pastry and cheese mixture.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or leave ungreased and set aside.

Remove one log at a time from the freezer and unwrap on a cutting board. Thaw slightly. Measure and mark 1/4-inch increments and slice with a serrated knife. Arrange pinwheels on baking sheet, at least 1 inch apart. Gently press 1 walnut half in the center of each pinwheel. Bake until the pastry is golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and, using a teaspoon or squeeze bottle, drizzle with a crisscross thread of honey. Serve immediately.

Makes about 6 dozen pinwheels.

Variations, using directions above:

For Spinach-Cheese Pinwheels: 1/4 cup cream cheese, 1/3 cup grated Parmesan, 1 package frozen spinach, thawed and well-drained, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder. Mix together, divide and spread on pastry halves.

For Roasted Red Pepper and Parmesan Pinwheels: 1/4 cup cream cheese, 1/3 cup grated Parmesan, 4 or 5 pieces of jarred roasted red peppers, drained and blotted dry. Mix cheeses, divide and spread on pastry halves. Slice red peppers and arrange strips on pastry sheets in single layers, covering most of the surface.

For Honey Ham and Jack Pinwheels With Mustard: Brown mustard, 6 to 7 thin slices of honey-glazed deli ham, 1/2 cup grated Jack cheese. Spread thin layer of brown mustard on pastry halves then arrange ham in single layers. Sprinkle Jack cheese over all.

For Greek-style Pinwheels: 1/4 cup cream cheese, 1/3 cup crumbled feta, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1/3 cup chopped Kalamata olives, well drained. Combine cheeses and dried basil. Divide in half and spread over pastry halves. Arrange chopped olives over all.

Sources: "Holiday Baking" by Sara Perry (Chronicle Books; $18.95) and Janet K. Keeler, St. Petersburg Times food editor.

Well Kim, I am sure the other cooks on here will come in with their recipes and ideas and you will have a fabulous New Year's Party! Let us know how it goes and if you need any help with other recipes or ideas for decorating.

Happy New Year! Gina