That's why I'm sharing some fun & simple New Year's Eve party ideas! So you waited til the last minute...no big deal! You can still make New Year's special and memorable. Check out my suggestions and incorporate them into your celebration.
1) Pucker UP! - A Delicious Cocktail for New Year's Eve
You'll need:
1 lemon, cut into slices
Limoncello (lemon-flavored liqueur)
Fresh lemon juice
1 (750-milliliter) bottle brut Champagne, chilled
To make this tasty drink, add a spoonful of the lemon liqueur to a glass. Stir in a spoonful of lemon juice. Top with champagne and garnish with a lemon slice.
It's a little tart, hence the name, but the strike of midnight on New Year's Eve is also a time for kissing, so get prepared to pucker up! Enjoy!
2) Black-eyed Pea Hummus -
Black-eyed peas have long been thought to bring good luck when eaten on New Year's Day. Get a head start with this tasty adaptation of Blackberry Farm's Black-eyed Pea Hummus.
You'll need:
1 can of Black-eyed peas (rinsed)
1 T minced garlic
5 T olive oil
Coarse salt & Fresh ground pepper
1 T fresh lemon juice
In a food processor, pulse peas, lemon juice and garlic. When it forms a paste-like consistency, add in olive oil while processing a bit more. Add salt (and pepper) to taste.
Enjoy with crusty bread, crackers, carrot sticks, and other nibbles.
3) Ring in the New Year, with Ring-Shaped Desserts!
Did you know that ring-shaped desserts are thought to symbolize wealth and prosperity? Incorporate some of your own favorite ring-shaped foods, like doughnuts, or mini-bundt cakes.
Knoxville has a new business called Nothing Bundt Cakes that has some incredible options! I picked up their December Flavor of the Month, Peppermint Chocolate and can't wait to enjoy it.
Some other New Year's traditions you might want to try:
Black-eyed peas have long been thought to bring good luck when eaten on New Year's Day. Get a head start with this tasty adaptation of Blackberry Farm's Black-eyed Pea Hummus.
You'll need:
1 can of Black-eyed peas (rinsed)
1 T minced garlic
5 T olive oil
Coarse salt & Fresh ground pepper
1 T fresh lemon juice
In a food processor, pulse peas, lemon juice and garlic. When it forms a paste-like consistency, add in olive oil while processing a bit more. Add salt (and pepper) to taste.
Enjoy with crusty bread, crackers, carrot sticks, and other nibbles.
3) Ring in the New Year, with Ring-Shaped Desserts!
Did you know that ring-shaped desserts are thought to symbolize wealth and prosperity? Incorporate some of your own favorite ring-shaped foods, like doughnuts, or mini-bundt cakes.
Knoxville has a new business called Nothing Bundt Cakes that has some incredible options! I picked up their December Flavor of the Month, Peppermint Chocolate and can't wait to enjoy it.
Some other New Year's traditions you might want to try:
- Eat 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight, one for each month of the past year.
- Incorporate lentils or other beans into your New Year's meal...these are supposed to symbolize coins, a.k.a. moolah or prosperity to come.
- Greens like collards or chard may also bring good luck if eaten on New Year's Day
- Pork, with its high fat content, may bring you luck. We grew up eating Hog's Jowl, but other cuts will also do.
- Toss a bucket of water out the front door of your house after the stroke of midnight, signifying "Out with the old, In with the new."
