If you’re like me you haven’t even thought past Christmas and into the New Year yet, so I thought I’d give you a good start if you’re running behind.

New Year’s Eve Cocktail Recipes

• A trio of cocktails to warm your party guests.
• Jim Beam holiday cocktail recipes
• Harbour Restaurant Holiday Cocktails
• Christmas Cocktails from RDV Restaurant (These would still be festive for New Years or any holiday season party)
• A couple more warm holiday cocktails, perfect for cold nights.

New Year’s Eve Appetizer Recipes

• A trio of healthy holiday appetizers from Wild Harvest
• A list of 20 easy holiday appetizer recipes
• Baby Brie and Crab Appetizer

New Year’s Eve Dinner Ideas and Recipes

• If you’d like to feed your guests without breaking the bank check out these New Year’s Eve dinner on a budget ideas.
• Setting the table for your dinner party
• Tips for holiday wine and food pairings

I’ll be back with more New Year’s Eve and New Years Day party planning ideas over the next few days to help you thow together those last minute party details.

Image (c) L Gerlach

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Here are a couple cocktail recipes for you from Cruzan Rum, Jim Beam, and Canadian Club. You can make one of these cocktails the signature drink for your New Year’s Eve bash, or sip on a Snow Storm Toddy while you ring in the New Year with family.

Snow Storm Toddy

• 1¼ parts Red Stag by Jim Beam
• 1/2 part DeKuyper Peachtree
• 2 parts Fresh Lemon Sour
• 2 parts Ginger Beer
• Steaming hot water

(Build in a pre-heated coffee mug; dust with fresh ground cinnamon)

Rumosa

• 1 part Cruzan flavor of choice (mango, pineapple, guava, black cherry, etc.)
• Top with chilled Champagne

(Serve in a champagne flute; garnish with cut fruit such as a mango slice or watermelon triangle)

Canadian Winter

• 1 part Canadian Club Classic 12
• 1 part DeKuyper ButterShots Schnapps
• 3 parts Cream on the Rocks

(Combine ingredients in shaker; shake vigorously and pour into a 6 oz. rocks glass over ice)

Always remember to drink responsibly, and remind your guests to do the same if they’re driving home.

Images: Jim Beam/ Cruzan/ Canadian Club

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Tailgate Takedown premieres on Wednesday January 6th at 10pm ET. The show promises to explore a different college stadium and rivalry game each week, and each week three competing teams of local tailgaters face off against one another in a spirited cooking competition.

After hunting down the home team’s most fanatical fans to find the most talented tailgaters to compete in the Tailgate Takedown, Cahn introduces the three teams and takes viewers on a tour of their tricked-out trailers and tailgating tools. Viewers get a first hand look at the hard work, creativity, inventive technology and cooking skills that go into these one-of-a-kind tailgate creations.

I can’t wait to check it out! I love TLC’s programming lately, they’ve been getting more and more decorating, party, food, and wedding related shows. Now I just need to wrestle the remote away from my son and my husband more often so I can watch them!

Image: istockphoto.com

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Today I have a delicious Christmas Dinner for 8 for Less than $30. The Food Network’s Aaron Sanchez and Walmart’s Holiday Meals put this Christmas menu together to help make things simple, and to help people who are on a tight budget this holiday season . The Christmas meal will be perfect for entertaining holiday guests without breaking the bank.

The meal ideas include:

• One 10-pound Spiral Cut Half Ham
• Three 8-ounce cans Del Monte Green Beans
• One 10-pound bag of Russet potatoes
• One 12-count package of Sara Lee dinner rolls
• One 10 inch Pumpkin Pie

Here’s the spread:

Ham with Mango Jalapeno Glaze

Ingredients:

• One 10- to 12-pound spiral cut half ham
• 12 cloves for studding ham
• 1/2 cup mango jalapeno jelly (recipe following)
• 2 T Dijon mustard

Directions:
1.) Preheat oven to 350°F.
2.) Distribute cloves between slices of ham. On a rack in a roasting pan bake ham in middle of oven for 1 1/2 hours.
3.) In a small saucepan heat jelly over moderate heat, stirring, until melted and smooth. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in mustard. Spread glaze evenly on top of baked ham and bake 35 minutes more.
4.) Transfer ham to a platter and let stand 15 minutes before slicing.

Chipotle Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 5 large baking potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 1 cup hot milk
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 canned chipotle in adobo, peeled and seeded
• 1 cup of canola oil
• 6 cloves of garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1.) Boil potatoes in salted boiling water until tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Place the potatoes in a food processor and purée, adding milk and butter until incorporated. Transfer potatoes to a large serving bowl.
2.) In a small sauce pot combine oil and garlic and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes until garlic is tender. Drain oil and reserve it in a small bowl. On a cutting board chop garlic and chipotle into a fine paste. Stir garlic-chipotle mixture into the oil; let cool.
3.) Add cooled garlic-chipotle oil to the potatoes. Mix well and season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.

Green Bean and Mushroom Picadillo

Ingredients:

• 2 cans green beans
• 1 T olive oil
• 8 oz. sliced white mushrooms
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup red wine
• 1/3 cup chicken broth
• 1/3 cup grated Cotija cheese or Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1.) Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook until browned, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

2.) Add red wine and chicken broth to the skillet and bring to a boil. Simmer to blend flavors and reduce sauce, about 2 to 3 minutes.

3.) Add green beans to mushroom sauce and toss to coat. Spoon into a large serving dish and top with cotija or parmesan cheese.

Veggies with Aaron Family ranch sauce

• 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon of chopped garlic
• 1/2 tablespoon of chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon of hot sauce
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• Assorted crudités (such as carrot and celery sticks)
• Corn tortilla chips

Preparation:

Whisk ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Transfer to serving bowl. (Can be
made 1 day ahead.) Cover; chill.
Arrange crudités on platter. Place chips in basket. Serve with dip.

Images: Walmart

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Have your guests divide into teams of three or four so they can compare notes, mingle, and figure out the answers together.

You don’t just have to stick with trivia, you can do charades, or guess the picture type games based on famous happenings or celebrities from the last ten years.

Here are a few sample questions you might use for your trivia game.

• Who won the Superbowl in 2005? (Answer: New England Patriots)
• Who won the Academy Award For Best Picture in 2003? (Answer: The Lord Of The Rings: The Return of the King)
• Who was the voice of Dory in Finding Nemo? (Answer:Ellen DeGeneres)

You get the idea, look through the decade to find big moments and test your friends to see how much they remember.

Image: sxc.hu

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Most of the calories and sugar in your cocktails are in the mixes and the soda you use to make them. Instead of the usual spritzer, juice or soda, substitute your mixer with a “Hint” of Pomegranate-Tangerine or Mango-Grapefruit flavored water.

Add Hint as a mixer to your favorite vodka or rum, it’s the perfect alternative for a healthy holiday drink. It has no carbs, calories, sugar or sodium. It still gives your cocktail or holiday mixers flavor without adding on extra calories, which we all know adds on those extra pounds we’ll all be trying to lose in January!

Leave out the alcohol for even fewer calories and delicious family and kid friendly party drinks that are lower in calories than the normal party punch.

Here are a couple recipes to get you started.

Red and Green Pomegranate Punch

• 2 bottles Pomegranate-Tangerine Hint
• 1/2 cup sugar substitute (like Splenda)
• 1 1/2 cup Vincent Van Gough Vodka Pomegranate
• 1 splash of lime
• 1 lemon thinly sliced
• Pomegranate seeds
• Fresh mint leaves

Shake together with ice, garnish with the fresh mint leaves, lemon and pomegranate seeds on top.

Tropical Holiday Getaway

• 2 oz Mango Grapefruit Hint
• 1 1/2 oz 3-Olives mango vodka
• Splash of lime juice
• Crushed pineapple wedge
• 1 piece of mango for garnish

Shake together with ice and garnish with mango slice.

As always remind your friends and guests to drink responsibly, even during the holiday season.

Images Hint

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• Shrimp Tray (5 servings)
• Vegetable Tray (10 servings)
• Hillshire Farms Little Smokies (8 servings)
• Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (6 servings)
• Land O’Lakes Egg Nog (8 servings)
• Red Velvet cake

With many budgets tight this holiday season it’s good to know you can put together a New Years Eve meal for your guests without breaking the bank.

Check out the spread! Definitely looks delicious to me. The cake looks wonderful! I think I might have to make it next week (from scratch). I like red velvet cake, but I haven’t made it for a while, and that cream cheese and coconut icing sounds wonderful.

Creamy Coconut frosted Red Velvet Cake

• 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup of softened butter
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 cups sweetened flaked coconut (about 6 ounces), divided
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon of lime zest

Preparation:

1. Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract in medium bowl until smooth.
2. Beat in powdered sugar; fold in 1 cup flaked coconut and lime zest.
3. Spread frosting on cakes, leaving 1/2-inch plain border; sprinkle with remaining 1 cup coconut

Smokies filled Mushrooms

• 6 little smokies, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 1 teaspoon of chili powder or cayenne
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 ounces)
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic garlic
• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• Olive oil
• 24 large (about 2-inch-diameter) mushrooms, stemmed
• 1/3 cup olive oil

Preparation:

1. Sauté sausage,oregano, chili powder and garlic in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until sausage is cooked through and brown, breaking into small pieces with back of fork, about 7 minutes.
2. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage mixture to large bowl and cool. Mix in 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, Worcestershire sauce and cilantro , then cream cheese. Season filling with salt and pepper; mix in egg yolk.
3. Brush 15×10x2-inch glass baking dish with olive oil to coat. Brush cavity of each mushroom cap with remaining olive oil; fill with scant 1 tablespoon filling and sprinkle with some of remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.
4. Arrange mushrooms, filling side up, in prepared dish. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)
5. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake uncovered until mushrooms are tender and filling is brown on top, about 25 minutes.

Coquito ( puerto rican style egg nog)

• 2 cans of egg nog
• 1/2 cup of coconut milk
• 1/2 cup of coconut cream (optional also called coco lopez)
• 1 cup of white rum
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon

Preparation:

Place all ingredients in a blender and puree for 3 minutes at high speed till frothy.

Serve chilled and with a dusting of cinnamon.

Mexican shrimp cocktail

• 12 cooked large shrimp (1/2 lb)
• 2 plum tomatoes, finely diced
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 jalalpeno finely diced
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1tablespoon of chopped cilantro
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 California avocado

Garnish: lime wedges
Preparation:

1. Stir together tomatoes, scallion, jalapeno ,cilantro, lemon and lime juices, salt, and pepper.
2. Just before serving, finely dice avocado and stir into tomato salsa.
3. Chop shrimp into quarter inch piece and toss into tomato avocado salsa. Great served on top of tortilla chips.

Blue Cheese Stuffed Rolls

Ingredients:

• 1 tube crescent rolls
• 3/4 stick unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 pound chilled blue cheese (preferably Stilton or Gorgonzola), crumbled
• 1/2 cup of diced apples
• 1 tablespoon of chopped walnuts
• 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley
• 2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle.
2. Cut crescent rolls into 1-inch cubes. Put cubes in a large shallow baking pan and drizzle with melted butter, gently tossing to coat. Arrange cubes in 1 layer and bake, turning occasionally, until pale golden and crisp around edges but still soft inside, 12 minutes.
3. Cool crescent cubes slightly in pan on a rack, then poke a hole three fourths of the way through each cube from top using large end of chopstick, making hole about 1/3 inch in diameter. In a small bowl add blue cheese, apples, walnuts, parsley and olive oil mix well and season with salt and pepper. Press about 1/2 teaspoon blue cheese mixture into each hole, mounding slightly.
4. Just before serving, reheat cubes , cheese side up, in baking pan in a 400°F oven until warm and crisp, about 5 minutes.

Images: Walmart/ Aaron Sanchez

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Today he’s sharing some holiday entertaining tips, including going gourmet on a budget, making your buffet table look fabulous, and some tips for pulling of a successful last minute holiday party.

Enjoy!

Me: Many have to keep a tight rein on their expenses with the economy. What are some of your favorite tips for making your holiday party gourmet on a budget?

Ryan: Think cheaper cuts of meat and braise them to make them tender. Also, think shrimp and pork tenderloin as an alternative to filet mignon and lobster.

Me: What are some of your favorite foods for holiday entertaining?

Ryan: I don’t like to do the classic turkey ham. An herb crusted prime rib, yorkshire pudding, garlic roasted mashed potatoes and spiked egg nog is a family favorite of mine. It’s very easy to do buffet style and everyone can serve themselves. A roast is very easy to serve and you don’t have to worry about individual temperatures as you would with individual steaks.

Me: Do you have any tips for pulling off a successful last minute holiday party?

Ryan: Everything store bought is not a bad thing. A bag of baked pita chips with hummus is a great little chips and dip alternative. Procuitto wrapped dates stuffed with Parmesan is a quick and easy appetizer that you can pop into the oven and get done in 5 minutes. You can make a great mimosa with Zipang Sparkling Sake, Pomegranate seeds and Eldeflower Liquor.

Me: Any secret ideas for making your holiday buffet fabulous?

Ryan: Use chafing dishes to keep things warm and affordable. They range anywhere from $40-$75 and will pay for themselves throughout the year. These can be found at any restaurant supply store and look fabulous on a buffet table.

I want to thank Ryan for taking time out of his busy schedule to share some holiday entertaining tips with She Knows Party readers.

Image: Istockphoto.com

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Today I have some delicious recipes to share with you from SuperValu and Wild Harvest to help you do just that. The best part about these recipes is, they’re no more difficult to make than their less nutritious counterparts, and they’re loaded with delicious fresh flavor.

From Bruschetta, to Bean Salsa, to a Triple Berry Parfait, with these recipes I don’t think your guests will miss the calories! I know I wouldn’t.

Bruschetta
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 10 minutes
Amount: 6 servings

Ingredients:
1 (14.5 ounce) can wild harvest™ organic diced tomatoes with Italian herbs, drained
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup chopped wild harvest™ organic fresh basil
1 tablespoon wild harvest™ organic extra virgin olive oil
12 (½-inch thick) slices wild harvest™ organic baguette bread
- olive oil no stick cooking spray

Directions:
1. In medium bowl, combine tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, basil and oil; set aside.
2. Place bread slices on baking sheet. Spray with liberal amount of cooking spray.
3. Bake in a preheated 375°F oven 10 minutes. Remove from oven; cool.
To Serve: Top bread crostinis with Bruschetta.

Nutritional Info:
Serving Size:
1/6 of recipe

Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 115
Total Fat: 5g
Saturated Fat: 2g
Cholesterol: 5mg
Sodium: 360mg
Carbohydrates: 13g
Dietary Fiber: 1g

Bean Salsa
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Chill Time: several hours
Amount: about 5 1/2 cups

Ingredients:
2 (15 ounce) cans wild harvest™ organic pinto beans, rinsed and drained
½ cup each diced red, green and yellow bell peppers
1 cup diced red onion
¼ cup wild harvest™ organic extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons wild harvest™ organic honey
1½ teaspoons freshly ground wild harvest™ natural sea salt
1 teaspoon wild harvest™ organic ground cumin
½ teaspoon chili powder
- wild harvest™ organic tortilla chips

Directions
1. In large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste.
2. Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight. Serve with tortilla chips.

Nutritional Information:
Serving Size:
1/2 cup

Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 135
Total Fat: 5g
Saturated Fat: 1g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 340mg
Carbohydrates: 19g
Dietary Fiber: 6g

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time:
Amount: 2 servings

Triple Berry Parfait
2 (6 ounce) containers wild harvest™ Organic Low Fat Strawberry Yogurt
2/3 cup wild harvest™ Organic Triple Berry Granola
1/2 cup diced fresh strawberries
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup fresh raspberries

Directions
1. Divide one container of yogurt between 2 parfait glasses.
2. Top with 1/4 of the granola, strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries.
3. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Nutrition Information
Serving Size:
1/2 of recipe

Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 335
Total Fat: 11
Saturated Fat: 3
Cholesterol: 10
Sodium: 130
Carbohydrates: 54
Dietary Fiber: 7

Popcorn Snack Mix
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 3 minutes
Amount: about 13 cups

Ingredients:
1 (3 ounce) bag wild harvest™ Organic Microwave Light Butter Popcorn
2 cups mini-twist pretzels
1 1/2 cups wild harvest™ Organic Bite Size Cheddar Cheese Crackers
1 1/2 cups lightly roasted whole almonds
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese 2 teaspoons wild harvest™ Organic Italian Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon wild harvest™ Organic Black Pepper

Directions:
1. Prepare popcorn according to package directions. Transfer popcorn to a large mixing bowl.
2. Add remaining ingredients to popcorn and toss to coat.

Nutrition Information:
Serving Size:
1/12 of recipe

Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 185
Total Fat: 11
Saturated Fat: 2
Cholesterol: 5
Sodium: 220
Carbohydrates: 15
Dietary Fiber: 3

You can find Wild Harvest Organic products at SuperValu stores nationwide.

Images SuperValu/ Wild Harvest

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Kim shared several tips on how you can plan ahead during the holidays to keep yourself, and others on the right track even when you’re entertaining.

Kim said one of the biggest things you can do is to plan ahead.

• Keep frozen berries and 100% juice on hand, you can freeze the juice in holiday shaped ice cube trays to add to your fruit punch to keep it from diluting.
• Make sure you plan to include items from at least two food groups to help your guests feel more satisfied.
• Make your food part of the holiday presentation by using plenty of reds and greens. Some great examples include spinach salad with fresh sliced strawberries, or red and green apples with a fat free caramel sauce.
• A martini glass with a mixture of fresh fruit and garnished with fresh mint is another festive touch that will lend itself to the holiday atmosphere (it’s also great for portion control, but you don’t have to tell your guests that).
• Don’t be afraid to experiment with reduced fat items to lighten the calorie load. Reduced fat ranch, cream cheese, or a fat free Greek yogurt can often be used in party dips without sacrificing taste.
• Salsa makes a great low calorie dip that most people love, it can be served with vegetables, or baked chips for loads of flavor without the guilt.

I want to thank Kim for taking the time out of her day to share these wonderful tips with me, so I could share them with you here. She also shared several great holiday recipes with me, which I’ll be back to post shortly.

Image: sxc.hu

Post from: She Knows Parties