Happy New Year!
When it comes to New Year’s Eve celebrations, we’re definitely on the mellow end of the spectrum. You won’t find any booze or fireworks at our house, and we’re tucked into bed hours before the ball drops. But when it comes to a delicious spread, our NYE is lacking nothing.
The Food
Most years we opt for an appetizer spread for NYE, and this year was no different. Facebook memories reminded me that we had some of the same staples on NYE back in 2013!
- Olive cheese balls These made an appearance on Christmas Eve and were so popular we decided to make them again for New Year’s Eve. We’ve found that people either really love these or really don’t.
- Cream cheese wontons We made these years ago for our wedding. Folding all the wontons brought back good memories. They were a hit just like usual. I just need to refine the dipping sauce. The chili flakes in the sauce got out of hand and Kevin had to doctor it.
- Spinach artichoke cups These didn’t turn out quite how we pictured them, but everyone loved them. They were just pieces of crescent dough in mini muffin tins with spinach artichoke dip inside. The flavor concept was solid, but they didn’t come out of the pan very well. We’ll have to keep working on that one.
- Veggie sushi I wish I had gotten a picture of our huge platter of veggie sushi. Our sushi kit makes some beautiful sushi rolls!
- Salad This was a simple salad with spring mix, apples, dried cranberries, roasted cashews, feta cheese, a homemade creamy balsamic dressing, and (the star of the show) won ton strips. Soo good. We served the nuts, feta, and won ton strips on the side to keep it customizable.
- Cheese tray and crackers Dad put together another cheese tray, this time with some pumpkin spice asiago. It was different, but intriguing. I liked it.
- Veggie tray My brother and sister-in-law furnished another veggie tray with an assortment of pickles and olives as well.
- Mulled apple cider Mom brought mulled apple cider again – always a treat!
- Christmas goodies We still had (have…) peanut butter balls, Ritz cookies, caramel popcorn, and some sugar cookies, so we served these up too.
- Sparkling punch My cousin and his girlfriend brought another punch (they did for Christmas dinner too). This one featured sparkling cider and edible glitter.
The Fun
There wasn’t a lot of “official” fun – we mostly visited and grazed on the spread of appetizers. It’s nice when everyone is just happy to be together.
Grandma asked us if this was our last evening of entertaining for a while. I hadn’t really thought about it, but it was the last holiday event we have planned for the foreseeable future.
And that’s kind of okay. We can have some low-key family dinners for a while, then maybe we can talk about a Superbowl feast and some Valentines goodies.
Next Year
While Thanksgiving, three Christmas events, and New Year’s Eve was a lot all in a short span of time, it really felt like the holidays this year. I don’t think I would do much different next year 🙂