Quick & Easy Mocktails & Appetizers: New Year's Party Food

What's your New Years Eve plans?

Hubby and I do not go out on New Years Eve. Normally he has to work the next day and I don't like to be out on the road with people who do not practice having designated drivers. There has been too many close calls for us and I've seen too many bad accidents.

This year my son, daughter in law, and their 4 children will be here to spend the night. Having a New Years Eve Party with children has always been my favorite type of New Years Eve Party. The kids LOVE it!

Here are some of my favorite appetizer and mocktail recipes for that last minute impromptu party, whether you have children included or just adults.

The best part... NO COOKING REQUIRED for these appetizers!

This Mocktail is what I will be serving the children; it's a classic and so fun! They love to watch me prepare their drink, and love drinking from my good stemware.

Appletini
2 oz apple juice
1/2 ounce of simple syrup
1/4 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice

Place all in cocktail shaker and shake well.
Rim a martini glass with sugar,
Strain cocktail into glass.
Using a tiny star cookie cutter cut out apple slices to float.

Mock Champagne Punch
Mix equal amounts of white grape juice and giner ale. Drop in frozen red and green grapes.
I'm using red sparkling grape juice and 7-up.

For some great adult cookie cocktails, let Betty Crocker lend a hand! Snickerdoodle, Coconut Macaroon & more.

Break out the fondu pot! This 3 Cheese is so easy and yummy.

A quick and easy appetizer is the Smoked Gouda Cheese Balls (scroll down a little). Stick a lollipop stick (or fancy toothpick)  in each to make it easy for guests to eat.

or try these Lollipop Goat Cheese Balls.

1 cup goat cheese
½ cup toasted pistachios
¼ cup golden raisins
12 lollipop sticks for presentation

Finely chop pistachios and golden raisins together. Roll goat cheese into 1" balls and then roll into nut/raisin mixture. Insert lollipop stick.
This recipe was styled by chef Karen Pickus for Good Morning America


And don't forget your tablescape.  Here's my favorite.  I love clocks and this will be fun for the kiddos if I can round up enough. 

The tablescape was featured in Taste of Home.

How will you be celebrating New Years?

Tablescape Thursday-Kids' Halloween Dinner Party

I am hosting a Halloween Dinner Party for my kiddo and grandkids. The first thing my granddaughters want to eat when they hit my house is ramen noodles, and they have a blast using chop sticks to eat them.

So I pulled out my porcelain Himark Mandarin Oriental dinner set and added some Halloween flair to it. 

I seen some cute candlesticks in a Partylite book but didnt like the price and so I made these.  I had everything on hand except the two orange votives.

I love the little ghosties! lol

Each setting got a candy ring pop & eyeball bubble gum.

I used bat rings for chopstick rings.

And leaves for place cards. I picked these up at Dollar Tree for $1 a pack. I love them!

After Halloween is over, it will be easy to remove the Halloween decorations and still have a nice fall centerpiece.

As far as the menu, I will serve ramen noodles colored green for some Witch's Worm Soup.  That's all I got.  What's your ideas to go with it?  Maybe some kind of sandwich and a side.  I was thinking deviled egg eye balls, but come up empty for the sandwich.  Let me know what you suggest!

This post has been linked to Between Naps on the Porch: Tablescape Thursday

Pretty In Pink & Eddie Ross

Tablescaping for me is fun and relaxing. My preference is a table done for two. It speaks intimacy & romance to me. And who couldn't use more romance in their lives, right?

My table started with a bunch of fresh picked peonies from my garden and was used for the focal point.



I love these dragonfly plates and they were a recent find at one of my favorite thrift stores for, you got it, .67 a piece.



I pulled out some pink checked daisy material and made me a table runner, keeping my table in the pink, springy, fun and whimsical. My table cloth is a white fringed baby blanket that fits my bistro table perfectly. It too was a thrift store find that I purchased to make a pillow out of that I havn't got around to doing yet. More material from my stash was used to make my napkins.



I think this is one of my favorite tablescapes I've done so far.




While we are here, I wanted to show you guys Eddie Ross' tablescape for DIFFA's fund raiser Dining By Design.

As the signature fund-raising event for DIFFA Kansas City, DINING BY DESIGN showcases the personal passions of some of the area's leading design talents. Each participant is given a set amount of space and the freedom to create their own dining environment. As long as each table can accommodate ten or more for dinner, the sky’s the limit. Each year these elaborate artistic vignettes range from the whimsical to the elegant. It’s an evening of great design and great fun – and for a profoundly important purpose. DINING BY DESIGN was founded in Kansas City over twenty years ago and has become the signature event for DIFFA chapters nationwide.

Here's a look at what Eddie Ross' table looked like this year in Kansas City. Stunning to say the least.



Upcoming Dining By Design events:
Detroit August 12-14, 2010
Chicago November 4-6, 2010
San Francisco November 2010

Check out all the other talented women participating in Tablescape Thursday today.

A Frugal Spring Tablescape

I love setting a table. Making it pretty and inviting is a fun challenge for me. I feel it also makes the meal, no matter how simple, more appetizing. I'm love to layer a table setting.

Collecting items for various tablescapes doesn't have to break the bank. For me the hunt for something new is exciting, challenging and when found... rewarding. Check out my finds from earlier this week.

I found these plates at one of my favorite thrift stores for .67 each. The white luncheon plates are plain with no decoration making them very versatile. The bread plates are handpainted! Handpainted! I seen them and instantly loved them.



I used turquoise fabric, a yellow napkin, an orange runner and 2 turqoise napkins for my layers. All these came from several different thrift store trips and cost .47 to .99.



The flower vase and irish coffee mugs (who says they have to ONLY be used for coffee?) were a $1 each.



Fresh cut flowers are from my gardens which equals FREE! :)



The antique light sconce was a garage sale buy for $2. I really like the glow it throws on the table.





Yes, that's frozen grapes in my Tangerine Spritzer. They slowly rise to the top as they thaw. Fun to watch and kids love it!



This is one of my favorite brunches. Simple but so yummy!



To see some more beautiful tablescapes, visit Between Naps on The Porch's Tablescape Thursday Party. There are so many talented ladies you won't want to miss it!

A Turquoise Table

I have always loved and am drawn to the color turquoise. Jewelry, clothes and anything for my home.

A couple years ago I found this little bistro set in the trash where I worked. I thought it was the perfect size for the corner in the man cave for extra sitting.



In January when I was hauling Christmas decorations back downstairs I notice my bistro set had been moved from the man cave's pool room to my holiday closet! Apparently it wasn't manly enough with the heart shaped chairs. lol I thought to myself "Well poohey on him, if he doesn’t want my bistro set in his 'man cave', I want it upstairs in my parlor!"

I went to my stash closet and started pulling material out. I decided on these turquoise pieces I found over time at my thrift store for the tablecloth. They sell material as "panels" for $1.49 each.

A couple weeks ago I found these awesome dessert plates for .49 each. And the little 4 piece porcelain espresso set at another thrift store for $3. It was still brand new in the package.



The rescued little table dressed up in turquoise makes me happy. Why would anyone want to throw it away?

What color makes you happy?

Join the Single Nester for Turquoise Tuesday!

and dont miss the party at Cottage Dreamers!

Chasing Away The Winter Blues

I don't know about you all, but I am done with winter! I am so happy the sun has shined here for the last two days, but it has given me spring fever..... BAD! So I've been putting away the winter colors and bringing out the spring. One of my favorite ways to bring spring to the main area of our home is to redo my table.

Yellow is always a great spring color! Here's what I did...



A lighter table cloth would be more spring-y, until I "find" one, this will have to do. Everything was items I already had on hand (most came from thrift stores or gleened from the trash), so it was easy on my budget. Fresh cut flowers that fill the room with their wonderful scent always helps my mood also.

So do tell, what do you do to chase away the winter blues? Do you change certain decor in your home from season to season?

I'm off to iron that table cloth!