New Year Eve Party

The new year has officially begun … Happy New Year!

Usually, on new years eve,  I go out to celebrate at one of my friends’ houses or in a hotel, but this year I thought I would change it up a little and throw a party at my house. Do I regret it? Nop I enjoyed every part of it including the fact that once everyone left I didn’t have to drive back home…

In fact throwing a new years party was quite exciting and fun to plan/prepare for. Nonetheless, it does get very exhausting and because you would’ve had to wake up early, when the clock hits 10pm you start to question if it is actually necessary to stay up till 12 midnight or if you can sneak into your bedroom and sleep. Literally, at 10 pm I was ready to call it a night, ahh my bed and I go long back, I can’t say much other than we are overly attached to each other… I drifted into thinking about my bed literally that second, anyways back to the new year party, here is a party preparation guide (I followed for my new year party) that you can follow in your next party! 

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The party preparations 

The decorations 

Any party you throw needs decorations even if they are simply a bunch of balloons. With my new year eve party, I opted for simple but effective decorations, for example, I bought black balloons and a white sharpy and wrote on every balloon a quote that defines the year as well as ” happy new year” this was very effective as it was fun for people to read them and they looked pretty. 

Another thing I did is I bought a bunch of plastic plates and cups and using the white sharpie I wrote something on every cup/plate, for example, I wrote on the back of the plate “don’t be shy”, ” grab me and start eating” and I wrote on every cup ” fill me”,” Bon appetite”  this also grabbed my guest attention and I think made them appreciate the effort more. I also bought some fairy lights which I hung on the wall for a shine as new years is all about the bling bling.  The best part about my decorations is they looked unique and are very personal but they all were bought on a budget. So if you are throwing a party and you want to be out there and unique I definitely recommend you grab a sharpie and start writing on everything! 

 

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The food 

At parties usually, people tend to like to nipple on food so I opted for easily handled types of food here is what I made: 

• vegetarian noodles  – This dish is very filling and at the same time easy to prepare and serve ( my idea was to serve it in Chinese takeout boxes however due to not finding any, I bought small bowls instead, don’t forget the chopsticks!) 

Recipe- 

Ingredients: 

1. 1 package dried rice noodles 
2. 1 package regular noodles 
3. 1 small head cabbage thinly sliced 
4. 1 onion, diced 
5. 2 carrot, chopped into thin slices
6. 1 broccoli, chopped into small pieces
7. 5 cloves of garlic, crushed 
8. 3 cups of chicken broth 
9. 1/4 cup of soya sauce 

Method – 

1. Place the rice noodles in a large bowl, and cover with warm water. When soft, drain and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until soft. Stir in chicken cabbage, carrots and soy sauce. Cook until cabbage begins to soften. Toss in noodles, and cook until heated through, stirring constantly. 

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• Mini Sliders – Everyone’s favourite, this is a pretty simple dish, each slider was held together with a wooden stick which makes it easy for guests to grab one as they chat or dance. 

Recipe- 

ingredients: 

1. 2 pounds ground beef
2. 4 tablespoons of mayonnaise 
3. 6 dashes Worcestershire sauce (less if you prefer)
4. 4 tablespoons of sriracha sauce 
5. 1 cup of Pickles 
6. 1 cup of shredded lettuce 
7. 16 slices of cheddar cheese 
8. 1 teaspoon kosher salt
9. Freshly ground black pepper
10. 16 slider rolls

Method:

1. Mix the ground beef, Worcestershire and the salt and some pepper in a bowl. Form 1/4 cup of the meat mixture into patties, making 16 patties total. 
2. Grill the sliders until just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from the grill and pile on a platter.
3. Toast the halved rolls on the grill. Mix the mayonnaise and sriracha sauce in a bowl. 
4. After the rolls get toasted add the dressing ( Mayo and sriracha sauce) add the lettuce and pickles then proceed to add the patty and cheese on top and the other half roll

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• Stuffed pastries – the Same recipe used in the making of pastries in the Birthday blog
• Cheese dip and garlic rolls – I used Pillsbury ready flaky rolls I simply added them to a tray in a circular manner then I brushed them with oil infused with garlic and baked them. For the cheese dip – in a pot, I added the mix shredded cheese (cheddar and mozzarella) and some cooking cream and stirred till I got a nice creamy texture then added my salt and pepper and some spicy chopped green olives. 

• Artichoke and spinach dip – This dish was devoured everyone went for it more than three times. 

Recipe-  

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup thawed, chopped frozen spinach
2. 1 1/2 cups thawed, chopped frozen artichoke hearts
3. 6 ounces cream cheese
4. 1/4 cup sour cream
5. 1/4 cup mayonnaise
6. 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
7. 1 cup Cheddar cheese 
8. 1/4 teaspoon salt
9. 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Method: 

Cook the spinach and artichokes in 1 cup of water until tender and drain. Discard liquid. Heat cream cheese until hot and soft. Stir in rest of ingredients and then in a tray add the mixture of ingredients and cheese on top and bake for 10-20 minutes – serve hot.

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• Salmon and cream cheese mini sandwiches – All you need for this is a baguette, smoked salmon and cream cheese. Cut the baguette, spread the cream cheese and add the smoked salmon! 

• frutti green salad – for the third time 

 

• Asparagus wrapped in thin steak slices – Inspired by, Tasty. All you need is big asparagus stems and thinly sliced fillet steak. season the steak with salt and pepper and wrap around each asparagus then add hot melted butter on them and bake them for 30 minutes, Bon Appetite. 

• cucumber and carrot sticks with labneh – In small cups add some labneh and then add the sliced cucumbers and carrots sticks. A healthy snack for those health gurus out there. 

• Grilled calamari and shrimps with a pineapple chilli tomato dip- Inspired by my aunt’s husband, a tasty twist to the norm. 

Recipe- 

Ingredients:

1. 2 tablespoons olive oil
2. 2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce
3. 1 teaspoon fish sauce
4. 1 lime, squeezed
5. 1/2 cup of Tomato juice
6. 2 tablespoons chopped basil
7. 1 teaspoon black pepper
8. 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
9. 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
10. 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
11. 1/4 teaspoon ancho chilli powder
12. 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
13. 1 bag of jumbo shrimp (500g)
14. 1 bag of calamari (500g)
15. 1 pineapple cut in half and emptied
16. Diced fresh pineapple

Method: 

1. Marinate the shrimp and calamari in the spices and olive oil overnight. 
2. In a pan add the tomato juice, sriracha sauce and diced pineapple cook for 5 minutes. Then in the half-opened pineapple add the sauce. 
3. Grill the shrimp and calamari and added it to the edges of the pineapple and the center.

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• French fries/ Tortilla chips – with cheese and salsa dip – A must at any party, people love crunchy things whether it is popcorn or french fries or chips or nuts/crackers. Make sure they are at your next party! 
• Cinnabons and Icecream- I usually tend to go for one type of dessert and usually it is a common one as I want everyone to like it. 

Method:

• 1/4-ounce package yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup scalded milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup butter or shortening
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour

Filling:

• 1/2 cup melted butter, plus more for pan
• 3/4 cup sugar, plus more for pan
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Glaze:

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 to 6 tablespoons hot water

Method: 

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2.  In a large bowl mix milk, sugar, melted butter, salt and egg. Add 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Add yeast powder. Mix in remaining flour until dough is easy to handle. Place in well-greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size, usually 1 hour.
3.  Roll out on a floured surface into a rectangle. Spread melted butter all over the dough. Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over buttered dough. start rolling up the dough and pinch edge together to seal. Cut into 12 to 15 slices.
4. Place cinnamon roll slices close together in the pan and let rise until dough is doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake for about 30 minutes or until nicely browned.
5. Meanwhile, mix butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Add hot water 1 tablespoon at a time until the glaze reaches desired consistency. Spread over slightly cooled rolls.

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The entertainment 

Parties are the place to socialize with people so when it comes to entertainment choose games that enable you to interact with others and get to know them for instance, cards ( acting card game, Uno, poker) or truth or dare or never have I ever. Entertainment can also be as simple as putting some good music on and allowing people to chat and have a good time. 

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2017 was a special year for me, it marked the start of culinary cravings and to me, that was the best thing as I’ve always wanted to have a place where I can share my adventures whether in the kitchen or restaurants or even in different countries. Thank you all for your support through this to all of you that leave comments and lovely feedback and to all of you that read my blog. I hope you had a great start to your year and I hope your year is full of happiness and joy! 

Until next time, crave the dish…