Whether you have a relaxing night watching the ball drop with friends or throw an extravagant party, food is always a major part of celebrating New Year’s Eve. The night is long, and the challenge is how to keep your guests entertained and satisfied as long as the party lasts. Here are a few tips to help you and your guests have a great time welcoming 2016.  

Offer light snacks rather than a filling meal. Since it’s typically a late night, I suggest small hors d’oeuvres that everyone can snack on throughout the party. Keep in mind who’s coming and make sure there’s an interesting variety with something for everyone. For example, two easy yet filling favorites are fontina-stuffed-bacon-wrapped-dates and sausage-stuffed mushrooms. For your vegetarian guests, try fresh bruschetta and a decadent cheese platter with an interesting variety of cheeses surrounded by crackers, flatbreads and colorful, bite-size pieces of fruit. The options are endless! I’ve included some recipes below.  

Fontina-Stuffed, Bacon-Wrapped Dates 

What you’ll need: (Makes two dozen)  

·      24 dates, pitted 

·      3 ounces Fontina cheese 

·      12 slices of bacon  

Steps: 

·      Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

·      Slit the dates open lengthwise, keeping the bottom together. Place a slice of cheese inside each date and wrap with a half piece of bacon.  

·      Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, turning the dates halfway through baking until the cheese is melted and the bacon is browned. 

·      Serve out of the oven. 

Sausage-Stuffed Mushrooms 

What you’ll need: (Makes two dozen)  

·      3 Italian hot sausages, casings removed 

·      1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano 

·      1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese 

·      ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 

·      ½ teaspoon garlic powder 

·      1 8-ounce package cream cheese 

·      1 large egg yolk 

·      Olive oil 

·      24 large mushrooms, stemmed 

·      1 cup dry white wine 

Steps: 

·      Sauté sausage and oregano in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until sausage is browned. Transfer into a large bowl and let cool.  

·      Mix in Parmesan cheese, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder and cream cheese. Season with salt and pepper and mix in egg yolk.  

·      Coat a 15x10x2-inch glass baking dish with olive oil.  

·      Brush cavity of each mushroom with white wine and fill with 1 tablespoon of filling.  

·      Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese and arrange in baking dish.  

·      Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake uncovered for 25 minutes or until mushrooms are tender and filling is brown on top.  

Create a signature drink. Have a stress-free night by keeping it simple with a signature drink. Creating a specialty cocktail allows you to stick with a few main ingredients rather than stocking an overwhelming selection of beverages. As an example, I’ve included a recipe for Minted Cranberry-Lime Martinis below. Also plan to offer a red and a white wine, a craft beer and plenty of Champagne to toast the New Year at midnight. 

Minted Cranberry-Lime Martini 

This cocktail is simple and refreshing. You can dress it up with gold flecks and serve it in a martini glass or dress it down by throwing everything into a serving pitcher. Either way, it will be a hit.  

What you’ll need: (Serves eight) 

·      1 cup fresh mint leaves, crushed  

·      1/3 cup lime juice  

·      ¼ cup cranberry juice  

·      1 cup of vodka 

·      1 ½ cup carbonated water 

·      Gold or silver fleck (optional)  

Steps: 

·      In a pitcher, combine the mint leaves, lime juice, cranberry juice and vodka; stir 

·      Strain out the mint leaves 

·      Add the carbonated water (and gold flecks, if you like) and stir gently