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Here are a few very visually appealing cocktails to serve at your New Year's festivities..
Red Currant Champagne Cocktail
Cheers! I'm off to the mountains, I hope you all have a fabulous time ringing in 2009! (I made a little rhyme ;)) See you next year!
I love serving brunch. I love the time of day and the food for a brunch is always good and easy. Oh and of course the mimosas! Here are a couple of ideas for a New Year's Day Brunch...
A Sparkling Centerpiece
These sugared lemons were created by taking artificial lemons and spraying them with adhesive then rolling them in clear glitter. Use a few leftover silver Christmas ornaments for even more shine. Omit the silver balls and you've got a great centerpiece for Easter also! I'm thinking of creating this centerpiece for my table for everyday use. Martha also tells you how to create the leaves here.
For the main dish I would serve this fabulous breakfast casserole:
You will need:
2 lbs sausage
1 can golden mushroom soup
1 cup of shredded cheddar
1/2 to 1 cup of milk
8 eggs
2 cans of crescent rolls
Cook your sausage, drain and set aside. Set crescent rolls out for 20 minutes to be at room temp. Spray 9 x 13 baking dish with Pam. Combine eggs, soup, milk and salt and pepper to taste in a separate bowl. Line baking dish with one can of crescent rolls (unroll into a sheet, not triangles). Top with 1/2 of your sausage and 1/2 cheese, then 1/2 of your egg mixture. Layer the other can of crescent rolls and repeat as before. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.
This was served at my bridal brunch and I also served it at a baby shower brunch I threw. It is always a big hit!
For your drink, here is a spin on the traditional mimosa:
Grapefruit Mimosa
Use equal parts champagne and pink grapefruit juice instead of orange juice for this beautifully colored cocktail.
Cheers to the new year!
(photos from marthastewart.com)
I will be at a cabin in the mountains for New Year's Eve so I stole some ideas to share with you from marthastewart.com for your New Year's Eve celebrations.
What's old is new again...
Why not pass out your champagne with numbered glasses to get your guests even more excited about the last ten seconds of 2008! Here they used adhesive numbers from a craft store.
I love using items that you already have to decorate with, like these clocks to keep up with the time for the countdown. Or these gold and clear ornaments from Christmas (below).
Use a cake stand and group different shaped champagne flutes filled with sparkly Christmas ornaments left over from your decorations this year for an easy and "bubbly" centerpiece. Use any colors you like, silver, gold, white and clear, etc. You could even use pink to resemble pink champagne or a champagne cocktail.
And to toast...
Pomegranate Champagne Cocktail
Pour Champagne into flute, add pomegranate juice and cassis.
Come back tomorrow for my ideas on a New Year's Day Brunch! I have a breakfast casserole recipe you will go back to time and time again.
(photos from marthastewart.com and foodnetwork.com)
Here is a last minute easy centerpiece idea. Use candle sticks you already have and jazz up some Christmas balls with glitter glue letters. For a longer table just use a longer word! Grab some festive fabric as a table runner and you are all set!
I wish all of you very happy holidays! I hope you enjoy all of your family, friends and food during this special time of year! See you soon!
(photo from bhg.com)
I saw this recipe on my Wheat Thins box and I'm going to add it to our menu for Christmas Eve. I love broccoli! This sounded delicious and most importantly-easy!
Zesty Hot Holiday Broccoli Dip
HEAT oven to 350°F. Combine first 4 ingredients and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese.
SPREAD into 1-qt. baking dish or 9-inch pie plate.
BAKE 20 to 25 min. or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese; bake 5 min. or until cheese is melted. Serve with crackers.
(photo from kraftfoods.com)
I am cooking a Christmas Eve lunch this year and I think I have selected the menu. We are having ham, potato salad, homemade mac and cheese, green beans, black eyed peas and cornbread (my husband is a pro at this). I've been looking for a mac and cheese recipe and I think I've found one on KraftFoods.com. Thought I'd share it with you...
Down Home Mac and Cheese
HEAT oven to 350°F. Melt 3 Tbsp. butter in medium saucepan on medium heat. Whisk in flour; cook 2 min., stirring constantly. Gradually stir in milk; cook until mixture boils and thickens, stirring constantly. Add VELVEETA; cook 3 min. or until melted, stirring frequently. Stir in macaroni.
SPOON into 2-qt. casserole sprayed with cooking spray; sprinkle with Cheddar. Melt remaining butter; toss with cracker crumbs. Sprinkle over casserole.
BAKE 20 min. or until heated through.
(picture from kraftfoods.com)
HostessJo.com has most everything "Holiday" on sale 40% OFF today through December 31! Hurry, there are limited quantities!
I never knew that you could use Poinsettias as cut flowers. Thanks to SouthernLiving.com, now I do! They recommend searing the ends of your stems with a flame to prevent drooping. Poinsettias contain a sap and the searing prevents this sap from dripping out. Here are their detailed instructions.
Here are some great ideas for displaying your cut Poinsettias:
This first one is my favorite! I love how they used the bright green colors for a twist on the traditional red and green. These could also be used for your New Year's party decorations.
The traditional red is also beautiful. I love the frosted and clear decorations.
This idea is great because you can use containers you probably already have like a trifle dish and candle holder.
(all photos from southernliving.com)
Kara has taken her creativity to the next level with her new Christmas ornaments. What a fantastic unique gift these would make! Or a meaningful keepsake for yourself and family. And they are only $10 a piece. You can look at all her Krafts here!
