Happy New Year!
My husband and I rang in 2012 with some of our closest friends, bopping around 3 different parties from Marietta and back to Lancaster! Oh what a night!
I was so comfy in the forgiving dress I found at The Limited (originally $99.99, on sale for $29.99!) and my homemade fascinator was fabulous (thanks to some Christmas stuff and feathers I had on hand)!
Here’s a tip: Rouching hides a multitude of holiday indulging sins. (Plus, I was still able to eat, and breathe, at our NYE parties!)
Speaking of eats, I made these adorable penguins to take to all of our parties which I got from my friend Kiersten at Fox43! How cute are these?! (Would make a great “game day” appetizer for your Super Bowl bash!)
I then placed them around a cheese ball “igloo” with a fancy sounding yet oh-so-easy recipe from “Vegetarian Times.”To make the Chevre & Date Cheese Ball with Thyme & Almonds, simply mix in a food processor a handful of dried pitted dates, (1) 8 oz package of cream cheese with (1) 4 oz container of goat cheese (chevre), and 1 tsp of thyme. Roll into a ball, coat with toasted almonds, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 or more hours.
Here’s the penguin recipe from Kiersten’s Grandmother Ann:
Cream Cheese Penguins
18 jumbo black olives, pitted
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
18 small black olives
1 carrot
Cut a slit from top to bottom, lengthwise, into the side of each jumbo olive. Carefully insert about 1 teaspoon of cream cheese into each olive. Slice the carrot into eighteen 1/4 inch thick rounds; cut a small notch out of each carrot slice to form feet. Save the cut out piece and press into center of small olive to form the beak. If necessary cut a small slit into each olive before inserting the beak. Set a big olive, large hole side down, onto a carrot slice. Then, set a small olive onto the large olive, adjusting so that the beak, cream cheese chest and notch in the carrot slice line up. Secure with a toothpick.
What was the highlight of your NYE night?!
Do you have any traditions on New Years Day?
Admittedly, we usually just order Chinese takeout and lounge around all day (much needed R&R and comfort food)! But this year, Im trying a new tradition of ham, collard greens and “hoppin’ Johns” (which is basically black eyed peas and rice, but I’ll use brown to be healthier). My family growing up always had a tradition of pork and cabbage on New Years Day (which as a kid I thought was disgusting) so I started getting my pork and cabbage ala pork lo mein! My Granny always said we had to eat pork and cabbage on New Years Day – pork for good health for the year – and cabbage for wealth. So this year, we’ll put a twist on that tradition with a Southern inspired menu (one of the hottest food trends for 2012)!
Cheers to 2012!!!
