Party Food Ideas for New Year's Eve

There are parties and then, there are parties. The one we host or attend on December 31^st to ring in the New Year is yet another party - the King of all Parties. When one is hosting a party, there are many areas, which need thorough planning. Other than the venue, the most important part about planning the party is the food to be served at the party. The menu will have to be decided depending on the guests, who are going to be a part of the celebrations. If the guest list is an eclectic mix, then the menu will have to be planned accordingly.

Menu Ideas for New Year's Eve Party

As any good host will tell you, a good party is not only about food and dancing. The preparation should start well in advance, if one is to avoid last-minute crunches and party-fright (as in stage fright). Stacking up on foods that can be cooked earlier, baked in advance or chopped, frozen or packed ready to serve, should be the first step. Then the day of the party is left relatively free for enjoyment. Here is a list of food items, from which you can choose for the New Year's eve celebration. While planning the menu, it is best to have some traditional and some modern food items. With this there you will have a wide range of dishes to choose from. Also, you can choose between one difficult to make and one easy to make dish, so that the menu is well balanced and you are not stressed out cooking all the items.

Appetizers	Finger Foods	Main Course	Desserts
Soup 1 Dips to be served with meat or bread 2 Salads 3 Bruschetta 4 Garlic bread 5 Garlic cheese balls Mushrooms 6 Sushi Cranberry chicken topper Bacon draped dates Peppered tuna with mayonnaise Bacon bread toast Buffalo wings Nachos Dumplings 7 Canapé Pasta salads	Sautéed prawns Crisp filo triangles Spring rolls 8 Mini pizza Blini with smoked tit bits Mini frittatas Deviled eggs Skewers 9 Creamed corn	Roast turkey Roasted vegetables Roast chicken Spaghetti 10 Lasagna Stroganoff 11 Chicken grilled in Teriyaki sauce Pizza Mushrooms and Cheese Mashed potatoes Steamed vegetables Au Gratin Casserole 12 Mini sandwiches Baked chicken Lemon and mustard chicken Stir fry 13 Meat Loaf	Chocolate fondue Cheesecake 14 Mousse 15 Pie 16 Cookies Puddings Pastries 17 Sheet cakes Truffles Gâteau 18 Orange-Pineapple Bavarian Trifle Cake 19 Marshmallows and chocolate Assorted fruits platter Flavored donuts Cupcake 20

1 → Butternut squash and apple soup, French onion soup
2 → Spinach and garlic dip, cheese dip, Greek yogurt dip, clam dip, cheese fondue, humus
3 → Spinach and green apple salad, Caesar salad, shrimp salad, tossed green vegetable salad, lobster salad, Greek salad, black bean and corn salad, turkey salad
4 → Melon, Prosciutto and balsamic vinegar bruschetta, dill, tomatoes and balsamic vinegar bruschetta, olives, cherry tomatoes and cheese bruschetta
5 → With cheese, without cheese, with olives
6 → Roasted mushrooms, fried mushrooms, stuffed mushrooms, BBQ mushrooms
7 → Either vegetarian or non-vegetarian
8 → Steamed spring rolls, fried spring rolls with the variations of vegetarian and non-vegetarian stuffing
9 → Tomato basil skewers, chicken skewers, cottage cheese skewers, fish skewers, meat skewers, vegetable skewers
10 → With meatballs, with tomato-wine sauce, sesame sauce, Alfredo sauce, baked spaghetti, spaghetti Bolognese, herbed spaghetti,
11 → Again the option of vegetarian or non-vegetarian exists. Creativity can be put to use and fish stroganoff can be made.
12 → Squash, Ham cauliflower Casserole
13 → Vegetable stir fry, chicken stir fry, meat stir fry. Vegetables can be added to the non-vegetarian stir fry
14 → Blueberry cheesecake, chocolate-chip cheesecake, vanilla cheesecake, strawberry cheesecake, cream cheesecake
15 → Chocolate mousse, vanilla mousse, ricotta mousse
16 → Pumpkin mousse pie, pecan nut pie, lemon meringue pie, dutch apple pie, blackberry pie, sweet potato pie, almond meringue pie, raspberry rhubarb pie
17 → Walnut pastry, vanilla pastry, cheddar cheese pastry, cranberry pastry, guava pastry
18 → Black forest gâteau, strawberry gâteau, chocolate-praline gâteau, orange and coffee gâteau, cherry and vanilla gâteau, hazelnut meringue gâteau, summer fruit gâteau
19 → Chocolate cake, chocolate-chip cake, hummingbird cake, fresh apple cake, carrot-walnut cake, apricot brandy cake, banana cake, coffee cake, red velvet cake, rum cake
20 → Double chocolate cupcake, chocolate-chip cupcake, banana cupcake, coffee cupcake

Tips on Planning the New Year's Eve Party

The best way to save time and effort is to plan a menu that is no fuss, healthy and tasty-something that the guests enjoy eating and YOU enjoy cooking. There is a long list of party foods, finger foods and bite size goodies that confirm to these standards. For the long party, you can either choose between heavy, rich foods which make use of rich cream, nuts, quiches, choux pastries, etc., or between light foods for the health conscious people. One of the most important tip is to plan a buffet the party. When the party is planned carefully, well in advance it gives enough freedom to the host and the guest to enjoy together. Here are some tips to keep the party planning short, simple and well oiled:

• Keep the menu light, ethnic and colorful, so the foods are attractive too.
• When you do not have a lot of time in hand, go for the filling or topping that requires the least labor.
• Foods that require baked bases can be made up to a week in advance, for instance pizza crust or pastry for quiches and tartlets, blini and filo pastries.
• Always try to include fresh fruits and vegetables in various parts of the menu, for instance carved vegetables with a range of savory dips, fresh fruits with chocolate or low-fat creamy dips, etc.
• A loaded basket of simply fruits is as good as an elaborate tartlet or pie.
• Having a theme not only brings out the best for the Menu but also gives the guest some food for thought in terms of dressing and presentation, and that goes a long way in making a New Year's Party a success.
• Appetizers should not be too many, as then there are chances that the guests will never fill their plates with the food items from the main course.
• Make sure food is arranged to look attractive on the table. For example, large canapé trays with color coordinated setouts make the food more appetizing.
• It's a good idea to arrange as many as possible plates on the table, which can be done by making a zigzag pattern.
• Keep some small plates to hand the food around, when people need to hold their drinks and finger foods together.
• Always arrange napkins and forks within easy range of food as well as the guests.
• Platters should always look as they have been just set out, so make sure the food is replenished almost before it gets over.
• Make sure the ashtrays, used napkins and used plates are removed regularly so guests are not inconvenienced.
• Prepared raw vegetables and steamed as well as blanched vegetables can be packed in sealed plastic bags and kept in the refrigerator for a sufficiently long time.
• Cheese, required to be added to a food item, can be grated and bagged.
• Herbs can be kept fresh in the refrigerator by cutting off the stalks about a quarter-inch from the bottom and wrapping in a dampened towel, sealed tightly in a foil.
• Even made up platters of food can be stored in a refrigerator.
• Stand up corks on three corners of the platter and cover with either a cling film or foil, the cork will stretch like a tent on the platter, and the food will also stay fresh.
• For quantity, always use a headcount of at least 2-3 items of each dish at the buffet.
• For drinks, make sure there is an ample supply of corkscrews and bottle openers so no person is not stuck only opening bottles through the evening.
• Always make sure a separate table is arranged for food, and another one for drinks, so no overcrowding disturbs the guests.
• If there are some guests, who are pure vegetarians, then you will want to arrange the vegetarian food items on a different table.
• Get a well-meaning and efficient guest to play bartender, so things stay better organized and you are not torn between plying food and bar-tending.

With these quick tips in mind, your New Year's Party will really be a time to enjoy, both for you and your guests. Last, but the most important tip is to remember that you have done your best and just enjoy the party.