Toast in the New Year With an Appy Spread Menu

Every New Year's Eve, we have an Appy Spread dinner. It's nothing fancy really, just a bunch of things that I put out and a we nibble on for the evening.

This year's menu:

-tiny cocktail sausages (not sure what it is about these, but Hubs and Jake LOVE them)
-sliced cheeses
-Snack'ums pickles
-deviled eggs
-Vegetable Thins crackers and Triscuits
-smoked oysters
-orange and thyme prawns (I made the dip that goes with them and served them with toothpicks)
-spanakopita triangles (ready made, frozen from a box-they're delicious!)
-veggie plate
-phyllo cups (follow that link for tons of recipes) filled with spicy mango and chicken salad...
Basically I made the chicken with this marinade, grilled it on skewers, then made of variation of this filling. I omitted the lettuce, diced the chicken small and mixed it with some diced red pepper, green onion, and some mango. I then tossed it with a bit of Miracle whip, a squirt of lime juice, some lime zest and a bit of sugar, and filled the shells. Yummy!

-various Christmas goodies-butter tarts, sugar cookies, a bought Christmas cake

-coffee, assorted teas, some sparkling apple juice and ginger ale to toast the new year with, and an assortment of movies (Prince Caspian, Hancock, Wanted, and The X files)

We will hang out, nosh on goodies, and spend the evening curled up by the fireplace under warm blankets together.

There's also a How To on making New Year's crackers at Notes From the Cookie Jar.

What are you doing for New Years?

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Chicken Peanut Noodles

When I first read this recipe, I was unsure whether I'd like it or not. It really was the picture in my Canadian Living Pasta By the Season issue that sold me on it. After much debate and finally throwing caution to the wind, I tried it.

Oh boy, is it yummy!

The sauce, which I had assumed might just be this runny soup-like stuff, came up nice and thick, rich, and coated everything beautifully. This recipe is really fast, uses things right out of the pantry, is filling, and will make great leftovers for school lunches!

10-12 oz spaghetti (the recipe calls for whole wheat, I used regular pasta)
2 carrots, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced
1/3 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp (I only used a couple shakes, you can always add more) hot sauce
1 1/2 cups bean sprouts
2/3 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 cup fresh chopped coriander or parsley
1/4 cup chopped roasted peanuts

Cook the pasta according to directions. In the last few minutes of boiling time, add the carrots and cook until tender crisp. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a fry pan, saute the chicken with a bit of oil until golden and cooked through.

In a bowl, whisk together the hoisin sauce, peanut butter, 1/2 cup water, minced garlic, and hot sauce until smooth. Set aside.

In a large bowl, toss together the hot pasta and carrots, bean sprouts, onion, coriander, peanuts, and chicken. Drizzle the hoisin/peanut butter mixture over top and toss again.

Serve immediately.

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Reindeer Poop Cookies

Not only are the cookies easy to make, but children will really get a kick out of the gross-ness of the poem as well!

The recipe is over here. Print the poem below on cardstock and just wait to see the reactions!

I woke up with such a scare when I heard Santa call….
“Now dash away, dash away, dash away all !”
I ran to the lawn and in the snowy white drifts,
those nasty reindeer had left “little gifts”
I got an old shovel and started to scoop,
neat little piles of “Reindeer Poop”
But to throw them away, seemed such a waste,
so I saved them, thinking-you might like a taste.
As I finished my task, which took quite awhile,
Old Santa, passed by and he sheepishly smiled.
And I heard him exclaim as he was in the sky…
"Well they’re not potty trained, but at least they can fly"

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Chocolate Cherry Mice

By Kelly Buchholz

Christmas, a time of lights, presents, carols and chocolate mice. At least in our household. The tradition began as Christmas cookies, decorated by my children with a variety of sprinkles, chocolate chips, shredded coconut and occasionally even leftover Halloween candy. While the result was always bright and festive, they weren't always entirely edible by any but the most dedicated sweet tooth. And then one year we stumbled onto the recipe for chocolate mice, which are not only cute, easy, and extremely edible, but these days my husband starts getting requests for them from his co-workers in November.


This is how it's done:

1 cup chocolate chips
2 tsp. shortening
24 maraschino cherries
24 chocolate kisses

In the microwave, melt the chocolate chips and shortening. Stir until smooth. Holding a dry cherry by its stem, dip it into the melted chocolate and then press it onto the bottom of a chocolate kiss. Place this on wax paper. You've now successfully attached the mouse's body to it's head. Stop to remind your kids not to lick their fingers. Wait while they rewash their hands, because your warning came too late. For the ears - while the chocolate is still warm, take two almond slices and wedge them gently between the kiss and the cherry.

Refrigerate until set.

Tips:
- make sure your cherries have stems and are well drained
- you can use almond bark or Hershey's candy bars in place of the chocolate chips, eliminating the need for shortening
- you might choose to give your mice eyes with gel icing applied with a toothpick
- instead of setting the mice on wax paper to dry, try putting each one onto the cream side of an open Oreo.

Voila - mice cookies!

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