Simple New Years Eve Appetizers

The Holiday season has come and gone, with New Years Eve last night being the last of the celebrations.  December was packed full of gatherings with family and friends.  We hosted two get togethers; a Winter Solstice Party with friends and on Christmas Day, my Mom came over.

At our Winter Solstice Party, we served appetizers and punch.  The punch is a secret recipe so I'm not going to talk about it any further.  Everyone mingled, moved around and the conversation flowed.  Calista even had a little playmate for the evening.  We thought about having a sit down style dinner but we decided against it since there would be two toddlers at the party.

Gingerbread/sugar cookie/rice krispie village complete with Stonehenge where gummy bears live.

On Christmas Day, we cooked a turkey with all of the trimmings including prosciutto between the skin and meat of the turkey.  I also made homemade cranberry sauce and homemade stuffing featuring apples.  I really wish I had taken pictures of the turkey dinner but unfortunately, Calista was under the weather that day so things were a tad stressful and pictures of food was the last thing on my mind.  Never the less, we still know how to rock a turkey dinner around here! 

Last night for New Years Eve, I prepared a few appetizers for Darcy and I.  My Mom gave us a basket full of goodies for Christmas including a couple different kinds of spreads, mustard's, sauces, cheese and crackers and a hot sauce for Darcy that she searched high and low for.  We've dipped into a few of the goodies already and I used the fig spread last night for one of the appetizers.

I enjoy goat cheese.  It's rich and creamy and it has a tangy flavour.  It pairs well with salads, is great on pizza and is fantastic to use with appetizers.  On top of a sliced baguette is fig spread and crumbled on top is goat cheese.  Simple yet delectable.  Fig spread is sweet, just like most jams and it balances out the tangy flavour of the goat cheese.  Very delicious!

Bruchetta is a flavourful appetizer to serve and is great for a light lunch as well. I chopped up one tomato, added in some chopped purple and green onion and added about four cloves of garlic. We like our food very garlicky around here plus it's a natural cold and flu fighter so I really bump up our garlic intake around this time of the year. I finished it off with a dash of dried basil and a few drizzles of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  It's very healthy for you!   

Could these be any cuter and easy to eat?  I'm really working hard on serving and eating healthy, well balanced meals and snacks.  I sliced up a cucumber and used a spoon to scoop out the seeds and I filled the center with hummus.  I have a couple of regulars that I take to potlucks and I think I'm going to add these to the list. 

.Hummus is well liked around here.  I've made it before but I often pick up a couple of containers when it is on sale and we snack on it for a few days.  When it comes to dips, hummus is probably one of my favorites and I like trying the different flavours that are available: jalapeno, roasted red pepper, lemon and garden vegetable.

Today for lunch, Calista and I finished off the hummus and bruschetta with crackers and vegetables.  I was curious to see what she would think of the fig spread and goat cheese so I made her a little appetizer on a cracker.  She devoured it down and responded with, "mmm mmm".  You know that something is well liked by her when you get not just one, but two "mmm mmm's!"

Stay tuned for a future blog post about raising a little foodie!