New Year’s Eve Appetizers

CATEGORIES: Appetizers, Other Holiday & Seasonal Recipes, Sara
author photo BY
Sara Wells
Here’s some of our favorite appetizers to ring in the new year.  Happy 2011 to all of you!

Bacon-Wrapped Cocktail Sausages:  These changed my life.  And my hips.  Forever.
 
 
 
Bruschetta:  A classic.  Light, fresh, easy and delicious.
 
 
 Sweet Fruit Bruschetta:  our little twist on the classic. 
 
 
 
Sweet and Sour Meatballs or Little Smokies:  3 ingredients, can’t beat that!
 
 
 
7-Layer Greek Dip:  Kate just posted this amazing dish, sure to be a hit.
 
 
Creamy Chicken and Bacon Pastry Pockets:  These are great because they can be made ahead of time and served warm, or at room temp.
 
 
Garlic-Artichoke Dip:  Cheesy, tangy, garlicky goodness.
 
 
Hot Corn Dip:  Use frozen fresh corn for this to-die-for dip.  
And hey, it’s vegetable based, totally good for you!
 
 
Hot White Bean Dip:  This dip is actually fairly healthy, 
and no one will have a clue because it’s so delicious.  Shh…we won’t tell.
 
 
Quick and Easy Mexican Dip:  Another one with only 3 ingredients!
 
 
Cheeseball: Seriously, what party is complete without a cheeseball??
 
 
Roasted Red Pepper Dip:  Creamy and cheesy with a little kick.  My husband’s request every party!
 
 
 
Guacamole:  Follow our easy tips for perfect guac!
 
 
Sweet Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips: Try this fun variation of chips and salsa. It’s light, sweet, and refreshing. Mix it up with whatever fruit is in season.
Caramel Toffee Fruit Dip: Another sweet ending. Serve fruit on skewers, or in a big bowl with some tooth picks to the side. Even just apple slices work well. Make a double or triple batch because it will go quick!
Stuffed Pizza Rolls: A huge hit at parties. Make a few of these and keep them in the fridge before your party. Bake one for the table and then pop the others in the oven during the party so they can be served warm. Trust me, you’ll need lots! Try your favorite fillings or try one of mine:Bacon-Ranch. 
Jalapeno Popper Dip:  It’s like jalapeno poppers, only about 8000 times easier. 

And better.  And cheesier. 

When trying to plan “finger foods” I often think of my favorite normal sized foods and just adapt them to make them appropriate for large groups. One great example is skewers. Try your favorite grilled skewer (which you can easily place on a broiler pan and cook in large batches in your oven) and just put them on mini skewers or tooth picks. Some of our favorites are:
 
Bacon-Wrapped Teriyaki Skewers: These work great on toothpicks- just put one piece of bacon-wrapped chicken and one chunk of pineapple on a toothpick. Whenever I serve these at parties they are one of the very first things to disappear!
 
 
Orange-Thai Beef Skewers: I like these on mini skewers, which are larger than a toothpick but smaller than a regular skewer. Just put one slice of thinly cut steak on each skewer. Garnish the tray with sliced oranges and people can snack on those too.
 

Chili-Lime Mango Chicken Skewers: This is another great one for a tooth pick. Just put one chunk of mango and one piece of chicken on each one. You can bake them in the oven on a cookie sheet at 350 until the chicken juices run clear (probably about 15 minutes depending on the size of the chicken)
 
Crispy Coconut Chicken Fingers: One of my favorite dinners that doubles as a great appetizer. Try them with chicken tenders for large servings, or cut the chicken into 1-inch pieces to stretch it farther. If you make the small chicken chunks, put them in a bowl or platter so they stay close to each other and stay warm. Serve with a dish of toothpicks to the side and some dipping sauce (like sweet and sour) if desired.
 
A great, easy appetizer is a pizza. You could make your own if you have the time and the desire, or just use pre-made crust and throw on your own toppings. Try something like Asian BBQ Chicken Pizza for something different. Heck, even a pizza from the freezer section of the grocery store works great. Just cut into squares instead of slices and you have a great appetizer that serves quite a few!
 
Taquitos: These taquitos make a great party food. Try either the Chipotle Beef, or the Creamy Chicken. Both fillings can be made ahead of time which comes in handy when you’re preparing lots of food. Serve with salsa, guacamole, and sour cream.
 


Classic Caramel Corn:  Because sometimes you just need a little something sweet!  Or if you want to glam it up, try our Cinnamon Bun Caramel Corn, pictured below. 




Hope this list gives you a little inspiration. Good luck to those of you hosting parties, and a Happy New Year to all of you! Please try to avoid being stupid and don’t drink and drive!

37 comments

  1. I went to a baby shower a few months ago and they had little Dixie cups (3 oz size) with three (or so) Tablespoons of Ranch in the bottom and julienne cut (sliced long way) veggies sticking out. WAY easier than that blob of ranch or other dip on the plate.

    Reply

  2. Yummm, I made the bacon wrapped little smokies last night to take with us for New Years. The Cinabon popcorn is AMAZING, everyone loved it. I keep printing out your recipes to try and now I see some new ones to add!

    Happy New Year

    Reply

  4. I made a bunch of these for the BYU football game last week. I got rave reviews about the teriyaki bacon chicken skewers and the roasted red pepper dip. I can't wait to try some more of these.

    Reply

  5. ooh caramel toffee dip! oh my I am going to the store today to get everything to make that. I am always looking for new ways to get the kids to eat fruit. Even if they have to dunk it in sweetness! I made the pizza bites a few weeks ago and they were a big hit.

    Reply

  8. Thank you so much for posting this! My street is hosting a progressive appetizer dinner and I am hosting one of the houses. Until this post, I wasn't sure what I was going to make. You are a lifesaver!!!

    Reply

  9. Oh my gosh…you had to post this didn't you!?

    I may have to stay in "town" for New Years, JUST to make some of this! We PLANNED to just cut up a chunk of caribou heart and eat that, since we're going on our snow machines, to camp…no running water, no food,and a wood stove. UGH.

    (Hey, maybe I can make caramel corn and bring it!)

    Reply

  10. I highly recommend the chicken fingers, stuffed pizza rolls & creamy chicken taquitos! All three were a huge hit with my family and there were no leftovers of any of the three the first time I made them! There was nearly a fight over the pizza rolls between my 6 yo & DH. 🙂

    Want to try the teryaki skwers & caramel popcorn next!

    Reply

  13. you always make me excited to cook more. Great ideas. Also, what are your tricks to taking good pictures of food? I can present it well in real life but the pictures never do it justice…yours always seem to…

    Reply

  17. Emily- food photography can be tricky. A lot of it is in the presentation. I envision I'm taking the picture for a magazine or something and plate it in an artistic way to show off its best parts. Lighting is a huge thing too. Natural light is best and never ever use a flash!

    Reply

  18. Everything I've made from your recipes has "wowed" my family and friends. I'm bringing bacon-wrapped smokies and gourmet popcorn to our get-together tonight. Thanks for all of your GREAT ideas!!

    p.s. I laughed my head off at the Freud comment on the little smokies post. 🙂

    Reply

  21. Out of all the amazing things on this list… guess which one I am craving (and shockingly enough it's not the creamy chicken taquitos…which by the way will be my first child's middle name… if we were ever to have a first child)…

    So what am I craving to the point of stopping off at the store to get the ingredients for…??

    It's the cheese ball.

    Seriously… I don't even like cheese balls but for some odd reason this sounds amazing!!!

    P.S. can you tell I am catching up over here? hehehe

    Reply

  23. These all sound so good. I love dips and appetizers. Yum!We don't go to New Years parties anymore but I'm going to keep some of these recipes in mind for Super Bowl!
    My kids would love the bacon wrapped sausages. I make a bacon wrapped water chestnut thing that is always a big hit. The sauce takes a pound of brown sugar. Talk about forever on the hips!

    Reply

  24. Gosh, I have used so many of these recipes it is crazy and I get such wonderful compliments on them! I add drained Pineapple Chunks to my meatballs which is a great extra. Thanks for all of the wonderful ideas! I will be making the sausages and meatballs for Fridays party.

    Reply

  25. I've done the bacon wrapped sausages using chunks of chicken. Wrap 1" chicken cubes with 1/3 strip of bacon-secure with toothpick. Dredge in mixture of 2/3 c brown sugar and 1 tbsp chili powder … broil until chicken is done and bacon crispy!

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  26. These ALL look delish! I plan on putting all of these recipes to use if not for New Years, then for Girl's Night out, showers, birthdays, Super Bowl etc. Like Kristen posted, I too add crushed pineapple to my meatballs and that addition makes them out of this world!

    Reply

  27. Just found your site…and LOVE it! I tried to get the link for the Roasted Red Pepper Dip, but it links to a different recipe. Can you re-post that? Thanks so much!

    Reply

  30. There is always a cheeseball at our house. We have been married for 7 years and have 2 kids together. 🙂

    I've never seen bacon wrapped cocktail sausages – I always make bacon wrapped water chestnuts. Soak the water chestnuts in soy sauce for a few hours first. Insane. 🙂

    Reply

  31. I'd done the smokies before, also good, sub in hot dog chunks, I've got a friend that refers to it as a heart attack on a stick! There's a few other on there Im gonna have to try Thanks!

    Reply

  33. I gotta say, your blog is very quickly becoming one of my absolute favorites (and most shared!) and it's posts like this that are the reason why. I've already made the pizza bits, and I've got the little smokies going in my crockpot right now for tonight's festivities. Thanks for all the great recipes! Happy New Year!

    Reply
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