New Years Party Planner

For the longest time, my friends and I couldn’t decide what we were going to do on New Year’s Eve. Go out of town, or stay close to home? Buy tickets to a swanky party in the city or throw an intimate bash in the living room?

Problem #1: We’re all recent college grads on limited budget. So much for the swanky (but ridiculously expensive) party in the city.

Problem #2: Most of us either live with our parents or in tiny apartments that barely fit a futon in the living room…meaning any get-togethers at home would be a little too cozy.

The Solution? We’ve decide to spend the New Year’s holiday at the beach. We have a free place to stay (thanks to some generous parents who are loaning us their house) and plenty of room to throw a festive party.

But how do we turn a beach-themed summer retreat into a fantastic winter soiree? Luckily, I stumbled upon my new favorite blog www.hostessblog.com which offers some amazing ideas for planning a New Year’s Eve party (and lots of other types of parties, too!). Just click on your favorite theme (I like “Gold and Silver Shimmer”) and you’ll find everything from ideas for decorating the table to recipes that fit the theme. The best part is it’s easy to do on a budget! As the web site suggests, I found tons of great stuff at Target: 100 feet of gold tinsel for less than $45 and gold charger plates for a steal ($19.99 for 10). You can even find plastic silverware painted to look like real gold at party stores or here.

And, here are two awesome, quick and delicious recipes that I’m planning to bring to the party:

Chicken Quesadillas

Ingredients:
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Campbell's® Healthy Request® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 can (9.75 oz.) Swanson® Premium Chunk Chicken Breast in Water, drained
8 flour tortillas (8-inch)

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 425°F.
2) Mix soup, chili powder, cheese and chicken.
3) Spread about 1/4 cup soup mixture on half of each tortilla to within 1/2" of edge. Moisten edge with water. Fold over and seal. Place on 2 baking sheets.
4) Bake 10 min. or until hot. Makes 8 quesadillas.

Holiday Brie en Croute

Ingredients:
1/2 of a 17.3 ounce package Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet)
1 egg
1 tbsp. water
1/2 cup apricot preserves OR seedless raspberry jam
1/3 cup dried cranberry, softened*
1/4 cup toasted sliced almond
1 (13.2 ounces) Brie cheese round
1 pkg. (26 ounces) Pepperidge Farm® Entertaining Quartet Distinctive Crackers

Directions:
1) Thaw the pastry sheet at room temperature for 40 minutes or until it's easy to handle. Heat the oven to 400°F. Mix the egg and water in a small bowl.
2) Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 14-inch square. Cut off the corners to make a circle.
3) Spread the preserves on the pastry circle to within 1-inch of the edge. Sprinkle the cranberries and almonds over the preserves. Place the cheese in the center of the pastry circle. Brush the edge of the pastry circle with the egg mixture. Fold 2 opposite sides over the cheese.
4) Trim the remaining 2 sides to 2-inches from the edge of the cheese and fold them up onto the cheese. Press the edges to seal. Place seam-side down on a baking sheet. Decorate the top with the pastry scraps, if desired. Brush with the egg mixture.
5) Bake for 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden. Let stand for 1 hour. Serve with the crackers.

*To soften the cranberries, mix the cranberries and 1/2 cup hot water in a small bowl. Let stand for 1 minute. Drain and pat the cranberries dry.

I must say, I love the pre-pared Pepperidge farm pastry sheets! They make my dishes look artistic and complex, taste delicious, and save me lots of time! Happy New Year’s party planning!

Party Idea: A Creative Way to Use Your "Other" Leftovers

On Friday, I suggested a few recipes for using your holiday leftovers. Well, here’s another creative way to use “leftovers” from the holidays….but not the kind of leftovers you keep in the fridge, the kind you still have sitting under the tree. It happens every year – I inevitably receive at least one gift that I just don’t know what to do with. It could have been a horrific sweater from a distant aunt or a gag gift from a best friend, but either way, seriously re-gifting it is usually out of the question.

So, for a great “post-Christmas” holiday party, why not have an entertaining gift exchange? At my party, everyone is going to rewrap the worst, least favorite, or funniest holiday gift they received and bring it to the party. Then, the guests swap gifts in a game that is played like this:

Guests sit in a circle and place their wrapped gifts in the center. Each guest picks three numbers from a hat. The host then calls out numbers one at a time, bingo style. When a guest’s number is called, they pick a gift from the pile, unwrap it, and place it in front of them. Once all of the gifts are unwrapped, the guests can begin “stealing” unwrapped gifts from other guests when their number is called. Play continues until all of the numbers have been called and all of the gifts are distributed. You’ll be amazed to see who actually likes that ugly sweater or gag gift!

Here’s another idea to spice up the party: Turn the party into a potluck by asking each guest to bring a dish to the party using their leftovers from the holidays. Not only will everyone have an excuse to clear their fridges of leftovers, but you’ll be spared from having to supply all of the food!

Check out these blogs for more party ideas:

http://www.fun-theme-party-ideas.com/theme-party-ideas-blog.html
http://sarahpartygameideas.blogspot.com/
http://www.theme-party-queen.com/

Using Your Holiday Leftovers

Okay, so if you’re anything like my family, you have a ton of leftover food from the holidays, and not a clue what to do with it all. When I was in college, I fondly remember wrapping up as much as possible and bringing it back with me! This year, I’m determined to find a creative way to use the leftovers – they certainly aren’t going to waste. Here are some great recipes that call for ingredients you probably have taking up room in your refrigerator right now or staples you should have in your pantry if your relatives did indeed suck you dry. Try them out and let me know which is your favorite!

Here are some other sites that can help you use every last bit of your holiday leftovers:
http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/recipes
http://www.leftoverchef.com/
http://teriskitchen.com/leftovers.html

Turkey and Stuffing Casserole
Ingredients:
Vegetable cooking spray
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 cup milk or water
1 bag (16 ounces) frozen vegetable combination (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots),
thawed
2 cups cubed cooked turkey or chicken
4 cups Pepperidge Farm® Herb Seasoned Stuffing
1 cup shredded Swiss or Cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)

Directions:

1. Spray a 2-quart shallow baking dish with the cooking spray.
2. Stir the soup and milk in a large bowl. Stir in the vegetables, turkey and stuffing. Spoon the mixture into the baking dish.
3. Bake at 400°F. for 20 minutes or until the turkey mixture is hot and bubbling. Stir the turkey mixture. Top with the cheese. Bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Tip: When you don't have any leftover turkey or chicken for this recipe, substitute 1 can (9.75 ounces) Swanson® Premium White Chunk Chicken Breast, drained.

Cheddar Potato Bake
Ingredients:
3 cups mashed potatoes
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup
⅓ cup sour cream or plain yogurt
Generous dash ground black pepper
1 green onion, chopped (about 2 tablespoons)

Directions:
1. Stir the potatoes, soup, sour cream, black pepper and

onion in a medium bowl. Spoon into a 1 1/2-quart baking dish.
2. Bake at 350°F. for 30 minutes or until the potato mixture is hot.

Chicken Nachos
Ingredients:
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup
½ cup Pace® Chunky Salsa
2 cans (4.5 ounces each) Swanson® Premium Chunk Chicken Breast in Water,
drained
1 bag (about 10 ounces) tortilla chips
Chopped tomato
Sliced green onion
Sliced pitted ripe olives

Directions:
1. Heat the soup, salsa and chicken in a 1-quart saucepan

over medium heat until the mixture is hot and bubbling, stirring often.
2. Spoon the chicken mixture over the tortilla chips.

Top with the tomato, onion and olives.

Some other great, easy leftovers recipe suggestions:
Easy Turkey Pot Pie
Chicken Pizza Muffins
Turkey Noodle Soup