New Year's Eve Party Appetizer Ideas & Recipes

As we usher out the old year, it is now time to usher in a new one and along with that comes hosting and/or attending several New Year's Eve parties. When it comes to hosting one, I am big on serving appetizers and beverages.

Your appetizers don't need to be time consuming and elaborate, they just need to taste good so that all of your hungry guests come back for seconds. When it comes to great tasting party appetizers, here are a few of my favorite recipes.

Delicious Swedish Meatballs Recipe

2 lbs. ground beef
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1 envelope brown gravy mix
6 oz. pkg. cream cheese
1/2 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
1 can beef broth
1/2 cup sour cream

Combine ground beef, salt, nutmeg, milk, egg, cream cheese, onion soup mix and bread crumbs in a large bowl. Mix the mixture using your hands and roll into 1 inch balls. (makes about 35 balls). Place on foil-lined jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, heat bouillon. Add meatballs; cover and simmer for approximately 20 minutes. Stir in gray mix to thicken. Remove frying pan from heat and stir in the sour cream. Place in a crock pot or warmer so that you can serve them warm at your party.

Delicious Crabmeat Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe

2 lb. fresh mushrooms
1 lb. crabmeat
1/4 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash of ground black pepper
1/4 cup buttered bread crumbs
Old Bay Seasoning (tm)

Remove stems from mushrooms. Chop stems and combine with crabmeat, butter, salt and pepper. Mix well. Stuff mushroom caps with the crabmeat mixture. Top with buttered bread crumbs. Sprinkle lightly with Old Bay Seasoning.

Spicy Hot Chicken Wings

24 chicken wings
1/4 cup hot pepper sauce
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 tbsp. white vinegar
2 pkgs. Hidden Valley Ranch Mix
1/2 teaspoon paprika

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Dip chicken wings in mixture of melted butter, pepper sauce and vinegar. Place in a baking pan. Sprinkle with 1 package of dry dressing mix. Bake for 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Turn wings and add the second package of dressing mix. Bake for an additional 20 minutes or until done. Remove from oven and sprinkle paprika on top while the wings are still hot.

Delicious Crab Ball Appetizers

1 lb. crab meat, finely chopped
1/2 cup canned water chestnuts, finely chopped
1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs, divided
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
1 Tablespoon fresh parsley
1/4 cup scallions, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely minced
4 egg whites
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix together all ingredients, except 1/2 cup of the bread crumbs until well blended. Form into 1" balls and roll in the remaining 1/2 cup of crumbs. On a lightly oiled baking sheet, bake for 12-15 minutes or until crab balls are crisp and golden brown. Serve with soy sauce or a mustard dip.

Shelly Hill has personal written this article. Article is copyright 2010 by Shelly Hill, All Rights Reserved.

Kraft Delicious Days ~ Comfort Foods Video Series!

Here is another great post by our friends over at Kraft Foods!

What’s the best part of having a big family feast? The leftovers the next day!

When temperatures drop, we all reach for comfort foods, and what’s more down-home, stick-to-your-ribs satisfying than a hearty turkey sandwich? Kraft Delicious Days’ latest video series will teach you four classic comfort food recipes, just like mom used to make! This video has everything you need to create the ultimate turkey leftover sandwich – none of your leftovers will be left out! Check out the video ---> HERE

You can grab more delicious Kraft Recipes by visiting ---> HERE



Disclaimer: The information contained in this post was given to me by the marketing people at Kraft Foods. I was not compensated to make this post in any way, shape or form.

What To Make With That Leftover Holiday Ham

What To Make With That Leftover Holiday Ham

During certain holidays throughout the year, I enjoy making a great tasting ham for our holiday dinners. Once the dinner is over...I am always left with a lot of left-over ham! To solve this problem, I like to freeze my left-overs to use at another time.

When it comes to freezing your ham, I remove the rind and bones and cut my ham into bite-sized chunks or I thinly slice it depending on how I plan to use it. I like to freeze mine in freezer safe storage bags in pint and quart sizes. I freeze in 1 cup, 2 cup and 3 cup capacities which is how I make most of my recipes. You will want to label your bags with the contents and how many cups are inside. Frozen ham will keep for 2-3 months if properly frozen.

Now...what can you make with all of that left-over frozen ham?

1 cup portions: great for ham sandwich spread (ham salad), pizza toppings, taco fillings, toss on fresh vegetable salads, ham and egg omelets.

2 and 3 cup portions: great for ham and bean soup, ham and green beans, ham pot pie, ham and potato soup, pork vegetable soup, split pea soup, ham stuffed manicotti or use it in lasagna in place of beef, ham and rice stir fry, meat and potato stuffed pastry pie, ham Sheppard's pie, cheesy ham pasta dish, ham and broccoli casserole or tossed in a big fresh vegetable chef salad.

There are many things you can make with leftover ham once you have properly frozen it. You can find oodles of great recipes online by doing a keyword search for leftover holiday ham recipes.

Shelly Hill is a mother and grandmother living in Pennsylvania who enjoys cooking, baking and canning a variety of foods for her family and friends. You can visit Shelly's online cooking and recipe site at http://wahmshelly.blogspot.com for free menu ideas, cooking tips and free recipes. Article is copyright 2010 by Shelly Hill, All Rights Reserved.

Winner ~ Holiday Treats Baking Pkg. Giveaway!

I would like to thank Gladware, Betty Crocker, MyBlogSpark and Safeway for sponsoring the giveaway here on our blog for the Betty Crocker Cookie Mix, Gladware Containers and the $25 Safeway Gift Card.

The Giveaway has now closed...so I have a winner to announce this morning. I used Random.org to select the winner which is comment #75.

Tracy R said... Comment #75
Daily tweet http://twitter.com/tracylr233/status/16429497079308289
December 19, 2010 4:48 AM

Congrats Tracy! I am sending you an email in a few minutes. You will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner will be chosen. Thanks!

Last Minute Foodie Holiday Gifts!

Happy Christmas Eve to all of my blog readers and followers! Tomorrow is the big Christmas Holiday and the day before Christmas we are usually really busy running around trying to get our last minute preparations finished.

If you are still looking for some last minute foodie gifts to make/bake for the holiday, I have a few suggestions for you this morning.

Cookie Platter ~ I have a slew of easy to prepare cookie and bar recipes here on my blog. Most of them can be made lickety split.

Homemade Fudge ~ I have both stove-top and microwave fudge recipes here on my blog. You can make a pan of delicious tasting fudge in less than 15 minutes!

Homemade Candy ~ You can whip up some delicious tasting chocolate bark. If you have some Baker's Chocolate in your pantry, some mini marshmallows and a few other goodies to mix in... Bark is a great way to go.

Homemade Breads ~ If you check out my bread recipes you will find delicious recipes for banana bread, pumpkin bread, apple bread, etc. You can easily double the ingredients in these type of bread recipes so that you bake 2 loaves at a time.

Cakes and Pies ~ I have recipes for pumpkin pie, apple pie, cranberry cherry pie, etc. along with 50+ cake recipes here on my blog. Cakes and Pies are always a welcomed gift during the holiday season.

Gift Mixes In A Jar ~ If you are really pressed for time, check out my Gift Mixes In A Jar section for homemade baking mixes that you can assemble and present in a festive jar or even a festive plastic container. Print out the baking instructions from my site and you have a great foodie gift that you assembled in just a few minutes.

I hope everyone has a fantastic holiday! Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Rhodes Delicious Buttery Breadsticks Recipe

I love to make homemade bread and bread products to serve along with my family meals but there are times that I can't spend an hour or two making them. When that occurs, I turn to Rhode's Bread Products to help me get my bread, rolls and breadsticks onto my dinner table quickly.

This recipe is by Rhodes and it's their Buttery Breadsticks recipe. We love this recipe although we do add more cheese to ours than called for in the recipe.

Rhodes Buttery Breadsticks Recipe

12 Rhodes Dinner Rolls, thawed but still cold
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
garlic salt
parsley

Roll each roll into a 6" rope. Dip into butter, then roll in cheese. Note: I increase my Parmesan cheese to 3/4 of a cup instead of a 1/2 cup because we like a lot of cheese flavor. Place on a large baking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle with garlic salt and parsley. Cover with plastic wrap.

Let the bread sticks rise until doubled in size. Remove the plastic wrap and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven until golden brown. Remove from pan to cool.

Another variation of mine: Sometimes I substitute the regular butter with some honey butter as my husband has a love affair going on with honey butter! LOL If you use honey butter, it will give them a slightly sweeter taste.

For The Moms Of This Blog ~ Boudreaux's Butt Paste Information

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Boudreaux's Butt Paste. All opinions are 100% mine.

Normally I don't discuss topics of this nature here on this blog but since the majority of my readers are females and mothers, I decided to make this post today to provide information to all of the mother's who read the Shakin 'N Bakin Blog.

As some of you know, I am a first time grandmother to a beautiful little girl who is now 19 months old. From the day she was born, we have been using Boudreaux's Butt Paste on her tiny little bottom. She has had issues with diaper rash since day one. We have tried cotton cloth diapers and disposable diapers and she still would break out with diaper rash. After speaking to her doctor, she recommended that we try Boudreaux's Butt Paste and since then, we have used it ever since!

Here is what I like about the Boudreaux's Butt Paste:

1. It goes on super smoothly and it's very easy to clean off in between diaper changing & baths.

2. You can purchase it in convenient sizes from travel size up to big tubs of it!

3. I love the packaging because of the flip top's on the tubes which makes it easy to use.

4. We appreciate that it has a pleasant scent and it does not stink like chemicals.

5. Unlike other forms of diaper creams, the Boudreaux's Butt Paste is a skin protectant so it protects her skin from the "elements" that cause her to break out, in other words, it provides a barrier between her skin and the diaper and the contents of her diaper :)

6. The Butt Paste contains 16% Zinc Oxide which means it is effective and will help to prevent diaper rash as well as clear up any diaper rash your child might be experiencing now.

Boudreaux's Butt Paste has been featured on hit television shows like The Oprah Show, The Tonight Show, The Today Show, People Magazine and ESPN.

I am inviting you to visit Boudreaux's Butt Paste web site and take a look around to learn more about this fantastic product. While you are there, make sure you request a free sample to try out in your own home.

So, as a mother and a grandmother, Boudreaux's Butt Paste is what I recommend for combating diaper rash as it is what I use on my own grand daughter. Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post written by Shelly Hill on behalf of the advertiser. I was compensated to write this post on behalf of the advertiser. The thoughts, opinions and writing is in my own words and is an honest interpretation of the subject matter I have written about. Please read the Terms of Service & Disclaimer Policy regarding the Two Classy Chics site. The content and information posted on the Two Classy Chics is copyrighted 2010 and All Rights Reserved!

Pier 1 Imports Has Fabulous Holiday Tableware and Gift Items!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Pier 1 Imports. All opinions are 100% mine.

When it comes to shopping for items to decorate my home and my table, I like to turn to Pier 1 Imports for the items that I need. For several years, Pier 1 has been the store I turn to most for Christmas and Holiday home decor.

If you want to set an elegant and beautiful holiday table this season, you could put together a beautiful table arrangement by selecting these pieces. (just my ideas but check out their web site for additional products).

The First thing I recommend is to invest in a gorgeous table runner like this jeweled ornament table runner by Pier 1. For only $39.95 it really makes a statement and you can use it year after year.

The second thing every great holiday table needs is a centerpiece and this tealight tree centerpiece from Pier 1 Imports that sells for $38.00.

If you don't have durable dinnerware, then I would suggest purchasing the red dinnerware from Pier 1 which happens to be on sale right now for $3.00 - $4.00 per piece making it extremely affordable!

I love these jingle bell ornaments and would use them at each place setting or since I have dinning room chairs that have knobs on them, I would use them to decorate the chairs. These pretty little ornaments are only $1.00 each! You can buy several and attach them to your holiday packages too!

If you are not hosting the holiday dinner this year and will be visiting someone else for your meal and need a hostess gift, I recommend picking up a few of Pier 1 Imports Apple Cinnamon Candle Gifts sets that are affordably priced at $12 to $35 making them a fabulous bargain! I think these holiday candles would make great hostess, teacher, co-worker, sister, friend, etc. holiday gifts!

Did you know? You can support Toys For Tots during the months of November and December by dropping off new unwrapped toys or by making a cash donation at the register. You can also find Pier 1 Imports over on Facebook and for every new Facebook fan they get, they will donate $1.00 to Toys For Tots! Fabulous!

Pier 1 Imports has everything you need to set an elegant table this holiday season. In addition, if you are looking for affordable holiday gifts, head on over to Pier 1 Imports web site or head to your local Pier 1 retail store and take a look around! You will be glad that you did!

Disclaimer: Shelly Hill was compensated to write this post by the Advertiser. All thoughts and opinions that Shelly has written are her own and are truthful & unbiased. Your thoughts & opinions may differ from her own. The Shakin N Bakin Blog is not responsible for delivery/shipping of giveaway items won from this blog nor are we responsible for mis-use or injury caused by items won from this Blog. Content on this blog is copyrighted, all rights reserved. We reserve the right to legally pursue anyone who violates our rights and/or steals our copyrighted material.

Crock Pot ~ Wassail Holiday Punch Recipe

I had never heard of or tried Wassail until I tried some a few weeks ago at my mother in laws house. This particular Wassail recipe is made in your slow cooker aka your crock pot. It only takes 7 ingredients.

If you have never heard of Wassail, you can find a good definition of it wikipedia. This type of punch is usually served at a holiday party...like Christmas or New Year's Eve parties.

Wassail Beverage Recipe

2 qt. apple juice
1 pt. cranberry juice
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon allspice
1 small orange
5-6 whole cloves

In a large crock pot (I use a 5 quart crock pot) combine the juices with the granulated sugar. Mix until all is combined. Add in the cinnamon sticks and allspice. Poke the whole cloves into the orange and drop it into the mixture. You want to slow cook it on the high setting for 1 hour and then turn it down to low and cook for another 4-6 hours. When done, serve it hot.

Happy Holiday Treats Prize Pack Giveaway!

GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!!!

During this time of year I always look forward to baking a few batches of holiday cookies for my family and for friends. This year I am committed to baking a dozen different kinds of cookies! I like to bake sugar cookies, peanut blossoms, peanut butter, chocolate chips, snow ball cookies, etc. What kind of cookies do you like to make?

If you are looking to make your cookie baking task a little bit easier...consider purchasing a few pouches of Betty Crocker's cookie mixes. You can buy them in a variety of delicious flavors...one of my favorite's is their sugar cookie mix. You can find some delicious cookie recipes over at the Bake Sweet Memories Site.


After you are done baking up some cookies you will need some great containers to store all of your cookies in and I suggest purchasing some GladWare containers! GladWare containers are great for storing your cookies in at home or for filling with cookies and giving them away to your favorite friend, co-worker or family member.

Did You Know: From December 8th through December 14th, visit the Safeway family of Stores (which includes Dominick´s, Tom Thumb, Randalls, Vons, and Genuardi´s) to purchase any two participating Gladware products and get a free Betty Crocker Cookie Pouch while supplies last.

I was given a great set from MyBlogSpark to try out for the purpose of this blog post & giveaway. I received a Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix, 4 Gladware Containers and a $25 GC to Safeway. I decided to spend the afternoon baking the cookies with my husband and we had a great time baking them up! Once done we placed our cookies in the Gladware containers! Using the Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix was easy and I only had to add an egg and some butter to the mix. I left some of my cookies plain & some I decorated in colored sugar.

Giveaway Prize: How would you like to win a coupon for a free bag of Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix, 4 Gladware Containers and a $25 Gift Card to Safeway? Well...you can enter my giveaway for that chance!





This giveaway is being sponsored by My Blog Spark! (items from Betty Crocker, Gladware & Safeway were sponsored through the My Blog Spark site!)

Giveaway Details: This giveaway is open to residents of the USA ONLY who are age 18 and over. Please read the Terms of Service and Disclaimer Policy before entering. You must be a PUBLIC FOLLOWER of this Blog to have your entries count in my giveaways. (Follow via Google Friend Connect) All non-blog followers will have their entries disqualified after the giveaway closes. This giveaway will close on December 26th, 2010 at midnight EST time.

Mandatory Entry: Please visit the Bake Sweet Memories web site and take a look around. Come back here and tell me which recipe you would like to make this holiday season?

Bonus Entries: You may complete these after fulfilling the mandatory entry above. Please leave a separate comment for each one that you complete.

Earns 2 Entries: If you win this prize package sponsored by My Blog Spark how do you plan on using it? Will it be for yourself or will you be baking up a batch of cookies & giving them away?
Earns 2 Entries: What is your favorite Betty Crocker Product?
Earns 2 Entries: Fan/Like Shelly over on Facebook.
Earns 2 Entries: Follow Shelly over on Twitter.
Earns 3 Entries: Place my foodie blog button on your blog or web site. Please leave link so I can visit you!
Earns 3 Entries: Write up your own post about this giveaway along with live links, post it on your blog (leave link).
Earns 1 Entry Daily: You can copy and paste the following Tweet over on Twitter once per day. (leave status link)

Copy & Paste Tweet:

#Win A $25 GC To Safeway, Betty Crocker Cookie Mix & 4 Gladware Containers! http://bit.ly/eJYYAP Ends 12-26 US Only! #myblogspark #giveaway

I would like to thank My Blog Spark for sponsoring this giveaway here on the Shakin N Bakin Foodie Blog! I had fun baking up the batch of cookies with my hubby!

Disclaimer: Shelly Hill has personally reviewed the product listed above. Shelly has not received any monetary compensation for her review. Shelly did receive a free product to try out so she could evaluate and use it for her review. Her thoughts & opinions in this review are unbiased & honest and your opinions may differ. The Shakin N Bakin Blog is not responsible for delivery/shipping of giveaway items won from this blog nor are we responsible for mis-use or injury caused by items won from this Blog. Content on this blog is copyrighted, all rights reserved. We reserve the right to legally pursue anyone who violates our rights and/or steals our copyrighted material.

Ruby Red Christmas Slush Beverage Recipe

When it comes to entertaining and hosting parties during the holidays, I am always looking for fantastic recipes that I can make and serve to my guests. Last year, I got this recipe from my sister-in-law as everyone raved about it at our Christmas party.

This slush recipe will make a little over 2 gallons.

Christmas Slush Recipe

2 (6 ounce) cans frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed & undiluted
4 1/2 cups of water
2 (46 ounce) cans red fruit punch
1 (46 ounce) can unsweetened pineapple juice
1 (48 ounce) bottle cranapple juice
2 (33 ounce) bottles of gingerale, chilled

Combine thawed orange juice concentrate and water, mixing both together really well. Stir in the fruit punches, pineapple juice and the cranapple juices. You will want to freeze this mixture in a large container, stirring it occasionally.

Remove the container from the freezer 3 hours before you are ready to serve your guests, stirring it occasionally as it thaws out. About 15 minutes before serving time, you will want to stir in the 2 bottles of chilled gingerale. (make sure you gingerale is chilled and not at room temperature).

Serve your slush in a big punch bowl.

Kraft Delicious Days - How To Make The Perfect Cookies Every Time!

Bittersweet Shortbread Cookies (photo courtesy of Kraft.com)

I was contacted by the Kraft Marketing Team and asked to share some information with all of my foodie blog readers.

Today I am sharing with you that Kraft has a new online video to teach you how to make the perfect cookies every time! This is a fantastic video with a lot of great cookie making tips! During this time of the year, most of us are baking holiday cookies for our family so make sure you check out this video before you start! You can find their videos --> HERE

If you are looking for information on how to host your own cookie exchange party, you can grab that particular information ---> HERE

While you are over there checking out their new online video series, check out their Kraft Delicious Days Sweepstakes for a chance to win a home makeover! Grab the info, rules & guidelines over on the Kraft Delicious Days web site!

Disclaimer: The information provided for this blog post was given to me by the marketing department at Kraft Delicious Days. I was not compensated in any way for my post.

Delicious Herb Roasted Whole Chicken Recipe

Buying and Roasting a whole chicken is very affordable...often times it is cheaper to purchase a whole chicken as compared to a chicken that has been carved up into pieces. When I make and roast a whole chicken, I like to serve that chicken on a fluffy bed of lettuce...it makes for a very nice presentation on your dinner table.

Herb Roasted Whole Chicken Recipe

1 whole chicken (3.5 to 4 lbs. in size)
1 (12 ounce) package of cubed bread stuffing mix
1 cup of warm water
3 tablespoons of butter or margarine
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3/4 cup frozen spinach, thawed and chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 teaspoons parsley
1 teaspoon rosemary
2 teaspoons of lemon juice

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Wash your chicken and remove any inards if they are stuffed inside. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. In a large mixing bowl, toss together the cubed bread stuffing mix with 1 cup of warm water.

In a large frying pan, melt the butter or margarine over medium heat. Stir in the finely chopped onion, chopped spinach, minced garlic, parsley and rosemary. You want to saute these ingredients for 4-5 minutes or until fork tender. Once done, stir this mixture in with the bread stuffing mixture until well combined. Stir in the 2 teaspoons of lemon juice and stir again.

Spoon the stuffing mixture into the chicken cavity, filling the cavity 3/4 of the way full. Fold the skin over the opening and close with a skewer or poultry string. Place the chicken on a roasting rack in your roasting pan.

Bake the chicken in a preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour and 35 minutes or until your meat thermometer reads 180 degrees. Remove from oven and let stand for 5-8 minutes before serving. If there are any left-overs, remove the meat from the bone and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Delicious and Moist Banana Walnut Bread Recipe

One of my very favorite types of bread to make here at my home happens to be homemade banana bread. This recipe was given to me about 10-15 years ago by my mother in law and it makes a very moist banana bread. You can omit the walnuts if you are allergic to nuts. At times I omit them and substitute chocolate chips for the walnuts which is equally delicious.

Banana Walnut Bread Recipe

4 tablespoons of butter or margarine
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 lg. egg
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I use Watkins vanilla)
1 1/2 cups mashed, riped bananas (remove any bad spots)
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup of chopped walnuts or 1/2 cup of chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. I like to bake my banana bread in silicone loaf pans but you can use whatever type of loaf pan you have on hand. I lightly spray my loaf pan with non-stick vegetable cooking spray.

In a large bowl beat the butter/margarine with an electic mixer on high speed until it's light and fluffy. Stir in the granulated sugar and brown sugar and then beat again. Stir in the egg, egg whites and the vanilla extract until everything is well combined. Stir in by hand the mashed bananas and beat until all ingredients are combined.

In another bowl combine together the flour, baking soda, salt and the baking powder. Stir the flour mixture into the first bowl, grandually and beating after each addition. Stir in the chopped walnuts or chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until the center tests clean and the outside is lightly browned. Cool.