Community Corner

New Year's Eve Recipes

Some dishes that will make for a tasteful end to 2010

Imagine this, it's New Year's Eve morning, your husband gets a call from his friend, Manfred, who is supposed to host the annual Star Wars marathon tonight.

Manfred can't do it this year. His mother is going to an all night Bingo party and he's not allowed to have guests unless she's home. Your husband says, "No problem, everybody can come here."

After a bit of a discussion in which your husband agrees to buy you the trash compactor that you've always wanted, you now have less than eight hours to plan a New Year's Eve party for your husband's geeky friends.

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You know you can do this, so you make a quick trip to the grocery store to get a few supplies. As you head out the door, you give strict instructions to your husband that the house had better be cleaned by the time you get back.

This first dish is a recipe that I made up 30 years ago. It's a hit any time I serve it. One time I gave the recipe to a lady at a party. She refused to believe it was so simple, so I finally said that it was a secret family recipe. It's simple, quick and takes less than two minutes to prepare.

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Family Secret Meatballs

2 pounds of Pre-made Frozen Meatballs (any brand or flavor)

2 cans Contadina Sweet & Sour Sauce (found in the Asian aisle at the grocery store)

1 can pineapple chunks – drained

Put all of the ingredients into large pan. Cook over medium heat until warm.

Transfer to either a chafing dish or crock pot. DO NOT put into a crock pot for more than a few hours, you will have sweet and sour hamburger soup! You can also use homemade meatballs. This dish is also great served over rice for dinner.

Here's another warm dish that is even easier, and everyone loves it.

BBQ Hot Dogs

2 pounds hot dogs (cut each dog into quarters) or cocktail franks

1 bottle your favorite BBQ sauce

Put the hot dogs into a crock pot, cover with BBQ sauce. Cook on high for 2 hours.

Serve.

Now, let's do a few cold hors d'oeuvres. Again, these are simple, I've made themfor years and every time I make them people can't believe they're so easy.

Tortilla Pinwheels

1 – 8 oz pkg cream cheese – softened to room temperature

1 – 4.25 oz can chopped black olives

1 – pkg burrito size flour tortillas

Combine cream cheese and black olives. Mix well. Lay a tortilla on the counter in front of you, spread the cream cheese mixture on the tortilla. Starting with the edge closest to you, roll the tortilla up jelly roll fashion. Repeat with remaining tortillas until all of the cream cheese mixture is used. Wrap the rolled tortillas in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Cut each roll in ½ inch thick spirals.

Serve.

This next recipe came to me many years ago from my friend Katherine Maeda.

Chili Pepper Velveeta

1 – 8 oz pkg cream cheese – softened to room temperature

1 – 3 oz can chopped green chili peppers (do not use jalapeno – it's too hot)

1 – 8 oz brick of Velveeta cheese

Combine cream cheese and chili peppers. Mix well and set aside. Place the Velveeta between two sheets of plastic wrap, and using a rolling pin, roll to ¼ inch thickness, trying to keep the cheese as rectangular as possible. Remove the top layer of plastic wrap and spread the cream cheese mixture on top of the Velveeta.

Now roll up, just like a jelly roll. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 2 hours. Placeon a plate, and serve with your favorite cracker. If you have any left over cream cheese, put it in a bowl and serve with crackers.

You can use the olive spread with the Velveeta, and the chili spread with the tortillas. Both are very good either way.

And here is yet another cream cheese based snack.  Again, easy and quick.

Simply take an 8 oz. brick of cream cheese. Place it on a serving plate. Cover the cheese with your favorite pepper jelly. Serve with crackers. This is an addictive snack. The cream cheese cuts the heat of the pepper jelly.

Of course, you have to serve something healthy. Make up a fruit tray, or be lazy like me and buy one, and make this simple sweet dip.

Fruit Dip

2 cups (1 pint) sour cream

¼ cup Demera sugar (Sugar in the Raw)

Combine both items, refrigerate one hour and serve with fresh fruit.

And finally, here's something for your sweet tooth. I made up this recipe last year when I had an overabundance of gingerbread cookies and eggnog. The hard part is watching the poor gingerbread boys get crushed when you put them in the food processor.

Eggnog Tarts

Crust

1 cup gingerbread cookies – finely crushed

3 tbl butter – melted

3 tbl sugar

¼ cup pecans – finely chopped

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients and mix well. Place one teaspoonful of crust mixture into each cup of a greased mini muffin pan. Press the crust into each cup using a shot glass. Bake 10 minutes. Cool. Makes 48 crusts.

Filling

3 eggs

3 cups eggnog

1 ½ tsp nutmeg – grated

Combine all ingredients, making sure that the egg is well incorporated into the eggnog. Pour the filling into each of the prepared crusts. Bake for 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven, or until it tests done. Let cool, remove tarts from pan. Garnish with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream and a sprinkle of nutmeg.

Serve. Makes 48 tarts.

These simple recipes will help you plan your New Year's celebrations. Everyone will be amazed and think you spent all day cooking. It will be your secret that it took you less than two hours to put it all together.

I hope you and your family have a safe and happy New Year.


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