If you and your friends aren’t into the stay up late party scene of New Year’s Eve but you would still like to entertain for the holiday, think about hosting a New Year’s Day brunch. Plan to start around 11 a.m., giving those night-owls plenty of time to get up and moving before your party starts.
Keep things simple and uncluttered (a great way to start the new year, huh?). Don’t go over board with decorations or food. You want to have things looking clean and elegant.
Have guest share a New Year’s memory or tell about a resolution they kept. If you want to do something really fun, have everyone right down one goal or resolution, place them all in a sealed envelope and stash it away until next December. Pull them out when you do your Christmas cards and send to your friends. They will appreciate that you did keep the info and will probably get a chuckle over what they wrote down. Or host another New Year’s Brunch in 2012 with the same crowd and open the envelope there.
Tell guests the dress is relaxed and keep the atmosphere casual. Offer a buffet selection of sliced fruits and some make ahead or easy to prepare food.
Quiche is a great option. It is warm, delicious and easy to make. Try my bacon quiche or spinach mushroom.
Quick breads are also a fabulous choice. They can be made ahead and are tasty plain or slathered with butter. You can make a variety of these (or cheat and pick up a three-pack at Costco!). Here are recipes for banana bread or pumpkin bread.
Breakfast casseroles are another great way to get something hot and comforting on the table with minimum effort. One of my favorites is this ham and hashbrown casserole.
Make sure you serve this Grenadine Sunrise as a beautiful start to a beautiful new year!
Happy New Year Entertaining!
Shanna
