1. Throw a Beer Festival – This is the party that I threw for Brady for his birthday last year. I will be throwing another Beer Fest party this year, as I promised our guests to make it an annual thing. This party would work very wonderfully for a St. Patty’s Day celebration…given all the beer.

2. 10 Quick-and-Easy Appetizers – A wonderful collection of truly EASY appetizers that you can put together in minutes for your party.

3. Organize a Pub Crawl – This sounds SO fun! If you and your friends want to be out and about on St. Patrick’s Day evening, consider a pub crawl. You basically walk from one bar or pub to the next between drinking. A wonderful way to check out new joints that you have never visited without committing an entire evening to one single place!!

4. Go Green! - This site has great ideas for a costume party, green food and drinks, etc! Really a fun resource!

5. St. Patrick’s Day Party – This website has SO many fabulous St. Patty’s Day ideas!! I love the Jell-O Shot Bingo idea!!

** Check out the “Pot-O-Gold“ cocktail!

*** Check out the yummy St. Patrick’s Day recipes I found!

This week’s “Friday Cocktail” is called a “Pot-o-Gold”. I based the recipe off of a cocktail that I saw at About.com.  Check out the original recipe here. All I did was add more fruity goodness to balance out the whiskey.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 – 3 ounces whiskey
1 ounce ginger ale soda
1 ounce orange juice
1 ounce peach schnapps
1 ounce pineapple juice
Squeeze of fresh lime juice, plus wedges for garnish

Directions:
1. In a tall glass combine all ingredients except ginger ale over ice. Stir.

2. Add ginger ale and garnish with a wedge of lime.

Yumm!

Happy Tuesday!

1. Guinness Cupcakes with Bailey’s Buttercream Frosting - Yum! This recipe screams St. Patty’s Day! It is what I will be using for my book club meeting. I’m so excited to check it out!

2. Guinness Corned Beef - This recipe looks delicious! The meat is actually braised in Guinness beer which would make it unbelievably tender and moist.

3. Lucky Basil – This is such a fun idea for dressing up your St. Patty’s Day dinner plate!! Very clever.

4. Irish Soda Bread – This bread is so traditional and so yummy! This is one of the easier recipes that I have seen for making it – a wonderful go-to recipe.

5. Steak and Guinness Pot Pies – There is almost nothing more delicious and comforting than a pot pie. This recipe looks fun to make and serve!

Valentine’s Day:
1. Chocolate Covered Cherry Martini – Wow, this looks like a tasty and fun drink to serve your sweetie on Valentine’s Day! It could really even work to serve it as a dessert.

2. Roasted Red Pepper & White Bean Dip – We love using white beans when cooking…they have a wonderful, smooth texture and can accommodate many flavors. This dip looks delicious and is the perfect color for a Valentine’s Day appetizer!

3. Romantic Date Night Dinner for Two – Three wonderful recipes that could be paired with your favorite wine or cocktail for a fun twist! Do you date night at home this Valentine’s Day!

4. My Foodie Valentine – I love this article and its recipe suggestions…there is something for everyone here, ranging from a tasty cocktail to full-blown main courses and such. A wonderful resource for your Valentine’s Day cooking!

5. Simple Stir-Fry – Since Chinese New Year happens to fall on Valentine’s Day this year I figured I would include a link to a healthy and scrumptious looking stir-fry. This one is full of veggies and other great flavors.

Mardi Gras:
1. Shrimp & Grits – Although I have never tried the two together, we love shrimp and you can never go wrong with grits so I figure that this recipe is a slam-dunk winner!! A perfect southern option to serve for a Mardi Gras get-together.

2. Shrimp and Crab Boil – A fun way to cook all sorts of seafood, sausage and corn together in one pot. We have seen where folks will basically dump all the food out on a newspaper-covered table and then everyone will dig right in and enjoy. It’s messy and fun!

3. Andouille Sausage and Chicken Gumbo – This recipe is a mix of my dad’s old gumbo recipe and my flavor additions. It is delicious and a New in the Kitchen original!

4. Ultimate Dungeness Crab Cakes with Chipotle Mayonnaise – There is nothing better than a crab cake with a delicious dipping sauce! This looks like a great recipe and I love the idea of incorporating chipotle. We love chipotle in almost anything!

5. Baked Hush Puppies – A yummy Southern staple with cornmeal and onion, this recipe looks fantastic! The directions are easy to follow and the Hush Puppies are baked (so a little bit healthier than the normal fried version!!).

** Stay Tuned!! – We are posting a guide to throwing a Mardi Gras party TOMORROW (2/10/10)!

Hope you all have a wonderful and SAFE New Year’s Eve! Remember to designate a driver if you are going out drinking.  If you find that you have had too much to drink, PLEASE don’t drive!! AAA offers something called “Tipsy Tow” tonight through tomorrow evening. Google (or use your internet search engine of choice ) Tipsy Tow for the number in your area. They will tow your car up to 7 miles and give you a ride home for free.

Ingredients:
2 small bags frozen raspberries
1 small bag frozen blackberries
1 cup water
2 cups granulated white sugar
6 meyer lemons, halved
6-8 slices of fresh ginger
Triple Sec (orange liqueur), chilled
2 bottles champagne, chilled

Directions:
1. In a saucepan, combine water, berries, sugar, lemons (squeeze them and then put them in the pan), and ginger.  Allow to slowly boil until reduced and thickened. We allowed it to cook for about an hour.  When it is done, strain it to get all of the seeds and skin out. Chill in a covered container until ready to use.  NOTE: This will make quite a bit of the delicious berry syrup. You can freeze what you don’t use and conveniently have it around for the next time you would like a Razzleberry Fizz!

2.  To serve, pour 1-2 tablespoons of the berry mixture into the bottom of a champagne glass. Then add about a tablespoon of Triple Sec. Top off with champagne. Add a fresh raspberry or lemon slice for garnish.

Enjoy!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

1. Ancho Pork and Hominy Stew – This recipe looks similar to Posole… Mmmm! What a fun dish to serve for a New Year’s Eve party! It will keep guests warm and happy into the wee hours of the night.

2. Spinach and Feta Lasagna – Why not start the New Year off by eating a good portion of good-for-you greens! This recipe looks delicious and is jam-packed with spinach and flavor.

3. Big O Cocktail – A fun cocktail to be sipping when the clock strikes midnight!

4. Homemade Party Hats – These hats are SO cute and seem to be pretty darn easy to make. Good ol’ Martha Stewart thinks of everything.

5.  Mexican Hot Chocolate Pretzels – A perfect addition to a cup of joe…either for those party guests who are having trouble staying up until midnight or for those that end up sleeping the night and need some energy the next morning. Yum!

Going green has become very trendy and of course it is very important.

Brady and I have two trash cans in our condo, one for trash and one for recycling.  We taught ourselves and guests early-on that the recycling can was on the right because “recycling is right”.  Now we rarely have to grab a bottle or can out of our regular trash to recycle because everything is all set to go in the right trash can.

Here are some tips for going green at your New Year’s Eve party:

1. Encourage guests to carpool and set a designated driver.  You could also encourage your guests to sleep at your house/apartment/condo so that no one has to drive!

2. Buy reusable plastic champagne glasses.

3. Use locally grown, sustainable, fresh ingredients in all of your cooking.

4. Always recycle glass and plastic bottles and aluminum cans properly (wine, beer, soda, etc.).

5. Make some healthy resolutions!  Decide to recycle, exercise more, quit smoking, ride your bike or walk to work, or something else that affects you!

Remember to pass on the message of going green to your party guests.

Good luck going GREEN!

Here are some wonderful recipes we found around the web:

1. Mint Chocolate Crinkles – Ok, YUM! This recipe looks amazing. My coworker made something similar as a treat for everyone in the office and they were delicious.

2. Mini Eggnog Popcorn Balls – These look like a wonderful (and fun!) treat to share with loved ones for the Holidays. Who doesn’t love popcorn!?!

3. Make a Sugar Cookie Tree – SO cute!! Might require quite a few cookie cutters but the end product is so neat that it just may be worth it! This would be a great way to give family or friends some Holiday cookies!

4. Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cookies – These look so festive and tasty! I love the idea of putting the chocolate bark on top of shortbread. Yummm. Seems pretty simple to make.

5. Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting – A wonderful way to top our brownies or many other Holiday cakes or desserts.

We hope you and your loved ones have had and continue to have a wonderful Holiday season!

Here comes Santa Claus!

Santa Claus will be really busy come Christmas Eve, so leave out a plate of sweet treats to help him fuel up for his long journey. Even though he has a soft spot for milk and cookies, he loves munching on a variety of snacks, so check out some ideas that I’ve gathered and make Santa’s night warm and happy!

FOR SANTA:
1. Leave some extra strong peppermints to keep him warm on the frosty nights.

2. Cookies with a glass of milk.

3. A mug of cocoa and a candy cane as garnish will keep Santa’s breath fresh all night!

4. Chocolates! Leave an assortment to be sure you have his favorite!

5. A thank you letter would be nice!

6. Santa will love some Jingle Balls! Mix ¾ cup peanut butter, 2 cups powdered sugar, ½ cup softened butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for one hour.  Melt 1 package chocolate chips and 1 ½ tablespoons of paraffin wax (yes, it’s edible) over low heat.  Take chilled peanut butter mixture and roll into balls about the size of a quarter. Using toothpicks, dip and coat the balls in chocolate. Place them on a cookie sheet covered in wax paper and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.

7. Santa also loves fruits, veggies and sandwiches. Make him something healthy to snack on, like turkey on whole wheat bread, and cut up some carrots and celery sticks. You can also leave him an apple or banana to munch on-the-go.

FOR THE REINDEER:
1. Leave out some Magic Reindeer Food. Combine 1 cup dry oatmeal and ¼ cup glitter.  On Christmas Eve sprinkle all over your lawn. The glitter will shine in the moonlight and lead Santa to your house. The smell of the oats will guide the reindeer directly to your house, plus Rudolph and his buddies can enjoy a snack while Santa is putting presents under the tree!

2. Make sure and leave some carrots out for the reindeer too.  The carrots help keep the reindeer’s eyesight good so that they can see where they are going!