10 New Year’s Eve Party Tips and Chocolate Almond Banana Bites
Today I’m sharing 10 New Year’s Eve Party Tips and a Chocolate Almond Banana Bites recipe, sponsored by Q Squared NYC.
If you’re throwing a New Year’s Eve dinner party this year, remember my friends at Q Squared! Founded by a mother-daughter team, Nancy and Alaina, Q Squared was created as an alternative to overpriced and under-designed dinnerware. I love their beautiful ornate designs of the highest quality melamine (yes, melamine!) that makes setting a classy table very affordable!
New Year’s Eve is all about celebration, so I chose to make our table sparkle with gold, silver, and white with a lot of candlelight, and these cute little glitzed up characters wearing “party” hats, from my friend Carmen’s shop, Elegance Home Decor in Jacksonville, Oregon.
Essex pattern.
This Essex pattern collection was inspired by the bold geometrics of art deco and the lavish lifestyle of the roaring twenties.
I mixed this Essex pattern with Dollar Store goblets and champaigne glasses, gold paper napkins that made the table feel formal, yet fabulously modern.
Black and White 10.5″ Dinner Plate
Gold Lamè 7.5″ Salad Plate
Set of 4 Deluxe Coasters with Non-Slip Silicone Bottom
Peony appetizer plates
Q Squared melamine.
100% highest quality melamine. BPA-free. Dishwasher safe (top and bottom rack). Heat resistant. Lightweight and durable. Not Microwave safe.
I always like the vibe of a party to be fun and festive. Between prepping the food and drinks, it’s easy to run out of time so setting the table early is KEY.
10 New Year’s Eve Party Tips:
1. Set the table early. Make it sparkle and keep the centerpiece height around 8 inches. It’s enough to make an impact while still allowing guests to see those who are seated across from them at the table.
2. Set up different serving and drink stations.
3. Have fun hats, horns, noise makers off ot the side, ready for the countdown!
4. Dress up — it’s New Year’s Eve!
5. Lighting creates a more relaxed, casual environment – use lots of candles!
6. Make a batch of a signature cocktail for guests ahead of time and serve in a decorative punch bowl, a simple way to get the party started right away!
7. Serve delicious hors d’oeuvres that pair well with champagne and/or the evening’s specialty cocktail to start the evening off right. We’ll be serving shrimp with cocktail sauce spiked with atomic horseradish, and crab claws served with mustard sauce.
8. Make a killer main dish. I’ll be sharing my Cafe Mingo (Portland, Oregon) recipe soon! It’s a pasta dish with so much flavor, your guests will be asking for the recipe. I promise!
9. Ask one of your guests to bring their signature dessert so you don’t have to do it all!
10. Lively music and good conversation is what makes a fun NYE party! Plan ahead with questions for your guests, and get the play list ready!
If you’re looking for quick “bites” of chocolate to serve toward the end of the evening, I whipped up a dessert appetizer.
Chocolate Almond Banana Bites.
So easy, you can buy the ingredients at any grocery store. Start with banana chips.
Layer with these yummy ingredients.
Our champagne isn’t open yet, but the table is set and we’re ready to celebrate “out with the old, in with the new” with great friends this year!
Always about the “people.”
I have to admit I enjoy a New Year’s Eve filled with pomp and circumstance – good food, drinks, conversation, music, and of course the people.
For me, New Year’s Eve is all about the people!
How will you be celebrating NYE this year?
Get the Recipe:
Chocolate Almond Banana Bites
Ingredients
- Dried banana chips
- 1 jar hot fudge
- Flavored almonds, I used cinnamon almonds from Trader Joe’s
- Sea Salt
Instructions
- Lay the banana chips on a platter. Spread with hot fudge (right from the jar, not heated).
- Place an almond on top of each chip.
- Sprinkle lightly with sea salt; serve.
This post is sponsored by Q Squared in NYC who also provided me with the dishes. As always, all opinions are my own.
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Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
These bites are so creative for a party! Not your everyday appetizer!
Your posts are always one of my favorites and even if there is no time to look them over I save them for a later moment. I am always encouraged and inspired to do more, make more effort, and open my door for others to come by for even a cup of soup. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and recipes.
I am sending a link shared by a new friend……just the sweetest sharing of Christmas that is certain to be worth a couple of minutes, put a smile on your face, and top the season.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/kWq60oyrHVQ?rel=0
Hoping that my sis and nieces will be down for the night. I miss them terribly since we moved away. My 17 year old niece is working now so it depends on her schedule.
The table looks awesome.
My MIL is good at entertaining and I have learned a lot from her.
My BIG family get together is 1/1. The table will be formal. But the rest of it pretty casual. These banana bites are perfect. Quick—not a cookie, but sweet. Okay I will be waiting for the killer main dish.
I am still hemming and hawing about that.