The NYE Appetizer Edition 🪩🥂

Happy (almost) New Year, my dear readers! It’s hard to believe that 2024 is behind us, but what an incredible year it’s been. Personally, I’m filled with so much gratitude for all of the changes in my own life, primarily because of all of you and this community. I’m looking forward to many fun things to come in 2025.

Below is a roundup of recent recipes that I’ve shared, and hopefully these are arriving in your inbox JUST in time for your NYE festivities.

For paying subscribers, I’ve got an exclusive bonus appetizer for y’all, plus a little ~survey~ about where you’d like to see this platform and my content go in the next year. Mama’s been planning!

Onto the recipes!

Crispy Crab Bites with Lemon Dill Aioli

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup mayo

• 2 tsp Dijon

• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

• 2 tsp Old Bay

• 1 egg

• Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon

• 1 Tbsp chopped chives

• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill

• 1 lb crab meat

• 1/3 cup bread crumbs plus extra for breading

• Salt and pepper to taste

For the Lemon dill aioli:

• 1/2 cup mayo

• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

• 2 cloves grated garlic

• Zest and juice of 1 lemon

• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill

• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

In a mixing bowl, combine the mayo, Dijon, Worcestershire, egg, Old Bay, lemon zest, lemon juice, chives and dill and whisk to combine. Gently fold in the crab and the bread crumbs, then portion out the crab mixture into tablespoon-sized scoops. Place the crab bites in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes to chill.

To bread the crab bites, pour out some bread crumbs onto a plate and season with salt and pepper. Gently coat the crab bites in bread crumbs on both sides and shape into a small patty. Set aside onto a clean sheet tray or plate and repeat with the remaining crab bites. Place the breaded crab bites back in the freezer for another 15-20 minutes while you prepare the aioli.

For the aioli, just combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine. You can store it in an airtight container for up to 2 days in advance.

To fry the crab bites, pour some oil into a large frying pan or sauté pan. You want just enough oil to come 1/2 inch up the sides of the pan. Heat the oil over medium heat until it’s about 360 degrees. Fry thr crab bites in batches for about 2-3 minutes per side or until they are golden brown. Season with salt as soon as they come out of the oil, and repeat with the remaining crab bites.

Serve with the lemon aioli and some lemon wedges on the side.

Mini Puff Pastry Tarts 3 Ways

Ingredients:

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry

• Chopped cooked bacon

• Shredded fontina or Gruyère cheese

• Caramelized onion jam

• Boursin cheese

• Goat cheese

• Pepper jelly

Instructions:

Take the sheet of puff pastry and roll it out on a floured surface to create a large, thin rectangle. Cut the rectangle in half and then in quarters. Cut each quarter into 6 pieces to create 6 small rectangles.

Gently stretch each rectangle into a square and place it into a mini muffin tin. Repeat with the remaining pastry squares.

Fill each pastry with your desired fillings, and fill them generously. I used about 2 tsp of filling in each tart.

Bacon Wrapped Dates with Goat Cheese

Ingredients:

• 2-3 packages pitted Medjool dates

• 2-3 logs of goat cheese, any flavor

• 1 package bacon

• ¼ cup brown sugar (optional)

• 1/2 tsp black pepper (optional)

• Marcona almonds (optional)

A Note About Measurements: This recipe is far from exact. You can adjust the ratios up or down depending on the number of dates you want to make. You can more or less say that one entire package of bacon will be enough for 2 packages of dates, and 2 logs of goat cheese.

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Open a date and stuff with about a teaspoon and a half of goat cheese. Stuff the almond in the center, if desired. Gently close it back together, wiping away any excess goat cheese. Lay out the entire package of bacon, and slice into thirds. Using your thumb, flatten the bacon to elongate the piece, then roll it around your stuffed date. Place in a 13x9 baking dish, and repeat until all dates are stuffed and wrapped.

Sprinkle the dates with brown sugar and black pepper, if using. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until bacon is crisp. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes: Swap bacon for prosciutto if you wanna be extra. Use an herbed goat cheese for extra flavor if desired. If you make them both with almonds and without, be sure to keep them in separate trays if serving where someone may have a nut allergy/ for general awareness.

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I also have a few Christmas recipes that I haven’t had a chance to share here yet, so as promised, here they are:

Quiche

Ingredients:

• 1 frozen or refrigerated pie crust

• 5 eggs

• 1 cup heavy cream, half and half or whole milk

• Any desired mix-ins or toppings. Some of my favorites are jalapeño and cheddar, ham, Gruyère and shallot, or spinach, goat cheese and tomato.

• 1/2 cup shredded cheese

Instructions:

Roll the pie crust into a baking dish, press it gently inside, then par bake at 375 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. Using pie weights will help the crust from sinking or puffing up too much. (I learned this the hard way!!)

Mix together the eggs, cream, and any other mix-ins and then pour into the cooled, par baked pie crust. Top with cheese and bake at 375 for about 45 minutes or until the edges are set but the center retains a slight wobble.

Hashbrown Casserole

Recipe below is for 1 batch. I made 2 double batches in this video.

Ingredients:

• 1 small onion, diced

• 4 Tbsp of butter

• 1 bag frozen hashbrowns

• 1 can cream of chicken soup

• 8oz sour cream

• Salt

• Pepper

• 4oz shredded Jack cheese

• 4oz shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions:

In a skillet over medium low heat, melt the butter and add the onions. Allow them to sauté and start to brown for about 7-10 minites and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the hashbrowns, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, salt and pepper then add the sautéed onions and mix well. If you want, you can add a couple extra handfuls of cheese to the hashbrown mixture. Spread the mixture into a baking dish, cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes to an hour. Uncover, top with the shredded cheddar and Jack cheeses, and return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes. You can broil the top for a few minutes at the end too.

Stuffed Shells

For the sauce:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil

• 2 minced shallots or 1 onion

• 1/4 tsp red pepper flake

• 3 Tbsp tomato paste tomato paste

• 3 cloves garlic, sliced thin or minced

• 2 28oz cans whole peeled tomatoes

• Sprig of fresh basil

• Salt and pepper to taste

For the filling and assembly:

• 12oz jumbo shell pasta

• 1 lb ricotta cheese

• 1 cup shredded mozzarella + 2 more cups for the top

• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano + another 1/2 cup for the top

• 2 cloves grated garlic

• 1/4 cup chopped basil

• 2 eggs

• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium low heat, and begin to saute the onions until they are fragrant and translucent. Season them with salt and pepper and add the garlic, crushed red pepper and tomato paste, and cook the tomato paste for 3-5 minutes or until it’s dark brick red and slightly caramelized. Add the cans of whole tomatoes and use a little water to rinse out the cans. Add more salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, and using a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon, crush up the tomatoes. Add the sprig of basil and the parmesan rind (if using) and allow the sauce to simmer for about half an hour.

In the meantime, bring a pot of water to a boil, and salt generously. Boil the jumbo shells until they are just al dente, about 6-8 minutes. Drain and set aside. To make the filling, combine the ricotta, 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella, the first 1/2 cup of grated parm, the garlic, basil and eggs in a large bowl and mix well. Season generously with salt and pepper.

To assemble, ladle about a cup of the sauce into the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish. Taking one shell at a time, gently open it and scoop in about 1 1/2 Tbsp of the rocitta filling, an place them in the dish. When the dish is filled, ladle over more sauce to cover, then top with the remaining shredded mozzarella and grated parm. Bake uncovered at 350 for 25-35 minutes.

Garlic Cheese Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 baguette, halved lengthwise

• 1 stick softened, salted butter

• 4 cloves grated garlic

• 2 Tbsp chopped parsley

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

• 1/2 cup grated parmigiano reggiano

Instructions:

Split the baguette in half lengthwise and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. In a bowl, combine the softened butter, grated garlic, parsley, salt and pepper and spread it on each half of the baguette.

Cover each baguette half with both cheeses, and bake at 400 for about 12-15 minutes or until it’s golden brown, toasted and bubbly. You can also hit it with the broiler for a minute or so to brown the cheese.

(Note: To make this super simple, I’ve also used the Kerrygold garlic herb butter!)

Hope everyone has a safe and celebratory New Year’s Eve ahead! Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!

For paying subscribers, keep scrolling for a bonus appetizer recipe plus some hard-hitting questions about what kind of content you’d like to see in 2025! 🪩🥂