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The end of 2012 is fast approaching and everyone is looking for something special to do on the New Year’s Eve this year.  If you have decided to step up and organize something fun and festive, give yourself a gold star for offering to host one of the hardest parties of the year.  With everyone’s expectations soaring high, you have just enough time left to plan the perfect New Year’s Eve party.

Start by making a guest list.  In order to make all the other party related decisions, you need to know how many people you expect to attend your New Year’s Eve party.  Once you know how many people you are inviting, you can estimate the number of attendees by cutting the number of invitees by 1/3.

Now that you have your magic number, you need to make some important decisions.  First and foremost, you need to pick the perfect location to hold your New Year’s Eve party.  Do you need to rent a venue or will your party fit perfectly on your backyard poolside patio?  There are three factors you need to consider when choosing a location.  First, you need to have enough room for your guests to have fun.  Second, your venue needs to be affordable.  Third, you need to know whether or not you can bring your own food.  Once you have all the information you need, make a decision and then get the invitations sent out as quickly as possible.

Next, let’s focus on the food, something everyone at the party will enjoy.  Your party menu will depend on how many guests you have and what kind of budget you have for food.  You might go for cocktails and appetizers all night long.  You could also opt for a fancy sit down dinner before the countdown to midnight starts.  If you are planning a family friendly fete, you will need to make your menu family friendly, too.  Here are three great menu plans to get you started planning your New Year’s Even party and help you fill up your party plates without breaking the bank.

Cocktails and Appetizers

• Artichoke Dip which goes great with slices of artisan bread or crackers
• Avocado Appetizer which brings smooth avocado, crisp bacon, creamy cheese, and spicy chilies together in a mix everyone will love
• Baked Goat Cheese with Shrimp & Basil which is a warm creamy treat inside a flaky crust
• Green Chile Wontons which mixes Arizona flavor with Asian influence.
• Cantaloupe Basil Salsa which pairs sweet and savory and spice for something that is three times as nice.

Fancy Dinner

• Starter – Avocado and Tomato Salad
• Starter – Grand Canyon Sweet Onion Soup
• Main Course – Arizona Rancher’s Prime Rib
• Main Course – Calabacitas (Vegetarian)
• Side Dish – Scalloped Gold Potatoes with Goat Cheese
• Side Dish – Balsamic Green Beans with Pine Nuts
• Dessert – Cheri’s Prickly Pear Cheesecake

Family Friendly

• Sonoran Hamburgers and Sonoran Hot Dogs
• Garlic Cheese Fingers
• Apple Bacon Slaw
• Oven Fried Sweet Potatoes 
• Apple Crisp
• Farmer’s Mud Pie

All that’s left to do now is round up some fun decorations and make sure you have plenty of noisemakers on hand to help ring in the New Year.

Related articles

• What’s in Season in November? (fillyourplate.org)
• 5 Tips to Make Holiday Cooking Easier (fillyourplate.org)
• 8 Tips to Go Gluten Free for the Holidays (fillyourplate.org)