New Year's Eve Party on a Budget

Head to your favorite holiday headquarters (I enjoy Target and Michaels) and pick out some shimmery silver and gold glass balls, by now most of the holiday decor is 1/2 off or more. You can put them in a vase you already have and make a beautiful centerpiece.

When purchasing your paper goods, instead of buying New Year's Eve 2010 paper plates, napkins and cups, opt for silver, gold and black ones, so you can use any extras another time. If you plan ahead you can usually get them on sale at your local party store. New Year's Party Kits and Patterned Tableware are on sale at Party City.
White lights and paper luminaries are an easy way to make your party sparkle. Use them to light up walk ways and give your guests a taste of what's inside. Holiday lights are also usually included in after Christmas sales, so now is the time to buy.
If you have a little more time, these icy luminaries are a great twist on traditional luminaries. The instructions can be found at DIY Maven.

Here are some other cute party ideas I found at Hostess with the Mostess.

A Blue and Silver New Year

Copper and Aqua

Festive New Year

Now is the time to shop for party decor and supplies. Pick a theme and head to your local stores, anything that sparkles and shines is perfect for a New Year's Eve party.

Happy New Year!
Brandi

The Cutest Tutu Ever!

This is the tutu I made for Isabella's first birthday, it came out super cute.

Cookies, Cookies, Cookies!

Nine different recipes and four days of baking. I had a great time baking a ton of cookies this year, as well as making and decorating the boxes. Here are some of the recipes, happy baking!

Cookie assembly line.

Some of the finished cookie boxes.

Mexican Wedding Cakes

These cookies are a tradition in our family. They are so easy to make and taste amazing.

Ingredients
recipe courtesy of Pillsbury

1 cup powdered sugar, divided
1 cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup finely chopped pecans, walnuts or almonds
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, beat 1/2 cup powdered sugar, butter and vanilla until light and fluffy.

3. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. Add flour, nuts and salt and mix until dough forms.

4. Shape into 1 inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet 1 inch apart.

5. Bake at 325 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes or until set but not brown.

6. Immediately remove from cookie sheet, let cool slightly and roll in remaining 1/2 cup of powdered sugar.

7. Let cool completely and re-roll in powdered sugar.

8. Store cookies in an air tight container.

Makes 5 dozen

Cream Cheese Brownies

These brownies are the perfect combination of cream cheese and rich chocolate. Sure to satisfy anyone's sweet tooth.

Ingredients
recipe courtesy of Bakerella

Brownies

1 package of your favorite brownie mix (I used Betty Crocker's Fudge Brownie 13x9 Family Size Mix)
For this mix you need:
2 eggs
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water

Topping

1 - 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 pound confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease bottom of a 13x9 inch pan, I used Pam cooking spray.

2. Combine all of the brownie ingredients and stir until well blended. Spread into prepared pan.

3. With an electric mixer beat cream cheese at medium speed. Add eggs, sugar and vanilla and beat on medium until smooth. Spread evenly over brownie mixture.

4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 - 50 minutes or until edges and top are golden brown.

5. Cool completely before cutting and refrigerate until well chilled.

6. Store brownies in an air tight container in the refrigerator.

Jif's Peanut Butter Fudge

Sean loves the peanut butter fudge his mom makes, so I thought I'd give it a try. He also convinced me to leave the lid off the container so the fudge would firm up a bit. I saw how convenient it was for him to get some fudge and go. Needless to say I caught on to his plan and the lid went back on.

Ingredients
recipe courtesy of Jif

No-Stick Cooking Spray
3 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 2/3 cups creamy peanut butter
1 - 7 ounce jar marshmallow creme
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Line a 13x9 inch pan with aluminum foil and spray with no-stick cooking spray.

2. Combine sugar, butter and evaporated milk in a large saucepan, stirring constantly on medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

3. Remove from heat and add peanut butter, stir until well blended. Add marshmallow creme and vanilla. Stir until well blended.

4. Spread mixture in prepared pan and let cool completely. Cut into candy-sized pieces.

Makes 3 pounds

Caramel Cheesecake Gingerbread Cupcakes

Whoa! that's a long name. Anyways, I wanted to make a holiday cupcake and fill it with something yummy. I was thinking gingerbread cake and I came across this recipe for chevre cheesecake and chevre cream cheese buttercream and I have to say they turned out sooooo good. The goat cheese is not as "tangy" as cream cheese, which was really nice and the caramel sauce added a nice touch of sweetness to the cheesecake filling. The gingerbread cake was not too spicy, like gingerbread can sometimes be and you get a hint of chocolate from the cocoa powder. The combination is fantastic.

Gingerbread Cupcakes
recipe courtesy of Joyful Abode

Ingredients

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup hot milk (140 degrees)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners.

3. In a large bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

4. Add the molasses, egg and egg yolk and mix until combined.

5. In a medium bowl sift together flour, cocoa powder, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.

6. Dissolve the baking soda in the hot milk. Set aside.

7. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until just combined.

8. Stir in the hot milk mixture.

9. Pour batter into prepared baking tin and bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 20 minutes.

10. Allow to cool completely before filling and frosting.

Chevre Cheesecake
recipe courtesy of Fields of Cake

Ingredients

1 egg
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup sugar
pinch salt
10 1/2 ounces fresh plain goat cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons creme fraiche or sour cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

2. Grease a 6 inch round pan with butter or cooking spray.

3. In a medium bowl whisk together egg, egg yolk, sugar and salt until well combined, about 2 minutes.

4. Add the goat cheese and whisk until smooth.

5. Add creme fraiche or sour cream and whisk for 1 minute. Do not overmix or the cheesecake will have a grainy texture.

6. Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Place the pan in a roasting pan and fill with water until it reaches half way on the cheese cake pan, so about 3 inches.

7. Bake until the center is set (about 40 minutes).

8. Remove cheesecake and allow to cool. Transfer to the refrigerator and let chill overnight.

When your ready to fill the cupcakes remove the cheesecake from the pan and into a medium size bowl. Add about 1 cup of warm caramel dip and mix until filling is smooth. Make sure your caramel dip is not to hot, you don't want to melt the cheesecake. Add filling to a piping bag fitted with Wilton tip 230 and gently place the tip inside the cupcake. You can practice with how much filling you like to add and don't worry what the top of the cupcake looks like, you're going to cover over them with buttercream. Refrigerate cupcakes so filling can set.

Chevre Cream Cheese Buttcream
recipe courtesy of Fields of Cake

Ingredients

7 ounces fresh plain goat cheese, room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, beat all ingredients together until light and fluffy.

2. Add filling to a piping bag fitted with a round or star shaped tip or frost cupcakes with a small angled spatula.

3. Place frosted cupcakes in the fridge so the buttercream can set before you decorate.

4. Decorate cupcakes with gingerbread cookies, cookie crumbles or white sanding sugar.

Enjoy!