New Year’s Eve – FoodWatcher

16 New Year’s Eve Party Essentials From the Food52 Shop

This post contains products independently chosen (and loved) by our editors and writers. Food52 earns a commission on qualifying purchases of the Shop products we link to.

The new year is quickly approaching, which is enough to make any New Year’s …

This post contains products independently chosen (and loved) by our editors and writers. Food52 earns a commission on qualifying purchases of the Shop products we link to.

The new year is quickly approaching, which is enough to make any New Year's Eve party host start sweating. To-do lists for party planning can quickly pile up, replacing the fun of celebrating with friends and family with the stress that you're forgetting something.

Delicious Sparkling Margarita Recipe

A light and refreshing sparkling margarita made with sparkling rosé! If love … Read more
The post Delicious Sparkling Margarita Recipe appeared first on Sugar and Charm.

A light and refreshing sparkling margarita made with sparkling rosé! If love ... Read more

The post Delicious Sparkling Margarita Recipe appeared first on Sugar and Charm.

Best Pomegranate Prosecco Punch Recipe

We love this festive and delicious pomegranate Prosecco punch recipe because it’s made with 4 simple ingredients! It’s a bubbly, refreshing, and easy recipe to make. A great fruity cocktail and the perfect cocktail for the holidays! We crea…

The post Best Pomegranate Prosecco Punch Recipe appeared first on Sugar and Charm.

New Year’s Eve Drinks and Cocktails

Ring in the new year with a bang! Whether you’re planning on staying in or heading out to a New Year’s Eve party we’ve got you covered with all the best New Years Eve drinks, champagne drinks and cocktails! From welcome drinks to evening co…

The post New Year’s Eve Drinks and Cocktails appeared first on Sugar and Charm.

How to Cook Lobster Tails Perfectly, Every Single Time

If you grew up playing The Sims like I did, then you know exactly what lobster thermidor is. Or at least, you know what it is in the context of the popular RPG (role playing game): It’s the final meal your simulated character learns after studying the …

If you grew up playing The Sims like I did, then you know exactly what lobster thermidor is. Or at least, you know what it is in the context of the popular RPG (role playing game): It's the final meal your simulated character learns after studying the culinary arts over the course of a few days. As in real life, in The Sims, the more you cook and the more cookbooks you read, the more recipes you learn, and the faster your simulated character can graduate from salad to spaghetti to tri-tip steak, then finally to lobster thermidor.

The goal is always lobster thermidor.

This NYE, Throw a Hangover-Free House Party

Hosting feels a bit like playing grown-up these days. The ordinary tasks involved in having people over—texting out an invite, deciding on a menu, making a playlist— remain, but nothing beats the relaxed, inviting atmosphere of a house party. Remember house parties? The kind with moody, low lighting and conversation that lingered into the night. We love them, with one caveat.

The one aspect of a house party that can remain firmly in the past is the hangover. “It used to be expected that if you have fun, you’re going to feel horrible afterwards. It was part of the deal, but fortunately it doesn’t have to be anymore,” says Helena Price Hambrecht, co-founder and CEO of Haus. “You don’t want the parties to end, but as you get older, you don’t really have time for the hangover part.”

How to DIY a Champagne Tower for Your Your Best New Year’s Yet

Let’s face it: even the most well-thought out and well-intentioned New Year’s Eve plans are probably going to have to scale back in some way this year. One day, we promise, you’ll be able to overpay for tickets to a NYE event, sipping watered-own cockt…

Let's face it: even the most well-thought out and well-intentioned New Year's Eve plans are probably going to have to scale back in some way this year. One day, we promise, you'll be able to overpay for tickets to a NYE event, sipping watered-own cocktail after watered-down cocktail to make the most of the open bar before midnight rolls around. We can also promise (with almost 100% certainty) that such a New Year's will make you yearn for the years you spent it cuddled up on the couch, eating frozen Trader Joe's apps, and drinking all the sparkling wine your little heart desired.

For now, though, your pared-down gathering can get a little gussied up. And by a little, we mean with minimal effort and maximum effect. What are we referring to? A champagne tower, of course. Is there anything more over-the-top New Year's than a champagne tower? No, no there is not. And good news all around: it's not very difficult to do.

A Worldwide Champagne Shortage May Impact Your NYE Celebrations

I was recently shopping for a bottle of wine for my Grandpa’s birthday over Thanksgiving weekend when the shelf displaying a few bottles of Veuve Clicquot caught my eye. I wasn’t drawn to it because of the gleaming orange labels, a color which I believe would have been called “macaroni and cheese” in a box of 64 Crayola crayons (sharpener included), nor its status as a go-to bubbly. What I saw and felt was quite literal sticker stock—$59.99. II don’t exactly keep tabs on the price of champagne, but I know that a bottle of Veuve is always, always priced at around $50. By around, I mean maybe it is $48.99 or $51.99, depending on where I’m shopping. But a $10 increase was significant.

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These Champagne Floats Are the Ultimate Grown-Up Summer Treat

This is just one reminder of the fact that we’re experiencing a champagne shortage right now. The shortage is a result of the one-two punch that is global warming and the supply chain crisis, due to the ongoing global pandemic (no big deal). “There was a surplus of champagne just before COVID…and then COVID happened and then there was copious amounts of drinking of all kinds of wine. When the world reopened, the one thing that I noticed moved the fastest was champagne. People were feeling festive, which created high demand,” Paola Embry, certified sommelier and Wine Director of the Wrigley Mansion, told me in an interview.

10 DIY Decorations for Your New Year’s Eve Party

In my personal (and time-tested) opinion, New Year’s Eve is best spent at home, whether it be yours or someone else’s. There’s less pressure to dress up and wear uncomfortable shoes, and you don’t have to elbow your way to the open bar to get your mone…

In my personal (and time-tested) opinion, New Year's Eve is best spent at home, whether it be yours or someone else's. There's less pressure to dress up and wear uncomfortable shoes, and you don't have to elbow your way to the open bar to get your money's worth before midnight, not to mention various chairs to plop onto when you're full of snacks and bubbly.

Jut because you're at home, though, doesn't mean NYE needs to feel like yet another night in (but if you want to hang in your pajamas, go for it). You can get as festive as you'd like with decor that bridges the gap between the times you had the stamina to go out and that ever-growing part of you that would rather stay in.

Holiday Party Ideas To Ensure Everyone (Host Included) Has Fun

Winter is arguably the best time of year for hosting parties. Summer parties require outdoor space and likely, a grill, spring weather is incredibly unpredictable (and is basically winter), and in the fall, everyone’s busy going apple picking and wine tasting. The time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, in particular, is the perfect sweet spot for gathering with friends and family inside your home—and it doesn’t take much more than what you already have on hand.

That said, any good party requires a bit of prep work (but not too much… don’t overthink it!) to ensure things run smoothly. Below, find our favorite ideas for festive drinks, plate-clearing foods, fun games, and setting the mood.