Are you staying in to ring in the New Year? Even if you don’t have big party plans this New Year’s Eve you can make the evening extraordinary and get your 2016 celebration off to a rocking start with our easy southern-inspired New Year’s Eve Party Appetizers.

These memorable appetizers will have guests partying past midnight and you are going to love how easy they are to prepare with just a few of our favorite New Year’s Eve party essentials.  This year we are hosting a small get-together to celebrate New Year’s Eve and while I love all the glitz and glamour of this special night, this year I  wanted a low-key evening with good old-fashioned family fun.  Growing up my parents always hosted an intimate get-together with close family friends and my mom always had a lavish spread of dips, desserts, and appetizers.  Everyone would snack all night long until the big moment came and we enthusiastically counted down…3, 2, 1 HAPPY NEW YEAR!  These special memories are exactly why I decided to stick to my roots and prepare easy bite-sized, tried and true Southern dishes with a twist.

Our first appetizers are sure to bring you and your guest fortune and luck in the new year.  Our Garlic Black Eyed Pea Crostini will make sure you ring in 2016 with lots of luck on your side.  According to tradition black-eyed peas are the first food to be eaten on New Year’s Day for luck and prosperity throughout the year ahead.  Get a head start by preparing these tasty bites for your NYE party.  Make it easy with Jalapeno and Cheddar Crisps from World Market.  Topped with the flavorful garlic black-eyed pea mixture these crunchy appetizers aren’t just lucky, they are delicious too! Get the recipe for these lucky appetizers below.

Next up, guests are going to love our mini version of Shrimp and Grits, a tried and true Southern comfort dish served on mini appetizer spoons. When it comes to entertaining I love serving some of our favorite dishes in mini form.  These tasting spoons from World Market are the perfect size to get your comfort food fix without all the guilt or hassle of trying to balance food while mixing and mingling with friends. It doesn’t get much more Southern than grits and with an extra spicy kick from the Ghost Pepper sauce 2016 is guaranteed to start off hot!

Finally, it’s time to end the evening on a sweet note with mini Brie Pecan Pie Bites.  These creamy brie bites topped with sugar pecans are the perfect way to make sure you and your guest start off the new year on a sweet note!  Flaky mini sweet tart shells are filled with creamy brie and baked just long enough for the sugary goodness from the pecan mixture to melt down into the brie for a sinfully delicious treat. They are perfection in a bite-sized cup. Perfection I tell you!

Make sure you visit your nearest World Market or shop online for all of your New Year’s Eve entertaining needs, they have everything you and your guest will need to ring in the new year in style! Whether you are planning a kid-friendly New Year’s Eve celebration, having a few friends over, or just curling up on the couch with your spouse these easy New Year’s Eve party appetizers are a delicious way to ring in the new year!

Yield: 10

Easy New Year's Eve Party Appetizers

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Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time 2 hours

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 very large onion, finely chopped
• 1 very large carrot, finely chopped
• 1 very large celery stalk, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 pound dried black-eyed peas (about 2 1/4 cups), soaked overnight and drained
• Two 1-pound smoked ham hocks
• 2 quarts chicken stock or low-sodium broth
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• Jalpeno Cheddar Crisps - From World Market
• Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Instructions

1. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the onion, carrot, celery and minced garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 6 minutes.
2. Add the drained black-eyed peas, ham hocks, chicken stock and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to very low, cover partially and cook until the beans are tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Season generously with salt and pepper and let stand for 30 minutes. *In a pinch you can use black eyed peas from the can, just rinse and drain well.
3. Drain the black-eyed peas; discard the ham hocks and bay leaves. Transfer the peas to a serving bowl. Stir in the remaining olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Serve the black-eyed peas on top of the jalapeno cheddar crisps, sprinkle with grated cheese.
4. Serve and enjoy!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of World Market.  The opinions, text, and photos are all my own.