New Years Party: Lobster Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

[ad#co-1]

New Year’s Party Macaroni and Cheese Ingredients:

6 to 8 Servings

Elbow or cavatappi macaroni (1 pound)

All-purpose flour (1/2 cup)

Cooked lobster meat (1-1/2 pounds; 1/2-inch diced)

5 slices of white bread crumbs (1-1/2 cups; crusts removed)

Nutmeg (1/2 teaspoon; grounded)

Whole milk (1 quart)

Black pepper (1/2 teaspoon; freshly grounded)

Vegetable oil (2 tablespoons)

Cheddar cheese (2 cups or 8 ounces; grated)

Gruyere cheese (4 cups or 12 ounces; grated)

Unsalted butter (8 tablespoons; divided)

Kosher salt

Macaroni and Cheese Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Take a large pot and boil water there. Add salt. Cook pasta al dente in the pot and drain well.
3. Take a small saucepan and heat the milk without boiling it. Now, take a bigger pot and melt six tablespoons of butter in it. Add the all-purpose flour. Cook for 2 minutes at low heat while stirring continuously with a stick.
4. Now, add the hot milk into the mix and cook for 1 to 2 minutes while keep stirring. Continue with the process until the mixture becomes smooth and thick.
5. Stop the heat and add the pepper, nutmeg, 1-tablespoon salt, cheddar cheese, and Gruyere cheese into the mixture. Keep stirring until the cheese becomes softened. Stir in the lobster and cooked pasta. Put the mixture into six to eight gratin dishes.
6. Now, take the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and melt it. Mix with breadcrumbs and dust over the top of the gratin dishes. Put them inside the oven and bake for half an hour. Take them out after the past becomes brown and the sauce becomes frothy.

Tips

1. Add or reduce the quantity of lobster and the two types of cheese, as you want.
2. You can infuse the milk with lobster flavor by cooking it with the removed lobster shells. After the cooking, just strain and use the milk.
3. If you like flavored food, add a bit more flavor in the preparation by using smoked Gruyere.

This recipe, combining lobster and macaroni, will taste absolutely heaven to those people who love them both. The preparation is rich, creamy but not heavy, perfect for enjoying in a New Years party.

What’s your special New Year’s party recipes? Let us know in the comment box!

New Years Appetizer Recipes: Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

 

[ad#co-3]

Ingredients:

Yields 24 mushrooms

24 gourmet mushroom caps (stems cut off; set aside brushed with a damp towel)

1 tablespoon Extra-virgin olive oil

Pepper

Salt

For Stuffing:

3/4 pound Sweet bulk Italian sausage

3 slices White bread, toasted, buttered, and chopped into small pieces

20 Mushroom stems, finely chopped

1 10 oz. box Frozen spinach, defrosted, squeezed dry, and finely chopped

1 rib Leafy part of celery and green, finely chopped)

½ red bell pepper small sized; seeded; finely chopped

4 cloves Garlic, finely chopped

½ small onion, finely chopped

1/3 cup grated Romano or Parmigiano cheese

1 1/2 teaspoons Extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Take a large frying pan and heat it over medium-high heat. Pour extra-virgin olive oil and add mushroom caps into it. Then, add pepper and salt for seasoning the mushrooms.
3. Saute the mushroom caps until they turn light brown and their edges become tender or for 5 to 7 minutes. Turn the caps up so that the juices get drained away from them.
4. Take a nonstick baking sheet and place the caps there. Clean the frying pan and heat it again over medium-high heat.
5. Heat extra-virgin olive oil to the frying pan and add sausage into it. Cook for 3 minutes or until the sausage becomes brown and crumble.
6. Take a food processor and pulse to chop garlic cloves, mushroom stems, red bell pepper, onion, and celery gradually.
7. Add this vegetable mixture into the frying pan and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes. Keep the heat at medium-high level. Put spinach into the mixture and gradually add bread and cheese. Cook and occasionally toss the stuffing for 2 to 3 minutes or until the bread is soggy and all the ingredients start sticking together. Stop the heat.
8. Use a spoon to fill the caps with stuffing. Now, transfer the caps to the preheated oven and reduce the heat to 400°F. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes. The baking will set the stuffing inside the caps and make the stuffing edges crisp.
9. Serve the stuffed mushrooms hot!

More Easy Appetizer Recipes

Toasted Ravioli Recipe

Maple Glazed Meatballs

Our Best Appetizer Ideas

If you are looking for more quick appetizers that are delicious check out our Thanksgiving Appetizers post filled with creative dishes like Apricots with Bleu Cheese!

These stuffed mushrooms are meant to be a hit either you make them on the Christmas Eve or serve as a New Years Party dish or for your next party into the New Year! You can also use the leftover stuffing in your next day’s breakfast burritos and to stuff pork chops that you might like to try on a nice evening.

For more Snack Ideas on Stagetecture for your next party, click here.

New Year’s Party: 3 Last Minute Party Food Ideas

1. Goat Cheese Grape Balls

Image via: The Kitchen Prep

[ad#co-3]

Fruit and cheese are one of the best combinations for party food and they are great with wines and champagne.

Ingredients:

Goat cheese

Seedless grapes (red or green)

Freshly chopped basil

Chopped walnuts or pecans

Mini skewers or toothpicks

To make them, just mix up the goat cheese and the basil. If you want to lighten up the goat cheese flavor, you can add some cream cheese or even Greek yoghurt into the goat cheese mix to that end. Take a small amount into your hands. Shape a round dish-like shape out of the mix and place a grape in the middle of it. Wrap the grape up with the cheese mix and roll it in the chopped nuts to cover. Put the balls into a refrigerator. When ready to serve, stick the skewer in it with care.

2. Mini Lobster Buns

Image via: Martha Stewart

This party food idea is a must-have for any New Year’s Party. They are easy to put together and just the yummiest thing!

Ingredients:

3 ½ cups cooked lobster meat cut into ½ inch pieces

½ cup mayonnaise

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp freshly chopped chives

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp seasoning for seafood

2 tbsp butter, salted

8 hot dog buns halved crosswise or mini buns

Parsley leafs for decoration

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, except for the butter. In a skillet, heat up the butter and toast the buns a couple at a time, until they are golden brown. Fill the bun with about ¼ lobster salad and top with parsley leafs if desired.

3. Caprese Salad Bites

Image via: Carmen’s Kitch

To round things up, serve some individual salad bites, like these Caprese salad bites. They will add freshness to your menu and are just perfect to accompany New Year’s Party drinks. You can choose between serving them in phyllo cups, skew the ingredients onto wooden skewers or toothpicks or even filling hollowed out cherry tomatoes with the rest of the ingredients.

Ingredients:

Cherry tomatoes

Mozzarella balls or cubes

Balsamic cream

Basil leafs

Ready to use phyllo cups or wooden skewers (optional)

To serve the caprese salad, you can choose one out of these three options:

The first one is to halve the tomatoes, chop the leaves into big pieces and add them along with the mozzarella pieces to the phyllo cups. Drizzle some balsamic cream over them and serve immediately.

The second option is to hollow out the cherry tomatoes, by cutting the top off and removing the seeds. Stuff them with mozzarella and basil pieces and drizzle balsamic vinegar over the top.

The last suggestion is to use a wooden skewer and spear onto it a cherry tomato, a piece of mozzarella and a basil leaf. Again drizzle some balsamic cream and they are ready to be enjoyed.

These easy to make but super tasty party foods will be the perfect companion for party drinks and champagne for your guests. Choose one or more of them and thing of some unique ways to serve using perhaps martini glasses or wooden plates to make a stunning impression with your New Year’s Party guests.

For more New Year’s Eve recipe ideas, click here.

New Year’s Party: Easy DIY Clock Plate Decoration

Image via: Ciao! Newport Beach

[ad#co-1]

Supplies

Cardstock
Printed Clock Faces
Inkjet Printer
Mod Podge and brush or glue
Glitter or glitter glue (optional)
Gold or silver charger and clear glass plates (for the finish look)

Image via: Celebrations at Home

Directions

1. The first thing to do to make clock plates is to decide on the size of the clock faces you will need. You have to make sure that they are the correct size for your clear glass plates to sit on, so they will provide a good, sturdy surface for them.

2. After deciding on the size, you will need some clock faces. Those are available for printing all over the internet, all you have to do is to search them and adjust them so they will be printed to the correct size. Use cardstock to print on and cut the clock faces out.

3. Decorate your clocks with glitter or glitter glue for more spark if you like. Make sure to remove any excess glitter so it wont get all over the food.

4. You can make them sturdier by gluing them on thicker, pre-cut out cardstock or even plain, flat, plates, or you can use them as they are. If you want to use plain plates, you can use the Mod podge and brush to apply the images onto them.

5. Once ready, place the clock face between your charger and the clear glass plate, for a classy New Year’s Party table setting.

If you like, you can use old Cd’s and the Mod podge technique to make some fun timely decorations to decorate your home or table on New Year’s Eve. Just print the clock faces smaller, so they will fit on the cd.

Image via: The Mermaids Tale

These Plate Clocks are great for New Year’s Party Décor, but save them so you can use them for a future Cinderella Party or a Halloween Party as well, by just changing the overall decorations to adjust to the new theme.

For more New Year’s Party ideas on Stagetecture, click here.