Digital NYE: 17 Savory Finger Foods

Lex Monson
Dec 27, 2013

Mingling. Cheersing. Kissing every person in the perimeter of a party –– this is not appropriate behavior for a sit-down dinner. But you know what it is appropriate for? Finger food. Warm up those digits and get ready to dive in. We’re pointing you toward delectables for fueling all that NYE smooching.

1. Panko Crusted Shrimp with Chive Aioli: Shrimp cocktail has been serial crashing parties since the ‘80s. We think it’s time for a panko-dusted facelift. We’re especially keen on the presentation shown here. (via Mama’s Gotta Bake)

2. Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms: Mushroom caps are incredible. Yes, incredible. Not only do they lend their umami flair to this morsel, but they act as a bowl for all that sausage-y, chedder-y goodness. And for that, we thank them. (via Food Network)

3. Hazelnut-Crusted Fried Brie: Say it with us, “hazelnut-crusted fried brie.” If that doesn’t get the glands juicing, we don’t know what will. (via Babble)

4. Mini Italian Club Sandwiches: Worried about your party guests going hungry? Fuhgettaboutit. (via Food Network)

5. Pumpkin Arancini with Blue Cheese Fondue: Yes, it’s true. This requires a utensil for serving, but it’s still portable and ready to work a room with you. (via Tyler Florence)

6. Tuna Avocado Poke: If you don’t want to use a second set of spoons, get hip with the chip and make it a dip — egregious rhyming was necessary. (via The Yellow Table)

7. Zucchini Parmesan Chips: And speaking of chips… (via Food Network)

8. Bacon-Wrapped Dates Stuffed with Blue Cheese: Chances are, you’ve had this bite before. There’s reason for that: this savory, sweet, creamy combo is always a winner. (via All Recipes)

9. Roquefort Date Pecan Cheese Balls: Resolutions are on the horizon and fad dieting is just a ball drop away. This might be the last time you allow yourself to binge on cheese for a while. Make the most of it by eating it in multiple forms. Here it is disguised as a pecan date ball. (via Oh Cake)

10. Capresa Corn Muffin Sandwiches: This bijou bite is in regular rotation in the Brit + Co. hors d’oeuvre repertoire. We think you’ll see why. (via Brit + Co.)

11. Cucumber Cups with Ginger-Carrot Puree: Okay, okay, we’ve given you enough meat, bread, and cheese to make up for any opportunities you may have missed throughout the year. This is us acting like responsible adults. Please, make your mothers happy. Eat your vegetables. (via Stranded In Cleveland)

12. Savory Cheese Tartlets with Herbed Berries: If, like us, you don’t want to mess around with making tiny crusts, focus on the filling, and outsource the hard part to Sur la Table. (via Driscoll’s)

13. Anchovy & Rosemary Popcorn: If someone at your party claims not to like popcorn, be afraid… very, very afraid. That’s straight-up Borg. On the other hand, not liking anchovies? That’s something we get. Luckily, there’s a Salted Caramel and Sweet & Salty Spiced option as well. (via The Telegraph)

14. Fried Ravioli: Making individual itty bitty bites can be time consuming. But not here. These Italian-inspired poppers are a fuss-free affair. (via Confections Of A Foodie Bride)

15. Steak Harissa Crostini: While we’ll always hold a special place for Sriracha in our hearts, harissa put the heat on the rooster-marked bottle in 2013. Consider this nibble a tribute to its entrance to the mainstream. (via Tablespoon)

16. Cheesy Nacho Cups: Whoa. You love your friends so much that you went and made the perfect nacho bite for each and every one of them? No wonder they like you so much. (via Brit + Co.)

17. Squash & Ricotta Sandwiches: They’re simple. They’re pretty. They’re perfect. There is nothing else to say. (via Food Republic)

What are your favorite modern finger foods? Tell us in the comments below.

Top Off Your NYE Celebration With This Easy Prosecco Martini Recipe

We truly can't argue with the greatness of bubbly. It's the quintessential celebratory sip, whether served on its own or in a decadent cocktail like this one. It feels like the most fitting drink for Christmastime entertaining and fabulous end-of-year celebrations. That's why you'll be reaching for this super easy Prosecco martini recipe when it comes to that New Years party you're planning. All you need to whip up a great entertaining drinkis your spirit of choice, some lemon, raspberries and of course, bubbles! Don't wait another minute to shake this sip up, everyone will love it.

Ingredients for Prosecco Martinis

  • 8 ounces vodka
  • 1 whole lemon, juiced
  • 8 ounces chilled Prosecco
  • 4 raspberries, for garnish
  • Lemon wedge, for the rim
  • Sparkly sprinkles, for the rim

How to Make Prosecco Martinis

  1. Take four martini glasses and rub each rim with a lemon wedge. Pour the sparkly sprinkles onto a plate and dip each rim in the sprinkles. Set aside.
  2. In a shaker, add in the vodka, lemon juice and ice and shake until chilled. Strain the mixture evenly in the martini glasses.
  3. Top each glass with the Prosecco and add in a raspberry in the glass or as a garnish on a cocktail pick. Serve immediately!

Check out more of our drink recipes for celebrating all year long!

Recipe development and photography by Sarah Anderson.

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Trader Joe’s Easter Items Are Here — 11 Picks To Add To Your Baskets This Year!

Trader Joe’s current lineup of Easter goodies is better than ever. They’ve got so many sweets on deck – including chocolate bunnies, of course – as well as festive spring snacks that simply make the perfectEaster basket additions! This year, there’s really no shortage of fun TJ’s finds to brighten up your season.

Scroll on for 11 Trader Joe’s Easter finds that are totally worth grabbing before they’re gone!

Trader Joe's

Milk Chocolate Bunny Bar

This adorable bunny-shaped chocolate bar is topped with tons of bright candy gems and rainbow nonpareils (which are crafted with dyes from natural ingredients) to liven up your Easter snack collection! This limited-time item will definitely not last long on shelves, so run to TJ's soon!

Trader Joe's

Peas & Carrots Sour Gummy Candies

Shaped like tiny little peas and carrots, these bites are far from actual veggies. In fact, they're made of a delicious gummy candy tinged with just the right amount of sourness that balances out the sugary goodness.

Trader Joe's

Break Apart Bunny

This is not your average chocolate bunny. While still hollow like most traditional treats, this one's actually loaded up with a handful of carrot-shaped gummy candies – like a perfect little (and edible!) Easter-themed piñata. Your Easter basket recipients won't be able to resist breaking it open!

Trader Joe's

Chocolate Truffle Eggs

Ooh, fancy. Perfectly packaged for Eastertime gifting, this collection of egg-shaped chocolate truffles boats 7 distinctive flavors that feel oh-so bougie. You're def going to want to grab one for yourself – we're absolutely eyeing that pistachio egg. 👀

Trader Joe's

Raspberry Mousse Cakes

These lil' cakes are almost too cute to eat! Each one starts with a base of moist vanilla cake that's topped with raspberry-flavored mousse. The batch then is covered in a sweet confectionary coating (including an edible leaf!) to emulate the sheer magic of raspberries on one easy-to-eat treat.

Trader Joe's

Italian Chocolate Eggs

Add these eggs to your Easter candy bowl, stat! This pack comes with 4 decadent flavor pairings encased in colorful coatings so you can easily sneak in a bite of springtime joy throughout the day.

Trader Joe's

Sea Salt Brownie Bites

We are obsessed with these brownie bites. The added sea salt on top of 'em adds some extra flavor oomph that feels super elevated and perfectly fancy for a special occasion such as Easter.

Trader Joe's

Teensy Candy Bars

Basically like 'teensy' versions of a Snickers bar, these micro-sized candy bars are dangerously easy to snack on. Your little ones will adore them!

Trader Joe's

Chocolatey Drizzled Strawberry Kettle Popcorn

Drizzled with freeze-dried strawberries and chocolate, this kettle corn is unlike anything you've tried before. The fruity notes most definitely qualify it as a great spring snack, while the chocolate adds Eastertime decadence.

Trader Joe's

Organic Sparkling Rosé Tea Beverage

For something to sip on, this can is the epitome of spring flavors. It's made with a blend of four teas along with white grape juice, hibiscus flowers, orange peel, and rose hips for some insanely good floral and citrusy notes!

Trader Joe's

Tangerine Probiotic Sparkling Beverage

Crafted with probiotics, this bubbly bev contains a "light, refreshing, sweet-tart flavor" that'll have you hooked from first gulp.

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7 Fun Family Traditions to Start This New Year’s

The gift-giving holidays have come and gone. The menorah is safely tucked away, and the tree's lights are coming down. The year is done, and it's time to celebrate, but now that you're a mama it's time to nix the late-night New Year's Eve plans. Replace the old night of Champagne-fueled fabulousness with a New Year's Day of family fun. Check out these artsy ideas, treats, and family activities that keep the merriment going year after year!

Reflection Questions

You’ve had an entire year’s worth of moments to remember. That’s 365 days of laughter, surprises, sweetness, and so much more. Print out reflection cards, and use them to ask each other to name their bests, favorites, and most memorables of the year. Start when your kiddo is a baby, and keep going as they grow. In a few years your little one can start giving their own awesome answers. (via Artsy-Fartsy Mama)

Printable Party Hats

Print-and-color hats are so, so, so simple — and the kids will totally get into the craftiness of this New Year’s activity. Keep each year’s hat, adding to the collection. By the time your now-tot is ready to head off to college, you’ll have a stack of hats to reflect upon. (via MyPrintly)

Time Capsule

Reuse an old jar to magically transform it into a time capsule. Gather the family ‘round, fill the capsule with anything that’s memorable from the year before, seal it up, and set it aside for the future. Way, way, way into the future: The longer you wait to open it, the more fun it will be. (via Red Ted Art)

Milk and Cookies

It’s time to leave those frosted Santas and sprinkle-covered reindeer cookies behind. Start a New Year’s cookie tradition (and really, who doesn’t enjoy a tradition that revolves around cookies?) with homemade chocolate chip deliciousness and Champagne flutes filled with milk. Yum! (via Crystal & Co.)

Calling all foodies for this festive — and totally tasty — tradition. The littles love their pizza, but you’re not exactly up for a New Year’s ordered-in pie. So make your own: your own pizza

your own tradition. Each year, come up with a theme or a topping to try. Get kind of crazy and try unexpected recipes, such as a shaved asparagus pizza. Take pics of your mealtime creations year after year. (via Smitten Kitchen)

New Year’s Survey

Make something special that you and your kids can look back on throughout the new year. Help your tot to fill out a “survey” as an annual holiday tradition. Along with taking a look back at this year, you can browse the printed surveys decades from now when your kiddo has kids of their own! (via Simple Fun for Kids)

Homemade Hot Chocolate

Forget about the mimosa bar: It’s time for a new New Year’s Day drink. Set up an annual hot cocoa bar, making your own mixes (and adding your own mix-ins). Create a new signature hot chocolate flavor each year to keep this sweetly steamy tradition going. (via Brown Eyed Baker)
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Sophia Bush Finally Opened Up About Hilarie Burton & Chad Michael Murray Leaving 'One Tree Hill': "Stupid"

One Tree Hill fans were heartbroken (and a little bit confused) when season 6 ended and Peyton (Hilarie Burton) and Lucas (Chad Michael Murray) left without a trace. It had been a season of danger, life-threatening situations, and literal murder, and for two of the show's leads to just fall off the face of the earth felt inconsistent with how tight-knit the friend group had always been. And viewers weren't the only ones to think so.

"This is the problem: They didn't give us enough to make where our friends went make sense," Drama Queens host Sophia Bush said of the "unfortunate" decision to write Hilarie and Chad out of the show. (Hilarie has said in a previous episode of the rewatch podcast that both her and Chad were "treated badly, and he defended me...Chad was my teammate.")

Keep reading for what Sophia Bush, Bethany Joy Lenz, and Robert Buckley's thoughts on Peyton and Lucas leaving One Tree Hill.

Sophia Bush thought Peyton and Lucas leaving 'One Tree Hill' was "really weird."

Warner Bros. TV

One Tree Hill season 6 ended after Peyton almost died giving birth to her and Lucas' daughter, and after introducing baby Sawyer to the rest of the crew, they just...drive off into the sunset.

"I don't even remember where they moved. Where did they go?" Bethany Joy Lenz says, to which Robert Buckley replies, "They left in a convertible, so I'm gonna guess maybe the West Coast where it's a bit warmer and less rainy."

But no matter where Peyton and Lucas moved, the One Tree Hill cast can't quite wrap their heads around the fact that, in the story, Brooke literally never hears from Peyton again. "I used to ask, 'Why can't Brooke [Davis] be getting text messages from Peyton? Why can't you see them texting? Like, why am I not getting photo updates of this baby? It feels really weird.'"

And while Lucas returns for an episode in season 9, he was also radio silent for his three-season absence, as was his mom Karen. "Everybody, they just faded off into the distance," Bethany says. "I do wish they had kept that up in some more clear way. I don't think it would have been hard."

While Bethany Joy Lenz think is was because of "personal beef" behind the scenes.


But Bethany theorizes the onscreen confusion boils down to behind-the-scenes drama with creator Mark Schwann, whom the cast accused of sexual harassment in 2017. The women of the show wrote an open letter explaining how “many of us were, to varying degrees, manipulated psychologically and emotionally," and how "more than one of us is still in treatment for post-traumatic stress."

"I think it was some sort of personal beef behind the scenes," Bethany adds in the Drama Queens episode. "He was hoping the audience would just forget about them."

"Which seems so stupid because it's a choice rooted in ego," Sophia adds. "It's like, 'Dude, you wrote those characters, so you knew they were great. So why are we suddenly pretending they're not?'"

Fred Norris/Warner Bros. TV

Hopefully we'll see all our favorite Tree Hill Ravens return for a One Tree Hill sequel series. While the show hasn't been officially greenlit at Netflix yet, Hilarie Burton exclusively told Brit + Co that everyone involved in the show is "really proud of the work that we did back then too. And so to see the public support this little show we made 20 years later, that's so special and it's so rare."

You can stream all of One Tree Hill on Hulu now — and read up on Chad Michael Murray's Perfect Idea For The One Tree Hill Reunion.

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Colleen Hoover's 'Regretting You' Cast Keeps Growing — See The Stars Joining The Movie!

Colleen Hoover (and her books) aren't afraid to make a statement. BookTok is still reeling from Verity, while the rest of the internet can't stop talking about all the It Ends With Us behind-the-scenes drama. and Hoover's newest adaptation, Regretting You, is just as gripping and emotional as all her other stories. The movie is based on the 2019 novel of the same name, and while It Ends With Us centers around romantic relationships, Regretting You is all about mother-daughter relationships.

What's 'Regretting You' about?

Amazon

Regretting You follows Morgan Grant (played by Allison Williams), who put her dreams on hold years ago when she got pregnant with her daughter Clara (McKenna Grace). Their age gap mirrors the one we see we see between Lorelai and Rory in Gilmore Girls, but instead of the Gilmores' close bond, Morgan and Clara's relationship becomes more strained the older Clara gets — especially when Morgan's husband Chris passes away in a tragic accident, revealing a secret that could change Clara's life forever.

While It Ends With Us is a larger production from Sony, Regretting You will be an indie production. Stay tuned for official production details!

Who's in the 'Regretting You' cast?

Monica Schipper/Arturo Holmes/Getty Images

Allison Williams (Get Out) and McKenna Grace (Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire) lead the Regretting You cast. These two are joined by Dave Franco (Now You See Me), Mason Thames (The Black Phone), Willa Fitzgerald (The Fall of the House of Usher), and Scott Eastwood (Wind River: Rising).

The movie will be directed by The Fault in Our Stars' Josh Boone and written by Susan McMartin.

When does 'Regretting You' come out?

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Regretting You comes out on October 24, and it's easily one of our most-anticipated movies for 2025!

Is 'Regretting You' a spicy book?

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Regretting You definitely has less spice than Colleen Hoover's other books. In fact, this TikToker ranks it as her least-spicy book! Since the story focuses on Morgan and Clara, instead of a romantic relationship, this is a good pick for any readers who prefer less spicy books.

What's the message of 'Regretting You'?

Alexander Grey/Pexels

Regretting You is all about life, which I know sounds like a huge message! But the story introduces us to an established family rather than two people who want to begin a family. Chris, Morgan, and Clara already have relationships with each other, and as time passes in the story, Regretting You shows us how circumstances can change, how overwhelming our emotions can feel, and how strong our family bonds can become.

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