Quick and Easy Tips for Your Casual Party

Planning a casual party but running out of ideas and time? Party planning doesn't have to be time-consuming or stressful. Here are some inexpensive, quick and easy tips for helping you plan your casual New Years Eve party, or any other party throughout the year.

Quick and easy party snacks (beyond potato chips and dip)

Snack Idea One-- Apricot hors d'oeuvres.

You will need:

Several bags of dried apricots (how many depends on how many people you expect)

Cream cheese ( Philadelphia brand or other)

Almonds. You will need one almond per apricot.

Separate the apricots and place them, concave side up, on a flat surface such as a cookie sheet. Place a small dollop of cream cheese on each one. Place one almond on each. The cream cheese keeps the almond in place.

That's it. That is all there is to that healthy (but tasty) snack. Just refrigerate them until your guests arrive and serve them on a nice platter.

Snack Idea two--Easy Cheese Ball

Easy Cheese Ball

This is something my sister has made for years. I learned it from her. Many of the ingredients can be substituted to suit your taste.

This is best made an hour or so before the party ( it can be made the night before) so that it has a chance to firm up.

You'll need a couple of packages of cream cheese ( or more if you are having a lot of people), green onions, a packet of onion soup mix or french onion dip mix (dry), or other dry dip mix, and wafer thin deli meat (this can be left out of the recipe if you have vegetarians coming over).

Chop the green onion, and the meat, into very small pieces. Wearing protective gloves (or, after scrubbing and sanitizing your hands), thoroughly mix the cream cheese with the other ingredients. Blend until the seasoning, the green onions, and anything else used is evenly mixed in with the cheese. Form into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator until the guests arrive. Serve on a nice platter with good crackers.

Easy punch

This punch should be made about half an hour to fifteen minutes before the party starts. If large melons are in season ( they don't have to be watermelon, but something similar is nice. Cantaloupe probably would not work well) buy a couple and cut them in half (lengthwise). Scoop out the fruit flesh with an ice cream scoop. Set the melon balls aside in a bowl. You will add them to the punch later.

Now you have a couple of punch bowls. Add vodka (or gin or white rum) and fruit juice. If you are planning a New Years Eve party you can substitute sparkling wine (Champagne is not really champagne unless it comes from Champagne). Add some melon balls to the punch and any other fruit (orange slices work nicely) to the mix. Avoid grapes in the punch. You don't want anyone choking to death on a grape. Intoxicated people are more prone to choking on objects
(I mean that seriously).

If melons are not in season, you can improvise. Buy oranges and other citrus and add those to a punch bowl filled with the alcohol and fruit juice. Tell people to pretend the punch bowl is a melon.

Don't forget to make something special for the designated drivers. One of the fruit punches should be made sans alcohol. Just make sure the non-alcoholic punch is clearly labeled so that drivers know which is which. Designated drivers do everyone a big service and should be treated with extra kindness.

Decorations: Simple is Superb.

Nothing needs to be ultra fancy for a casual party. After a while, if the party goes well people won't even care about the decorations anyway. A few streamers go a long way. Most grocery stores carry paper streamers in the same section as the greeting cards.

If your party is a New Years Eve party or other similar occasion, you will probably want party hats or some other kitschy, wearable item. People initially resistant to party hats will end up wearing them as the night progresses. As a party host, it is your duty to supply guests with something decorative and kitschy to wear as this supplies camera-wielding-party-goers with good photo-candy. Good photo-candy is essential for making long-lasting and embarrassing memories of your party.

Martha Stewart wouldn't necessarily give her approval of these party decorations (or lack of) but who cares. She wore a great Glampire costume for Halloween, and so we can forgive her. Your guests will have a good time at your party and that is what matters. Good luck with your party and have a great time.