New Year's Eve Dinner Ideas

The best way to welcome 2020 or a new decade is to gather your family and friends for a festive and memorable New Year's Eve party. Whether you'll be hosting an intimate dinner or a big bash Simply Charmed have collected the best New Year's Eve dinner ideas to make your last meal of 2019 an epic one! Check out these holiday simple dinner recipes.

Grilled Bread with Whipped Ricotta

This delicious grilled cheese appetizer will surely be hit! 

Yields: 8 servings

Total preparation time: 45 minutes

Here's what you need:

• 8 thick slices sourdough bread
• 5 tbsp. Olive oil, divided
• 1 tsp. Fresh thyme leaves
• 2 Cloves very thinly sliced garlic 
• 2 c. ricotta cheese
• 1/4 c. whole milk 
• Freshly ground coarse black pepper

• Flaked salt 

Here's how to cook it:

1. In a small skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of oil over low heat. Add garlic and thyme and cook until golden brown for 4 to 6 minutes and let it cool. 
2. Using an electric mixer, beat the ricotta and milk on medium speed until light and fluffy for 2 to 3 minutes. Season the ricotta mix with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and top it with garlic-thyme oil.
3. Heat the grill to medium-high. Brush bread with remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, dividing. Grill the bread, turning once until toasted and lightly charred for 2 to 4 minutes. 
4. Serve together with ricotta mix.

Crispy Chicken Thighs with Rosemary and Garlic

This fried-chicken-thigh is a crowd-pleasing dish. It smells good and tastes even better.

Yields: 4 servings

Total preparation time: 20 minutes

Here's what you need:

• 8 small bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 2 1/4 pounds)
• 1/3 cup Chicken stock
• 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp. Fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp. Red pepper flakes
• 8 cloves garlic, skinless and smashed
• Kosher salt 
• Freshly-ground black pepper

Here's how to prepare it:

1. In a bowl, mix chicken stock, lemon juice, mustard, rosemary, salt and pepper flakes in a bowl. 
2. Heat an iron skillet over medium heat until hot for 1 to 2 minutes. 
3. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. 
4. In the skillet, put the chicken thigh, skin side down. 
5. Get another smaller skillet and put on top of the chicken and weigh it down with soup cans. 
6. Cook the chicken thighs until the skin is golden brown and crisp for 7 to 9 minutes. 
7. Remove the cans and top skillet. 
8. Flip the chicken thighs and reduce the heat to medium-low.
9. Add garlic and cook the chicken thighs until cooked through for 2 to 3 minutes. 
10. Transfer cooked chicken thighs to a platter and reserve skillet. 
11. Add stock mixture into the reserved skillet. 
12. Scrape up any brown bits and let it simmer until slightly thickened for 1 to 2 minutes. 
13. Spoon the gravy over the chicken thighs.
14. Serve.

Bacon Brussels Sprout Skewers

In this delicious recipe, you only need two ingredients. 

Yields: 12 servings

Total preparation time: 30 minutes

Here's what you need:

• 1 lb. thick-cut bacon
• 1 lb. Brussels sprouts
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Flaky sea salt

Here's how to cook it:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large baking pan, put metal rack inside.
2. On one end of a skewer, pierce one bacon strip, then pierce a Brussels sprout on top of the bacon, and then pierce another bacon strip again to form a weave. Repeat the process if you want to add more Brussels sprouts and bacon strips; it depends on the size of your skewers. Repeat the process to finish the rest of the skewers.
3. Place the skewers on the baking sheet and roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until bacon is slightly charred.
4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper before serving.

Salted Caramel Fondue

Indulge yourself with this delicious and healthy holiday dessert. 

Yields: 6 servings

Total preparation time: 10 minutes

Here's what you need:

• 30 unwrapped soft caramels
• 1/3 c. heavy cream or whole milk
• Pinch of flaky sea salt

For dipping:

• Green apple slices
• Graham crackers
• Pretzels

Here's how to cook it:

1. In a small saucepan, place soft caramels and heavy cream over medium-low heat. 
2. Let it simmer and stir it constantly until the caramel melts for about 15 minutes. 
3. Stir in flaky sea salt.
4. Serve warm with green apples, graham crackers and pretzels for dipping.

Of course, a New Year's Eve is not complete without a toast and you need a bottle or two of Champagne to share with your guests. It's a celebration of passing another year and welcoming a new one and you need to cheers for that! Give an extra swig to your champagne flutes or wine glasses with these Snowmen and Snowflake Wine Charm Bundle. These are the best wine charms for any winter or holiday party. This holiday wine charm set is a fun bundle of 14 unique magnetic wine charms perfect your stemless glasses, champagne flutes, martini glasses, even Moscow Mule copper cups.

Kick the last night off of 2019 and welcome the next decade with an enjoyable New Year's Eve dinner! Your guests will surely be delighted with your sumptuous meal with the best Champagne on hand to make a toast to welcome another wonderful year.  

Happy New Year! Have a blast!