5 festive appetizers for New Year's and Christmas that will truly impress your guests

The original buffet

During the holidays, we eagerly await special dishes and appetizers that we don't usually prepare in our everyday lives. These include cheeseballs and crackers, colorful vegetable platters, and, of course, plenty of sweets. This year, we decided to repurpose some of our favorite holiday appetizers as New Year's-themed treats that will be the perfect addition to your holiday table.

Cheese and Cracker Christmas Tree

Form a tight cone of your favorite cheeseball mixture around a large pretzels. Press chopped fresh parsley into the cheese cone to turn it green. Then garnish the cheese cone with mini breadsticks, mini crackers, nuts, and pomegranate seeds. Sprinkle everything with finely chopped fresh parsley and grated Parmesan cheese for a snowball effect. Serve with crackers.

Recipe: Cheese and Cracker Christmas Tree

Citrus Star

The coldest days of the year bring an abundance of juicy citrus fruits. For the holiday table, gather citrus fruits of various sizes, such as blood oranges, tangerines, red and white grapefruit, giant pomelos, and tiny kumquats. Peel and slice the fruit into rounds, half-moons, or wedges, if desired. Arrange the slices in a star shape on a large platter. Garnish with ripe star fruit. We also garnished the slices with pomegranate seeds for an even brighter touch. If desired, drizzle the star with orange liqueur or bitters, high-quality olive oil, or sprinkle with coarse salt.

Vegetable wreath

Place a vibrant green veggie wreath on the largest round platter you can find (the bigger the better—volume is key here). Vegetables like broccoli, green beans, green peas, and cucumbers work well. Add lightly roasted shishito peppers, romaine lettuce, and any other greens you have on hand. The vegetables will be even more vibrant and tender if you blanch them in well-salted boiling water, then immediately transfer them to ice water to stop the cooking. Garnish the wreath with red cherry tomatoes. Serve with your favorite dip.

Recipe: Vegetable platter "Christmas wreath"

Snowman made from breakfast cereal

This charming guy is big enough for the whole group. Melt the marshmallows and mix them with cereal (any cereal, pillows, or balls). While still warm, form two balls, making one (the body) slightly larger than the other (the head). The balls will stick together easily when warm. Roll them in coconut flakes (first, puree them in a food processor until they are finer and resemble snowflakes). Use a chopstick to poke holes for the eyes, nose, hands, and buttons. Coat the eyes, nose, mouth, and buttons with melted marshmallows and attach to the snowman. Use candy canes for the arms, and a strip of marshmallow for the scarf. To serve, cut the snowman into pieces with a sharp knife.

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Antipasto Train

Lay out the salted straw tracks on parchment paper, wrapping around the other appetizers on the table. Line the tracks with baguette slices, cut in half, to form train cars. Attach cucumber slices to the train cars for wheels. Top with classic antipasto ingredients, such as mozzarella balls, prosciutto slices, large olives, marinated artichokes, and stuffed peppers. Attach a tube made of bread and olives to the train. Place toothpicks nearby for easy sharing. Your train can be as long as there's enough room on the table to accommodate all guests.




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