Happy New Year! I rang in the new year with good friends in a warm, cozy cottage in Monteagle, TN. We had the fire crackling, fun music playing, and an abundance of delicious appetizers, hearty spaghetti, and festive drinks. Although we kept our party relaxed and rather low key, we still pulled out all of the stops when it came to eating and drinking well! While New Year's stole the show, our festivities continued into the weekend as many of our friends stayed with us for a couple of days. Over the course of the weekend, we watched tons of football bowl games, feasted on fried turkey, cooked hearty breakfasts, watched the snow fall, and played some games.
For New Year's Eve, I made a batch of glogg. I combined a couple of different recipes to make the glogg or hot mulled wine, which typically consists of winter spices - I used a spice pack called Aspen Mulling Spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves etc.), cinnamon sticks, orange juice (I used actual orange slices and apple slices), brandy, and of course red wine.
Since we were entertaining a crowd, I bought a box (gasp!) of Bota Cabernet Sauvignon, which had the equivalent of 4 - 750mL bottles of wine inside. I know there are lots of nay-sayers out there who trash on boxed wine, but this is not your typical "pink" boxed wine. This stuff was actually pretty tasty, even without all of the spices.
About 2 hours before the party, I mixed the wine, spices, fruit, brandy etc. in a slow cooker (see pic above) and turned to the to high heat. Other than an occasional stir, I let the concotion simmer for a couple of hours. The result was a spicy and not tooooo sweet mulled wine. Once the mixture is hot (this can take a while), turn the slow cooker back down to low.
Another favorite recipe from the weekend was the hot Bacon & Swiss dip. I know this sounds ridiculously indulgent, and that's because it is! This recipe is very easy to make, and everyone always devours it within minutes of coming out of the oven. This would be perfect to take to a super bowl party. I was given this recipe via my cousin, Lydia. Enjoy!
Bacon and Swiss Dip
click here for printable version of recipe
click here for printable version of recipe
4 oz. Hellman's Mayonnaise (you can use light mayo)
1 1/2 Cup Shredded Swiss Cheese
8 oz. Philadelphia Cream Cheese
8-9 Slices Crisp Crumbled Bacon (can be cooked in microwave)
Preheat oven to 350. Set Cream Cheese out to soften to room temperature and further soften in microwave for 10 seconds if necessary. Place Mayonnaise in medium bowl. Next add swiss cheese and bacon. Stir in softened Cream Cheese. Spread evenly into a shallow glass pie pan or small casserole (8x4"). Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Serve with Frito Scoops.
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