I hope everyone had a great holiday! Also…it’s 2019. Jeez, 2018 was a blur. 
Anyway, I had some grand plans for NYE and was going to do a whole mid-century spread, but…life. Kids. You know how it is. So I ended up just arranging store-bought food to make it look fancy. 
So, I’m pretending this week is about “glamorizing” food, which was a huge mid-century trend. You know, open a few cans, add some sprigs of garnish and call it good?
You aren’t buying it? Well, neither did Tom. But he still took these pictures, so at least he was pretending. Or maybe he was just sucking up so he could eat a whole plate of shrimp.
But Alex was into it. And I think everyone, including Tom, liked breaking out the fancy dishes.
Speaking of Alex, here is her gingerbread house! It was a kit, but still. Glamorizing! 
The only thing close to actual cooking I did was helping my Mom make Stollen for my Dad. So at least it was a relaxing holiday!
How about you guys? Did you throw a huge party, or just plate some cut cheese on a fancy platter and call it good? I want to hear about it!
That looked mid century fancy and cute! The gingerbread house turned out really good, your daughter did a better decorating job than I could! I worked without pay on New Years.
I think you guys should make velveta fudge. I know your husband hates it maybe the cheese flavor would be gone? It’s an old mid century recipe.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.kraftrecipes.com/amp/recipe/051504/velveeta-fudge
Your back! Does that mean things are approaching more normal for you? We need a resolution that we are going to have more finger foods for dinner over a movie. The children are moved out and there’s no reason we can’t go back to her old ways. So here’s to throwing it together and watching a movie. Beautiful spread by the way.
We made some jalapeno popper wontons drank some champagne and apple cider for the kiddos. Threw some streamers and was in bed by 12:02. All in all it was peaceful, fun, and filled with family. A success.
I love Alex’s gingerbread house btw, those kits are fun!
I have the same divided green plate! Plate twin powers unite! It’s my favorite way to make thetag end of five things look intentional. 😉
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You’re funny. We ate dinner and went to bed.
My New Year’s Eve was very exciting: I sat on the couch, had nachos and a couple of gin and tonics, and watched a Three Stooges marathon!
You guys make your own stollen?? Marzipan stollen or without marzipan? Care to share your recipe? I’m a huge stollen fan (hubby not so much – he just keeps saying “you know you have to pay for it right?” lol).
Nice spread!
We had our Christmas celebration with my parents on New Year’s Eve. I made a sort of mid-century food, turkey croquettes. I made them from our Thanksgiving turkey and froze them. All I had to do was fry them up (after letting them thaw in the fridge overnight).
Turkey croquettes were a tradition for me growing up. My mom always made them from our Thanksgiving leftovers. Her recipe came from the 1970’s version of the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook.
I have a funny story about croquettes. When my now husband and I were dating, he was invited over for dinner. My mom made croquettes, but he had never had them. He didn’t even know what they were. My mom had also made dinner rolls with the meal. He thought the rolls were the croquettes and poured gravy over them. He was wondering what those “triangle shaped things” were (the actual croquettes), and my parents were wondering why he poured gravy on the dinner rolls!
Cheese fondue (which, honestly, that’s Peak Mid-Century right there) from… too many boxes, with me dad. I entered the new year full of cheese and regret, but mostly cheese.
We did the same thing!!! LOL! Got cheese, water crackers, and sliced salami and prosecco, too! Plus fancy napkins and plates always helps!
Your layout looks lovely and delicious. People are just happy that someone stepped up and made the effort to have a party – and then invite them!! It is a lot of work and expense regardless of how much is homemade.
We have a tradition of ordering the pastrami Reuben sandwich package from Katz’s Deli in New York (we live in Oregon). I assemble and grill the sandwiches, and we have potato salad and tomato soup in mugs. It is so darn good. We have it during the week between Christmas and New Year’s depending on everyone’s schedule.
BTW – Angela, I love your story.
Love your spread. It looks very fancy — especially Alex’s gingerbread house! We had a huge lunch at our favorite Indian restaurant, so for NYE, it was just Triscuits and a cheese ball. We did use my mid-century Melmac plates, so that’s something, right? 😉
Wishing you, Tom, Alex, and TJ a fantastic 2019!
Relatives all dead, moved away, sickly, got their own stuff going on. Friends are sparse on the vine, especially during winter – dark roads – got plans with their own families. I’m pretty much on my own here. My tradition has always been to take a shower on NYE and put on brand new clothing (I got at Christmas), have macaroni and shrimp salad I made (tiny shells, minced onion, celery, carrot, chopped hard cooked egg, and a couple of cans of canned shrimp. It has to be canned shrimp. Mix with mayonnaise, Old Bay, dill, whatever, oh, it is heavenly and lasts a couple of days. Black eyed peas and rice and greens, mostly out of cans, with leftover bits of the Christmas ham. Happy New Year! looking forward to lots of new, good stuff! 😀
Color me impressed. I ate the cheese and summer sausage right off the cutting board this year! (waiting on a kitchen remodel)
So glad you’re back!
Have you seen the website: cookbooks and home economics archives at UCLA. I’ll try to email it separately.
I tried, but was unable to forward the cookbooks archive website to you. Sorry.