I thought it would be fun to give you a holiday party menu from recipes on my blog.

A lovely way to get the party started is with a special holiday cocktail with a stunning garnish. It makes your guests feel incredibly welcomed when they’re greeted with a beautiful libation just for them. These sugared cranberries look gorgeous and taste better. The cocktail shown above is a classic Manhattan. Only consider this idea if you’re having a small gathering, otherwise you’ll spend all your time making drinks.

You’ll need a few static-stations [spots where guests help themselves ] with platters of something unusual to discover. My red and green crostini  is simple to make and a nice non-meat selection. Have back up ingredients all prepped so you can easily re-fill the empty plate.

Every party needs a show stopper. My spicy beer candied bacon is the most popular treat I’ve ever made and one of the most popular posts on my blog. Every time I make it, the whole plate disappears in a gulp. It works great on a static-station, but if you want everybody to have a piece, you might want to save it for passing around.

Add a few no-brainers to throw together quickly. I call this pretty cheese dip, ricotta nosh. It’s crazy simple. My chicken cheese dip is a nice Mexican inspired do- ahead with the added bonus of being low-cal.

A few fussy treats; one vegan, one carnivorous, one decadent and all you’ll need is dessert…

Easy or not so easy – you decide.

Have fun and thanks for reading.