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Happy New Year!
Happy New Year! I am SO excited—the BSG are coming over to mi casa for a New Year’s Eve party! And, it’s not just any old New Year’s Eve party… we decided on a glamorous Around the World theme to ring in 2008 in international style! The BSG came up with the plans, but the recipes are thanks to my new friends Liv and Belle, who have their own cookbook called Spatulatta. They gave me some awesome recipes from countries around the world like Greece, Mexico, Japan, and Italy. So, I’m going to whip up those yummy recipes and decorate small areas in my room for each country—Greece, Mexico, Japan, and Italy. The BSG and I will travel around the room, chowing down on fun global snacks until MIDNIGHT! Here is how YOU can plan an Around the World party for your friends—just like the BSG! PLAN THE PARTY 1. Invite the Guests Yeah, you could CALL your guests, but it’s way more fun to create your own special invitations. I made mine to look like airplane tickets to go with our “Around the World” theme. Include all the information your guests need for the party, like place, date, and time. Also, include the letters RSVP next to your phone number, which Charlotte says is French for “please respond.” 2. Pick the Music After you choose which countries you’d like to “visit,” select traditional or popular music from each location, and play them while you are eating. Since the BSG are “visiting” Greece, Mexico, Japan, and Italy—we’ve got quite the eclectic playlist! 3. Decorate Your Space Choose one spot in your room (or Tower, if you have one!) for each country and decorate that area in the colors of each country. Print out the country’s flag and find some traditional symbols to display to get everyone in the spirit. For a fun party game, type up some trivia questions about each country and see if your guests can figure out the answers as you go around the room! CHOOSE THE MENU 1. Select the Food I love to cook, so this is the best part! I am going to make a fun and fruity sparkling drink—American style—for the midnight toast (if we can all last that long!). Also, I’m making a bean dip recipe from Italy, rice from Japan, hummos from Greece, and guacamole from Mexico. (See below for Liv and Belle’s sample recipes!) 2. Prepare Your Recipes Buy your ingredients a few days before the party. Write a grocery list so you won’t forget anything! Depending on how complex your recipes are, start cooking either the day before or the day of your party. Tha way the only thing you have to do when your guests arrive is set out platters, heat things up, or arrange veggies. 3. Choose the Dinnerware Each dish will have its own area in your room according to which country it comes from. Try to find colored plates, napkins, cups, and placemats that compliment the colors of the countries. For an added touch of sophistication, wrap forks, knives, and spoons together as sets in napkins. Use a brightly colored ribbon to tie the napkin in place! AROUND THE WORLD! 1. First Stop = Greece After all the guests have arrived, get the party started by leading people over to the first decorated area. I’m planning to take the BSG over to Greece first. Opah! There, we’ll chow down on the hummos, answer Greek trivia (like, “What’s the capital of Greece?” Athens!), and chat about… well… whatever! 2. Tour Guide Extraordinaire Lead your guests around the room to each country, stopping for about 15 minutes or so to enjoy the food, music, and games. I can’t wait until we get to Mexico—my favorite! 3. Ten… nine… eight When you and your BFFs have visited all the countries, have some helpers collect all the food and bring to where you guys can reach it while sacked out on the couch getting ready to celebrate the stroke of 12. About 15 minutes before midnight, pour Liv and Belle’s “Love that Sparkle” drink into fun glasses and serve. Then, at midnight, toast to a year full of fun and friendship! Happy New Year! A special thank you to Liv and Belle for sharing their Spatulatta recipes! “Love That Sparkle” Drink Perfect for a midnight toast! Makes 2 sparkling drinks. You'll need: 1 can sparkling water - any flavor; 1 cup cranberry juice or pomegranate juice; orange slices or strawberries for garnish; fancy glasses; straws; paper umbrellas - optional Directions: 1. Fill the glass half full of sparkling water. 2. Fill the rest of the glass with juice. 3. Add the straw. 4. Garnish with fruit and umbrellas. 5. Slurp - daintily if you can! Tuscan Bean Dip with raw veggies (Italy) You'll need: 1 can of cannellini beans; 1/4 cup of olive oil; 3 cloves of garlic; a food processor or blender; an older, more experienced kitchen helper Directions: 1. Have a parent open the can of beans, drain them and throw away the sharp-edged lid. 2. If you're using a food processor, ask an adult helper to put the absolutely razor sharp blade in to the bowl for you. 3. Now you can pour the beans into the processor or blender. Two cloves of garlic will work just as well if you're not garlic lovers like we are. 4. Next, add the olive oil and garlic. 5. Put the top on the processor or blender and give it a whirl! 6. Chop and mix until the dip is smooth. 7. Ask for help. Let your older helper get the blade out of the processor for you. 8. Using a spatulatta – Whoops! we mean a spatula – scrape the dip into a bowl. 9. Enjoy with chips or crackers. Yum! Instant Inari (Japan) This is a favorite snack food for children in Japan. It's really simple and so good! You'll need: 2 cups of short-grain rice; 1/2 bag of sushi rice seasoning powder (found at many Asian grocery stores); 1 package of inari (tofu envelopes) Directions: 1. Put the cooked rice in a medium sized bowl. 2. Pour 1/2 a bag of sushi rice seasoning and mix it well. Sushi rice seasoning is vinegar and sugar. If you can't find the seasoning mix in the store, you can look at our sushi salad for the right mix of vinegar and sugar. 3. Next, open the package of inari. Inari is packed in a sweet sauce so be careful when you open it. 4. The inari envelopes are open on one edge. You will see this edge is a little rougher than the other three edges. Gently slide your fingertip into this edge until you can find the opening. Peel the layers open slowly because you don't want to rip the bottom and wind up with a tofu tube instead of a tofu envelope. 5. Take a large spoonful or a handful of sushi rice and put it into the tofu skin. Gently pack the inari until it looks like a little pillow. Hummos and Pita (Greece) You'll need: 1 large can of chick peas (14-16 ounces) – drained; 1/3 cup of tahini (sesame butter); 1/2 cup of lemon juice; 5 cloves of garlic – peeled; 3-5 tablespoons of olive oil; paprika for garnish; a food processor or blender; adult help Directions: 1. Put the drained chick peas into the food processor. 2. Add the tahini, lemon juice, peeled garlic and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. 3. Turn the processor on for about a minute. If the processor doesn't seem to be grinding up all the chick peas, add a little more oil. 4. Process the hummos for another 30 seconds until it is smooth, but with a slight texture on the surface. 5. Serve with toasted pita bread or carrots and celery for dipping. Chef Jorge’s Guacamole (Mexico) You'll need: 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic; 2 tablespoons finely chopped white onion; 1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeño peppers; 1 ripe Haas avocado; a few drops of lime juice; a dash of salt (You grab a bit with all five fingers); 1 heaping tablespoon of diced tomato; 1 heaping tablespoon chopped cilantro Directions: 1. Crush together the garlic, onion and the jalapeño peppers. 2. Sprinkle with a dash a salt. 3. Cut the avocado in half the long way, from the narrow end to the wide end. 4. Take out the seed and save it. (See Grow your own Avocado Tree) 5. Place half of the avocado in the palm of your hand. Using your butter knife, slice through the meat of the avocado in 1/2 strips the long way and then cut across the avocado the opposite way, making little cubes. Repeat with the other half. 6. Hold the avocado over the bowl. Using your spoon, scrape the meat out of the avocado skin. 7. Squeeze a few drops of lime juice into the mix. 8. Mash the avocado until it is creamy but still a little lumpy. 9. Add the tomato and cilantro and stir. 10. Serve with chips or use as a filing for tacos.
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What are your plans for New Year’s Eve?
Adios, 
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