New Year’s Eve Appetizer Party and Pampered Chef Giveaway!
- December 21st, 2009
Celebration Ideas, Contests and Giveaways, Product reviews
Setting and Setup
Personally, we love the idea of a Girls Night In for New Years Eve. Not only is it inexpensive, compared to going out on the town that night, but we find our girlfriends tend to be more relaxed when we’re all just hanging out at somebody’s home. Keep it small and intimate, and if your girlfriends have far to drive, consider offering your couch or guest room for the night. You may find yourself with an impromptu sleepover on your hands, but you can handle it!
Invitations
You could always phone up the gals or send a festive evite, but why not hand-deliver some homemade “crackers” to set a party tone and let your gal pals know that you really want their company? These aren’t too hard to make, according to this great step-by-step article. 
(The article has you actually making your own wrapping with hand-picked photos, but you can just use any bright wrapping paper.) Just write the invitation details on a piece of festive paper, roll it up and slip it inside the tube along with some confetti. If you don’t have enough time to do this as an invitation, you can try it for a fun party activity (see below).
Food and Drink
The Girlfriends-in-Chief were lucky enough to tour the headquarters of The Pampered Chef with our Chicagonista gal pals and we were treated to a sampling of the recipes in their Easy and Impressive Appetizers recipe collection. You could easily prepare a gorgeous spread of appetizers using nothing else but this book. And, here’s what’s so great about Pampered Chef recipes: They are specially developed for home cooks and rigorously tested by staff chefs, so they are practically foolproof! That is important when you’re having a party and you don’t feel like “experimenting” on your guests.
These recipes are fun and simple to make; so feel free to let your girlfriends help in the kitchen. Why not select a few dishes to make together? Seriously, these are some good recipes. Steak Crostini with Chive-Cream Sauce? Prosciutto Spirals With Balsamic Glaze? Savory Pecan-Crusted Blue Cheese Bites? Your girlfriends will love them! You can also search the Pampered Chef website for dozens of tested appetizer recipes.
To drink? A signature cocktail for the evening is always a nice touch. Pampered Chef has a great recipe for Raspberry Tequila Sangria, which is pretty, festive, and delicious. Please drink responsibly, girlfriends!
Connecting Activities
Here are some things you can do to add some structure, meaning and fun to your New Year’s Eve bash:
-Do a “year in review,” recapping the year’s funniest, most important, or most memorable moments with your girlfriends. If you’ve been having regular girlfriend dates throughout the year, then you should have lots of memories to share. This is a great time to get out photos taken during the year, too. If you don’t have that many shared memories of 2009, then let each girlfriend talk about her own funniest, most embarrassing, most important, or favorite moment of the year. It’s a great way to learn more about each other.
-Write your New Year’s Resolution on a slip of paper and put it into a bowl. Take turns drawing out slips, reading them aloud and trying to guess whose resolution it is. (No one said they have to be serious, though they can be.)
-Assign Resolution Buddies to help each other stay true to your intentions for the New Year. Read more about this idea here.
-Make “crackers” (as mentioned above) but have inside them a “fortune” for the New Year. These can be funny or sweet. Here’s a list of fortunes to get you started (these are a little bland, but you can “girlfriend” them up!)
-Get one of the new DVD “Scene-it” games and play, just for fun. The 1980s trivia version looks like a blast! Or, play What’s a Dame to Do? for lots of girlfriendly laughs!
-Watch the ball drop, of course. Instead of kisses at midnight, how about a group hug?
-Put on some tunes and dance! A new year is beginning, after all, and you have FRIENDS. There is no better reason to celebrate!
Party Favors
Give each girlfriend a fun 2010 wall calendar (they’re on sale already!) with your monthly girlfriend dates already marked in it. Use the opportunity to assign each girlfriend a month or two to plan the get-together.
And Now For the Giveaway:
Pampered Chef has generously given us this adorable ice bucket and cocktail shaker. The Pampered Chef entertaining products are very attractive and highly functional, and these are two great examples. They feature double-wall design to minimize condensation. The shaker has a snug silicone seal and a 1-oz jigger cap for easy measuring. The cute dots pattern coordinates with their Dots Stemware and Martini Glasses. Want to win this for your own New Year’s Eve party? Then here’s what you must do:
1. Leave a comment on this post. That’s it. (It’s so easy. Our holiday gift to you!) Will you get extra points for saying something girlfriendly, or sharing your New Year’s Eve plans, or your resolution to spend more time with your girlfriends? Nope, but do it anyway. ”Pick me!” gets a little boring.
-Retweet AND leave a comment saying so for an extra entry.
-Blog about it AND leave a comment saying so for an extra entry.
That’s it! This is another quickie, so contest will close at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, December 27. The winner will be chosen at random from all eligible entries. Watch your email Monday Dec 28. You must respond same day. If we can reach you in time, you’ll have your shaker and ice bucket in time for New Year’s Eve! U.S. shipping addresses only please. Good luck, girlfriends!
58 Comments
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Would love to win this set.
Comment by Lisa Jaeger — December 22, 2009 @ 12:21 am
This would be a fabulous addition to my New Year’s Eve party for my girlfriends! Definately making Raspberry Tequila Sangria
Comment by Diane Coryell — December 22, 2009 @ 12:46 am
P.S. I retweeted too!
Comment by Diane Coryell — December 22, 2009 @ 12:46 am
These are gorgeous! I would love to make some Cosmopolitans in that shaker!
Comment by Jennifer C. — December 22, 2009 @ 10:17 am
I tweeted!
Comment by Jennifer C. — December 22, 2009 @ 10:18 am
That would be a great shaker to make cosmos in after we watch the new Sex and the City movie!!
Comment by Tracy Pryor — December 22, 2009 @ 10:26 am
Girlfriend night in sounds awesome! Now if I could just ditch the hubby and kids…..
Comment by Valerie — December 22, 2009 @ 11:17 am
Great giveaway! I would love to use these at the NYE party I am throwing… (I also tweeted).
Comment by Kim B. — December 22, 2009 @ 11:18 am
I absolutely love Pampered Chef! I am having a party just for the girls for New Year’s and how fun it would be to have these at our party! It would be a true “girlfriend celebration”! Thank you for the chance to enter!
Comment by Michelle — December 22, 2009 @ 11:57 am
Tweeted!
Comment by Michelle — December 22, 2009 @ 12:00 pm
Love Pampered Chef. Not sure what the New Year’s EVE plans are for 2009, but will definitely involve my single “sisters” and a party… chocolate martinis will look great in the new shaker.
Comment by Sandi — December 22, 2009 @ 2:18 pm
I would love to add this t my New Years Eve celebration, I love you guys and all your great info on parties keep um coming
Comment by pamela — December 22, 2009 @ 7:44 pm
I retweeted
Comment by pamela — December 22, 2009 @ 7:45 pm
Oh, i love those…love so many of the Pampered Chef items too.
Comment by duongsheahan — December 23, 2009 @ 12:39 am
This is a great post – I think I may have ot incorporate it into a NEw Year’s Day brunch, though. Thanks for the ideas
Comment by Gabi — December 23, 2009 @ 5:09 am
All of my girlfriends and I go out to eat at a nice restaurant (with our hubbys) and then we go to one house and play board games. No Wii, no videogames and no party poopers allowed.
Comment by Joy Armstrong — December 23, 2009 @ 1:18 pm
I love Pampered Chef! Thanks for a great giveaway. Honestly, we haven’t made our plans yet. We usually spend the holiday with friends & their families.
Comment by My3Sons33 — December 23, 2009 @ 1:26 pm
tweeted
Comment by My3Sons33 — December 23, 2009 @ 1:28 pm
Great giveaway, I loved pampered chef.
I followed/tweeted on twitter
Comment by Diane Vescio — December 23, 2009 @ 1:49 pm
This would work wonderfully for NYE! We are getting together w/ friends for steak and lobster, just hope it doesn’t snow while we’re grilling out the steaks! Thanks for offering it!
Comment by Pam — December 24, 2009 @ 1:15 pm
Everyone needs a Coctail Shaker….I could actually use this for our New yrs party, I’m not pregnant this yr so I can drink a coctail or 2.
Comment by jenny jones — December 24, 2009 @ 2:17 pm
I let my friends know about this, this is a great deal and is a great giveaway… I love Pampered Chef, I have the old ice bucket but its twice as big, a smaller one would be nice.
Comment by Jennifer Jones — December 24, 2009 @ 2:19 pm
I’d love to win this Shaker and Ice Bucket for my mom, she is a big fan of Pampered Chef.
Comment by Savannah G. — December 24, 2009 @ 2:21 pm
These great ideas make a girls’ New Year’s Eve In a breeze!
Comment by Irene S. Levine, PhD — December 24, 2009 @ 6:32 pm
Sounds like fun! I also like Pampered Chef products.
Comment by Janet — December 24, 2009 @ 8:31 pm
Cupcakes, Cocktails, and Conversation the perfect way to bring in the New Year with your Girlfriends!
Comment by Nicole Broady — December 25, 2009 @ 1:41 am
I love pampered chef and this set is awesome for a girl’s night. New Year’s eve plans will be with close friends and the kids of course. Having friends close at the holidays is something I would not miss and this shaker set woul look beautiful on the bar. I am lucky to have such great girlfriends to just kick back and relax with. Even though we don’t get to see each other all the time – it is great to every so often get out and have some cocktails and a fun time out. Thank you for offering this wonderful set!
Comment by Crystal F. — December 25, 2009 @ 3:07 pm
I love margarita so as my girlfriends! The shaker would be perfect for it.
Comment by cathrine — December 26, 2009 @ 4:27 pm
I am in need of a new ice bucket….perfect timing.
Comment by kb — December 27, 2009 @ 11:10 am
I love these they are so stylish. I would love to use these at a get together with the girls when we drink our margaritas on the rocks.
Comment by patty herbert — December 27, 2009 @ 11:13 am
Comment by patty herbert — December 27, 2009 @ 11:15 am
Ok, first I have to say I Love Martini’s! Appletini’s are my favorite. Yum!
On New Years Eve I plan on just going to dinner and then home, maybe have some family and friends over.
I need a new shaker, I had one of the metal ones and when it gets cold it gets stuck so I threw it away! LOL!
jerseygirl137(at)yahoo(dot)com
Comment by Sharon Rooney — December 27, 2009 @ 11:38 am
Tweet!
h
Comment by Sharon Rooney — December 27, 2009 @ 11:39 am
I love Pampered Chef….maybe I could whip up some martinis for the girls with this set.
Comment by RSams — December 27, 2009 @ 12:26 pm
follow you on twitter as
Comment by RSams — December 27, 2009 @ 12:30 pm
tweet
Comment by RSams — December 27, 2009 @ 12:31 pm
Following & tweeting
would love to win this my BFF makes the Best cosmos
Comment by Jennifer P — December 27, 2009 @ 12:44 pm
Wife has been looking for cocktail shaker for weeks to make pomegranate martinis and the ice bucket would be nice too.
Comment by Steve Mitchem — December 27, 2009 @ 1:05 pm
First of all, when I woke up this morning, my DH told me that he saw this giveaway Tweeted. This may sound pitiful, but he knows I have looked in every store in this back in the sticks town, and there are no mixed drink shakers anywhere. Unbelievable, but true girlfriend! LOL! He is the one that told me to go to and post my comment. I can’t believe I almost missed this one because I do follow you. =)
Comment by Laura Lemons — December 27, 2009 @ 1:09 pm
Follower and tweeted
Comment by Steve Mitchem — December 27, 2009 @ 1:21 pm
I follow you and Tweeted -
Comment by Laura Lemons — December 27, 2009 @ 1:24 pm
Oh this is a party must….I love the dots…now i am dreaming about a chocolate martini….care to join me ??
Comment by Linda — December 27, 2009 @ 2:14 pm
I forget to give u my twitter handle
Comment by Linda — December 27, 2009 @ 2:15 pm
This would be great! I am re-tweeting as well at .
THanks!
Comment by Samantha Daleo — December 27, 2009 @ 3:43 pm
I’d love to win this! lease enter me.
Comment by Sarah — December 27, 2009 @ 3:47 pm
Tweeted:
Comment by Sarah — December 27, 2009 @ 3:50 pm
I love the Pampered Chef! We are just planning New Year’s Eve now and I hope it’s a great year for all (2010)! Thanks for the generous giveaway!
Comment by Debra P — December 27, 2009 @ 5:27 pm
Tweeted here
Comment by Debra P — December 27, 2009 @ 5:28 pm
LOVE LOVE LOVE it!
Comment by Henley Mac — December 27, 2009 @ 5:33 pm
tweeted
Comment by Henley Mac — December 27, 2009 @ 5:34 pm
I love Pampered Chef merchandise!! My neighbor and I have had many a party over the years. We’ll be heading to her house this New Year’s Eve for a kid friendly celebration. Lots of video games, good food and friendship.
Comment by Marsha Jones — December 27, 2009 @ 6:12 pm
I just tweeted about the giveaway.
Comment by Marsha Jones — December 27, 2009 @ 6:13 pm
I love these girlfriend ideas… I can’t wait to get together this week w/ my friends to laugh and enjoy cocktails:-)
Comment by Jennifer Gillespie — December 27, 2009 @ 11:56 pm
great ideas we are having a New Years in too…. mostly girlfriends with a few kids and boyfriends thrown in
Comment by Tonya M — December 28, 2009 @ 12:19 am
i tweeted:
Comment by Tonya M — December 28, 2009 @ 12:21 am
Thank you so much! I just emailed you my info.
I can’t wait to use this on New Year’s Eve!!
Comment by Sarah — December 28, 2009 @ 2:54 pm
My wife and I would love to use this on New Years.
thank you
Comment by gary — December 28, 2009 @ 3:07 pm
This is so nice, I just retweeted.
Comment by gary — December 28, 2009 @ 3:10 pm