What are you doing New Year's Eve? Enjoying these dips and crackers
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"What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?"
The Orioles in 1949 were the first to have a hit with the song that crooned that question. Ella Fitzgerald famously followed in 1960. Nancy Wilson recorded her version three years later, Lena Horne recorded hers six years later, and the Carpenters in 1978. In all, 30 artists ― ranging from Andy Williams to Barbra Streisand and Seth McFarlane ― have recorded the Frank Loesser classic.
Loesser was the songwriter known for the musical “Guys and Dolls” and “How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying.” He was also won an Academy Award for the holiday favorite ― and now controversial ― “Baby It’s Cold Outside.”
But we’re not talking about that. Instead, with New Year’s Eve on the horizon, this is the Loesser hit that’s on my mind. It’s a sweet song about taking chances. In it, one person says to another that they’ve just met…
“Maybe it’s much too early in the game/Ah, but I thought I’d ask you just the same/What are you doing New Year’s, New Year’s Eve?”
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It’s a beautiful sentiment that is full of hope. It’s optimistic. It’s forward-thinking. It’s also not very “me.” Maybe it’s the season or my northern European roots or my Lutheran upbringing, but few people would ever describe me as optimistic. The best I can do is calm resignation. That’s “calm resignation” as in “I can’t control it, so I’m not going to worry about it.”
That goes for 2023 and for New Year’s Eve, too. Sometimes the other Michael and I get together with friends on Dec. 31. Sometimes we don’t. Right now, it’s looking like we won’t, and that’s fine. A quiet night at home would be just fine with me.
In other words, “I’m not going to worry about it.”
With that in mind, I have a few New Year’s Eve recipes that are a breeze to throw together for a last-minute party. And if, like me, you find yourself hanging out by yourself, they are still a terrific snack.
So, what are you doing New Year’s, New Year’s Eve?
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Dorie Greenspan’s Cheese Crackers
These crackers have been a go-to for most of our holiday gatherings. They are so simple and so good. Seriously. Our friends are always thrilled when we put out a bowl of these homemade Cheeze-Its.
Like I said, they are easy to make, especially if you have a food processor, which can whip the dough together in less time than it takes to say “Auld Lang Syne.”
Ingredients
8 tablespoons cold butter, cut into 16 pieces
¼ pound cheddar, gruyere or Emmental cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
Combine the butter, cheese, salt, pepper and cayenne in a food processor. Pulse until the butter is broken up into uneven bits and the mixture forms small curds. Add the flour and pulse until the dough forms moist curds again (larger this time).
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured countertop and knead until comes together. Divide the dough in half, and pat each half into a disk. Plastic-wrap and chill for at least an hour.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Roll out one disk of dough on the lightly floured countertop (or between two sheets of parchment) to about a ¼-inch thickness. Use a 1-inch cookie or biscuit cutter to cut out crackers. Place on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about an inch between each cracker. Repeat with the second disk. You can reroll the scraps of dough for more crackers.
Bake for 14 to 17 minutes or until the crackers are lightly golden and just firm to the touch. Cool on a rack until room temperature.
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Pimento-Cheese Spread
Michael “discovered” pimento cheese a few years ago during a visit to South Carolina. He insisted that we had to try it at our next party, and we’ve been serving it ever since. Once again, it’s incredibly easy to make and addictive to eat. Interestingly, it tastes best when served with Ritz crackers.
While there are a million recipes for pimento-cheese out there, this one comes from the New York Times.
Note: If you don’t eat all of the pimento-cheese spread at your party, it makes a great grilled cheese sandwich the next day.
Ingredients
8 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated
¼ cup softened cream cheese (about 2 ounces), cut into several pieces
½ cup pimentos or roasted red peppers, finely diced
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
½ teaspoon dried red chile flakes
Salt and black pepper, to taste
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cheddar, cream cheese, pimentos, mayonnaise and chile flakes until the mixture is smooth and spreadable. It will keep in the refrigerator for 1 week.
Onion Dip
Onion dip is one of those things that I always thought just sprung fully formed from the earth. People didn’t actually make it themselves, did they? Apparently, they do. In fact, it’s not a hard thing to make, and it’s much better than any dip you might buy in the store.
There are a million recipes for onion dip out there. This one comes from Food & Wine magazine.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
3 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons water
1 ½ cups sour cream, at room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Kosher salt
Black pepper
In a large skillet, melt the butter. Add the onions and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until golden (about 25 minutes). Add 2 tablespoons of water and cook, stirring, until the water has evaporated (about three minutes). Let the onions cool.
Once cooled, coarsely chop the onions. In a large bowl, mix the sour cream into the cream cheese. Stir in the parsley, onion powder and Worcestershire sauce. Stir until smooth. Stir in the onions, and season with the salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with potato chips.
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Creamy Braunschweiger Dip
This dip is a supper club staple. We also had it at a whiskey tasting with some friends in Galena, Illinois, a few years ago. It’s delicious, especially when served with crackers. Like the onion dip recipe above, there are many, many recipes for this dip online. I picked the one from the website Just a Pinch.
Ingredients
16 ounces braunschweiger
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
3 green onions, chopped (white and pale green parts only)
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Mix the braunschweiger, cream cheese, milk, Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder in either a blender or a food processor. Stir in the onions.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Celebrate New Year's Even with 4 easy dips and crackers
