If you are planning a New Year get-together with your friends, but still searching around for some party food recipes, I am here to help out.

To make this party planning a little less stressful for you, I am posting the links to some of the party foods recipes I have posted so far this year (there will be more by the end of the New Year…thanks for being a friend).

• Jalapeño Corn Dip
  

• Buffalo Chicken Wing Dip

• 7 Layer Guacamole Dip

• Swedish Meatballs

• Texas Caviar

• Mrs. Z’s Deviled Eggs

• Caramel Apple Dip

• Honey-Apple Brie Bites

• Turkey Taco Ring

Preparing these will keep you busy, but you will be basking in glory of compliments from your friends, as these are very popular and delicious party foods, which I personally tasted and used at my parties.

You can also include:

• Vegetable tray with dip -  (selection of baby carrots, grape tomatoes, red, green and yellow peppers, cut up celery sticks , sliced cucumbers, with your favorite dip).

• Cheese and crackers – arrange different cheeses cut up to bite size pieces with your favorite crackers.

• Kobasa  with party bread, or rye bread – Ukrainian or Polish smoked sausage, sliced up cold, or boiled for 20 minutes, cooled slightly, then sliced up.

• Canapés – If you still have some spare time, you can make small canapés with a bite size chunk of bread, dab of mustard (Kosciusko Mustard is really good), slice of kobasa, and top it off with a slice of pickle, spear it all with a fancy toothpick, and arrange these in a single layer on a serving dish.  Looks great and tastes even better.

• Chips and dip

• Pretzels with dip

• Pepperoni slices with cheese and crackers

• Tray of fresh fruit

• Pizza

• Chicken Wings

I am sure these will help you out for this party, or any other future parties you may host, since Super Bowl is coming up very soon.

As for the rest of the party planning, let your imagination run wild.

Have a super party

and

HAPPY NEW  YEAR!!

You have exactly three days until 2009 is officially over, but there are still some things you should make sure are done before you start 2010. Below is a short list of five things you should do before the end of the year.

1. Don’t Lose Your Benefits
   If you have a flex spending account that you’ve been contributing to, do what HR says and use it or lose it.
2. Lower Your Taxable Income
   • Be Charitable
     Donations can be helpful to those in need and can also let you lower your taxable income a bit.
     • Donate money to your favorite charity
     • Donate clothes, furniture or other items you no longer need or want but can still be useful to others
   • Take Losses on Your Stocks
     • Was 2009 a bad year for your portfolio?  You can claim a capital loss and write it off on your taxes if you sell your poor performers before the end of the year.  If the loss is greater than $3,000, you can carry it over to future years.  You can also sell your losers to offset any capital gains you’ve had this year.
   • Save for Retirement
     • Contribute to your individual retirement account.  You can donate up to $5,000 to your IRA or $6,000 if you’re 50 or older.  You’re actually able to contribute until April 2010 and still make the claim on your 2009 tax return, but if you have trouble putting money away, this is a great time to start making smaller, monthly contributions.
3. Reconnect With an Old Friend
   • Did that just make you think of someone you haven’t spoken with recently?  If so, take the time to get back in touch with them whether that be making plans to spend time together or just setting aside some time to talk with them over the phone.
4. Reflect On 2009
   • Think about what you enjoyed and didn’t enjoy about 2009 and work on repeating or correcting them in 2010.
5. Enjoy New Year’s Eve!
   • In 3 days, 2009 is over and however good or bad of a year you had, you now have 365 days to make 2010 a great and memorable year.  Have fun this New Year’s Eve and start getting ready for 2010 because before you know it, you’ll be celebrating the beginning of 2011!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas.

May you enjoy the special foods you prepared for this Holiday, and the company of your family and friends.

I am very thankful for the whole year I spent with all of you, my new friends on various websites and Facebook.

I posted my first article around this time last year, and now I just can’t stay away from my computer, posting new items and reading all the interesting things you all are writing about.

I appreciate your comments, and your visits to my site.

I am enjoying your support, and right now I have about two thousand readers, some from as far as South Africa, and Jamaica.

What a small world we live in.

Also, I would like to thank all my family and friends who support me and subscribe to my site via email, as well as all my fans from Facebook.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Veselykh Sviat Rizdva Khrystovoho i Shchaslyvoho Novoho Roku! (Ukrainian)

Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia oraz Szczesliwego Nowego Roku! (Polish)

maligayang pasko at manigong bagong taon! (Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken in the Philippines)

Buon Natale, Buone Feste and Felice Anno Nuovo! ( Italian)

PS.  I would like to ask all of my readers, who speak other languages besides the ones mentioned above, to leave comments with  Christmas Greetings in their language,  and I will keep on updating this post with these greetings.  Thank you very much.