New Years Eve is a time to celebrate. If you plan to spend at least part of it at home with your family preparing dinner together is a good place to start. Here are some ideas for cooking up some tasty treats for that New Years Eve dinner.

Deciding on the Menu

Some people choose to have a special dinner on New Year’s Eve. The menu for this special meal should be decided with a little input from everyone. One idea is allowing everyone to come up with their most favorite dish and include it in the menu. You could end up with pizza and teriyaki chicken. It might be a menu of nothing but sweets.

The important thing here is that you do it together. Your kids have a lot of good ideas that you may have been missing out on. This could be the start of a great new family tradition.

All the Prep Work

Going to the grocery store will probably be a must. Make a list of what everyone needs for their dish. Check your cabinets to be sure you don’t already have something. That will save you money.

Just one or two family members need to shop. The others can be preparing the kitchen for the upcoming cooking fest. It’s divide and conquer here so that everything gets done.

Decide what equipment and utensils you have available. There may be a lot of dish washing going on if everyone needs to use a giant mixing bowl. You can purchase another or stagger your meal prep so that you can share.

Do as much ahead of time prep work as you can. For instance, pork chops can be marinated early and placed in the refrigerator. Pizza dough can be created and rolled out well in advance of making the pizza.

Creating the Chef

Everyone will need an apron and you can go for the full effect by supplying the family with hats. Give each family member their own apron before they get cooking. Personalize them with their names. Aprons will keep your clothes from getting messed up and you get to look stylish at the same time.

Rules of the Kitchen

Don’t forget to explain the rules of the kitchen especially if this is the first time your cherished family is in the kitchen.

1. Wash your hands well with soap and water after handling meat
2. Use soap and water on the counter to clean when you are done at a work station
3. Kids, ask parents for help when it comes to using the stove
4. Any other rules that make the work flow along easily and will keep you all safe.

Cooking with the family can be fun and create memories. On New Year’s Eve it is a spectacular way to ring out the old and ring in the new.