party time 🥳
plus: your favorite recipes of 2025
Monday, December 29, 2025
Good afternoon!
Is this newsletter a little late today or is time an abstract concept, a mere hypothetical, an intangible set of beliefs one can choose or choose not to subscribe to in the sleepy days between Christmas and New Years? Aren’t we all “confused, full of cheese, and unsure of the day of the week?” Isn’t every morning — such as today, a day I was certain was Friday — a bit of a roulette? If not, well, I wish this for you as soon as possible because it’s lovely here. The pants are stretchy. The ambitions are low. And there’s always something on the stove, currently a big pot of my ultimate chicken noodle soup.
Last night my husband and I did duck out for a bit, however. We had a great meal at a restaurant I’m not going to mention only because I’m still recovering on several levels from learning that it’s possible to now spend $29 on a classic dirty martini in New York City, and no, it didn’t come with a glass swap midway. It was a reminder that staying home and hosting friends — where the food is exactly the way you like it, the martinis are free-flowing and cost not a penny more than martini ingredients — is often the very best idea, especially as we firm up our New Year’s Eve plans. Below, a few of my favorite party snack recipes. Many involve cheese; that is by design.
Plus, I’ve rounded up (and even created a video, please clap?) both the recipes the most popular Smitten Kitchen recipes in 2025 and some outtakes from all of the videos I shot this year. I hope you enjoy it. And I hope you have the happiest new year, ever.
Cheers,
Deb
I’ve written three cookbooks and one audiobook and I’m a tiny bit biased, but I think you’d love them all. Not sure which one to check out first? Take a look at the recipe index and see which collection jumps out at you most.
your favorite smitten kitchen recipes in 2025
Ultimate Banana Bread, 2. Invisible Apple Cake, 3. Pumpkin Bread, 4. Perfect Blueberry Muffins, 5. French Onion Baked Lentils and Farro, 6. One Pan Ditalini and Peas, 7. Ultimate Zucchini Bread, 8. Potato Leek Soup, 9. Easy Basque Cheesecake, 10. Salted Brown Butter Rice Crispy Treats, 11. Ziti Chickpeas with Sausage and Kale, 12. Braised Chickpeas with Zucchini and Pesto, 13. Cucumber Crunch Salad with Tofu, 14. Glazed Apple Cider Doughnut Cake, 15. Charred Salt and Vinegar Cabbage, 16. Lemon Chicken with Potatoes and Chickpeas, 17. Easiest Cinnamon Rolls, 18. Chicken Rice with Buttered Onions, 19. Zucchini Butter Spaghetti, 20. Strawberry Summer Cake
baked brie with balsamic red onions
Baked brie, my way: A simple, flaky galette dough forms a decadent packet around a small wheel of brie with sweet-sour jammy red onions under and over the cheese, a paper-thin layer of Dijon, thyme, and a crackle of sesame seeds on top. There is nothing better.
union square cafe's bar nuts
A 5-ingredient, timeless recipe, perfect for any party worth going to, plus a reminder that the most exceptional holiday stuff is often the simplest.
deviled eggs
Deviled eggs are perfect as both a party snack and a meal anchor. No piping bags or fussy ingredients, use any toppings you crave — I’ve got a slew of suggestions! [Video below!]
pimento cheese potato bites
Bite-sized, bronzed, melty, and completely-impossible-to-stop-at-one potato bites, perfect with (or for, heh) dinner tonight or at any party you’re heading to -- minus a few, you know, for “quality testing.”
feta tapenade tarte soleil
My favorite radiant and party-perfect appetizer that celebrates the longer, brighter days ahead is also a cinch to make. Once your puff pastry is defrosted, it can be assembled and baked in under an hour.
walnut pesto
Not even exaggerating when I say this is one of the best things I know how to put on toast: crunchy, salty, tart with a little kick, it is always a hit. If you make a big jar of it this week, you won’t be sad to have it for all the snacks and parties to come.
cider-glazed bacon-wrapped dates
The most popular appetizer at every party is also the easiest to make. I am anti stuffing the dates (too fiddly, takes forever), but pro glazing, and this one with cider vinegar, maple syrup, flaky salt, and aleppo pepper makes what is already a delicious party snack exceptionally so.
scallion meatballs with soy-ginger glaze
Around here, these meatballs check all boxes: perfect party food, easy dinner, plus a kid-and-adult favorite. Colorful cellophane-d toothpicks optional, but who are we kidding, not really.
fudgy bourbon balls
I think we should bring this 60s holiday party standard back. My version uses bourbon instead of rum, a brownie’s worth of chocolate, a dab of molasses for intensity and a tumble in sparkly shimmery coatings. They age well (just like us!) so go ahead and make them ASAP and be glad they’re ready when you are.
chocolate caramel crunch almonds
My favorite sparkly homemade candy: four ingredients, no thermometers, no special equipment, just almonds, sugar, salt, chocolate and just the excuse, as if you need one, to use all the sprinkles.
2025 In The Smitten Kitchen
I had a little too much fun pulling an outtake from every video I shot this year. You can find all of my recipe videos over here: https://smittenkitchen.com/videos/
shop my favorites
Ever wonder where I get my cutting boards, paring knives, offset spatulas and more that you see when I cook? I've created a page on Smitten Kitchen with links to some of my favorite kitchen items, the ones I'm asked about the most — yes, including the the Smitten Kitchen x Staub Braiser. For each item, I've attempted to provide a range of shopping links so we're not just focusing on one giant retailer.
What’s the Smitten Kitchen x Staub Braiser? It’s essentially a lower profile enameled cast-iron Dutch oven that works as as well as a deep sauté pan as it does a soup pot, roasting pan, or even casserole dish that perfectly fits a pasta bake. Not a week has gone by in the decade-plus I’ve had mine when I don’t use it at least three times. Fun news: The braiser is now exclusively sold at Williams-Sonoma and available in six gorgeous new colors!
Looking for recipe inspiration for your new braiser? I created a category on the site to highlight some of my favorite dishes I make in mine.
See you next week!
