Self-Draining Shrimp Cocktail Party Tray

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When you think about New Year's Eve, what comes to mind? On a grand scale, I think about fireworks, champagne toasts, the big count down, elaborate evening gowns and everything that sparkles. Have I ever experienced a New Year's celebration like that? Not a once. But a girl can dream, right?

Honestly, I really don't need anything that elaborate to ring in the new year. To me, New Year's Eve is an occasion meant to be spent with friends and family talking about all that's happened in the last 12 months and looking forward to the new year ahead. It's a time for renewal, a time for new beginnings and it's a time for a buffet table full of appetizers.

It always seems to come down to food with me doesn't it?

Well, today I'm sharing one of my favorite ways to serve up shrimp cocktail at a party. The key to fresh, tasty shrimp is keeping them cold throughout the evening. And while some shrimp over ice on a serving platter may look nice when you first put it out, halfway through the evening after the ice melts, the remaining shrimp start floating belly side up and the whole presentation looks well. . .kind of disgusting.

A couple years ago, I came up with a very simple and easy idea to keep my shrimp chilled throughout the evening and avoid the awful "shrimp float."

I put one of my trays together for our family's Christmas Eve gathering this year and took some pictures while we were getting all of the food ready. You're going to need two aluminum foil containers. One needs to be larger than the other - just large enough that the small container can sit nicely on top of the larger container.