Baby shower was a huge success!

A

amanda_pennsylvania

Well-known member
So our week leading up to the shower was exhausting. My DH (bless his procrastinating little heart) has had two months to remodel the dining room but, of course, we didn't do anything about it until last week. He was up well past midnight every night last week getting things done. Andy installed crown molding, framing for the door entrances, a new chair rail, and replaced the baseboards. The room is painted Sage above the chair rail and Smokey Blue below. It all looks so beautiful; very fresh and clean. It's amazing how much crown molding does for a room.

The day before the shower, I went to another baby shower for the same woman that I was hosting for and their food was AMAZING. The husband had done all the cooking; I literally felt like I was eating in a high-end restaurant in Chicago. He did a terrine of grilled vegetables (grilled, then cut into squares and skewered and served with an aioli sauce), a roast, butternut lasagna, a salad with shredded chicken and almonds, crostini with goat cheese and tomatoes (my favorite), fruit salad, and cupcakes.

I asked him if he was a professional chef, and he laughed and said no, he was just a research chemist at the university and that he just cooked for fun, that it had nothing to do with his job. I pointed out that cooking is chemistry, and he looked really surprised and said that he'd never thought of it that way. My friend Erica later told me that he makes really elaborate things like foams and such, so it totally doesn't surprise me that he's a chemist.

I really felt like I needed to step up my game, so I added in a salad and a pork tenderloin to my menu. So glad I did.

So here was my menu:

Joe's Salmon Rillettes

I almost had a domestic disaster making this. I was steaming the salmon and my dad called, so I was talking with him and I looked over at the pot; I thought there was steam rising but realized that it was smoke and that the water must have all boiled away and that the pot was burning. Had to hang up hastily and rescue the salmon and the pot. But hey, what's a party without one near-disaster?

Loved the spread; my FIL liked it so much he took half of it home with him.

Cheez's Cucumber Sandwiches

Loved the tangy cream cheese mix. And they looked so pretty on the plate with the paprika. I didn't have the right sized cutter to make rounds, so I used a vintage orange juice glass which was perfect.

Traca's Fruit Salad with Lemon Verbena Dressing

This was wonderful. The lemon verbena was such a fabulous flavor. (Only one place in town had a lemon verbena plant, but it was worth it!) I used melons (which were ripe and so good), strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries.

Ron in Worcester's Pork Tenderloin

This turned out really well. I've cooked it a number of times, but this time I marinated it overnight and it was AMAZING. The flavors were so intense.

Egg salad sandwiches

Just your basic egg salad.

Leaf Salad with Fruit and Goat's Cheese

I decided I needed a salad, so I threw together some greens with strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries, goat's cheese, and caramelized pecans and walnuts. I dressed it with a raspberry dressing.

Savory Cheddar Thumbprint Cookies (can't remember who posted this recipe; it's in the T&T appetizers)

I love these. I served them with a sweet chile pepper jelly that someone gave to me, which was wonderful.

Brownie bites

This was the only thing that I wasn't happy with. I used my regular recipe, but I think I used the wrong chocolate (semi-sweet instead of unsweetened) so the texture and taste were off--it wasn't bad, just not what I normally make.

Coconut Cookies

I've been making these for years. Everyone loves them, and really, what's not to like about two cups of butter and sugar?

Drinks were lemonade, water, and Angel Punch, a fabulous, tea-based punch. Plus, I got to use my punch bowl and little punch cups!

Anyway, we're completely exhausted but everyone had a good time and they raved about the food. One woman asked if I did any catering, and another said she'd just been to tea at a hotel while on vacation and that the food wasn't nearly as good as mine. And we had a good time opening presents (it was a Books and Music theme). I bought a cute piggy bank and the only "game" I did was that every time someone gave Erica a piece of advice, they had to put a quarter in the piggy bank (I provided the change). It was fun. So glad its over.

Thanks so much, everyone. I could not have done this without this community and your recipes and moral cyber support.

 
Glad everything came together and you had a nice time-thanks for the report! smileys/smile.gif

It's always nice to hear how things went smileys/smile.gif

 
Congrats Amanda! Your menu sounds wonderful. I make Ron's tenderloin

about once a week now. I find that I can marinate it for a half hour and the flavors are still good. It is such an easy delicious recipe.

 
It's lovely on a salad. Cut into slices then cut the slices into julienne. Add to the top of a

simple green salad...spring mix or baby romaine leaves with some lovely summer cherry tomatoes, slices of cucumber, chopped green onions, thinly sliced radishes and a light vinaigrette or your favorite dressing lightly drizzled over all. If you want to make it a little heartier you can add more goodies, like... garbanzo beans, carrot shreds, celery slices, toasted sunflower seeds, crumbled blue cheese, some nice olives, toasted garlicky croutons...pretty much whatever you like on a salad that you think will go well with the pork. Filling yet light enough for a summer lunch or dinner that won't heat up the kitchen.

 
How about Chinese Pork and Mushroom Wraps?

I made them with the leftover loin mentioned in the recipe and it was quite good. There are some reviews of the recipe at their site, if you can access the recipe.

Chinese Pork & Mushroom Wraps
by Tony Rosenfeld

If you’ve never eaten the Chinese-American restaurant classic mu shu pork, think of it as an Asian take on a soft burrito.

6 cups thinly sliced green cabbage (about 3/4 lb.)
3/4 tsp. kosher salt; more to taste
2 Tbs. hoisin sauce (I prefer Koon Chun or Lee Kum Kee brands), plus 1/2 cup for serving
1 Tbs. soy sauce
2 tsp. Asian sesame oil
1 tsp. rice vinegar
3 Tbs. canola or peanut oil
2 cups match-stick-cut leftover Roasted Pork Loin with Maple-Mustard Crust, (about 1/2 lb.)
1 bunch scallions, trimmed, whites and light-green parts thinly sliced and green parts cut into 2-inch pieces (keep separate)
1/2 lb. shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
2 large eggs, beaten
2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
2 tsp. minced garlic
6 to 8 medium flour tortillas (about 8 inch diameter), warmed

Put the cabbage in a colander over the sink and toss with 1/2 tsp. of the salt. Let sit for 10 minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with paper towels and pat dry.

In a small bowl, mix the 2 Tbs. hoisin sauce with the soy sauce, sesame oil, and vinegar. Set aside.

In a 12-inch heavy-duty nonstick skillet, heat 1 Tbs. of the oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the pork, sprinkle lightly with salt and cook, stirring, until it starts to brown around the edges, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large plate.

Add 1 Tbs. of the remaining oil to the pan and once it’s shimmering, add the scallion whites and the mushrooms, sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 tsp. salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they brown and soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Push the mushroom mixture to one side of the pan and add the eggs. Cook, scrambling and breaking up with a wooden spoon or spatula into small pieces, until just set, about 1 minute. Transfer the contents of the skillet to the plate with the pork.

Add the remaining 1 Tbs. oil, and once it’s hot, add the scallion greens, cabbage, ginger, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the reserved hoisin mixture and the pork mixture to the cabbage and stir to distribute the hoisin. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute to meld the flavors. Serve family style: Tell diners to spread about 1 Tbs. of the hoisin down the center of a tortilla, arrange a generous amount of the pork mixture over the hoisin, and wrap in the tortilla, burrito-style.

serving suggestions:
Serve these bundles with steamed rice.
From Fine Cooking 90, pp. 40
December 4, 2007

 
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