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La Cucina de Betty: The bridal shower
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Anonymous user Tue Nov 30, 1999 00:00:00 PST
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0 responses 0 comments Hosting a bridal shower is one of the nicest things you can do for the bride-to-be.

It's something she will remember for the rest of her life, and a nice occasion for family and friends to get together and spend some time with the bride before her wedding day.

Ladies love to gather at bridal showers and ask the bride a million questions, like, "Can I see your ring?" "What does your dress look like?" and "Where are you going for your honeymoon?"

Of course, we all know the purpose of a bridal shower is to help the future married couple receive those much-needed items that will help them establish a home together.  
 
While you may be comfortable hosting a shower single handedly, it is nice to welcome some friends to go in on the shower with you. When you work as a team, you, as the hostesses, have fun, also. Plus there is less individual cost and stress.

Many people like to host theme showers. The most popular are kitchen showers, lingerie showers, and around-the-clock showers, where guests are assigned a “time” –– like breakfast time or dinner time –– and the gift should reflect that time. A couples shower allows the groom to join in on the celebration.

Showers have come a long way since the '70s when I had mine. I just got invited to a lingerie shower. There was a P.S. note on the bottom of the invitation that read: "Bring an unwrapped thong for the bride to be, for our very special thong tree."

At my lingerie shower I received peignoir sets. They were never worn and still lie in the bottom of my cedar chest. Then we had the baby doll nighties. They made us look hideous, but I think our husbands found them sexy. Now we have THONG trees! How times have changed!
 
Recently my friend, Meggan, and I hosted a bridal shower. We decided to have a non-theme bridal shower and make it a formal luncheon because it best suited our bride-to-be.

Meggan and I planned a menu that we were able to prepare ahead of time. You don’t want to be busy in the kitchen when you can be socializing with the guests.
 
Bridal showers tend to run long, and we decided to pass on the games. After the shower one guest came up to me and said, “Thank you so much for not having games!"
 
The gift-opening portion of a shower can be eternal. If you are hosting a large shower with lots of gifts, try to recruit a few people to help the bride accelerate the gift-opening process. Have someone hand her a gift, and have someone else ready to move the just-opened gift out of the way and keep the process moving.

Make sure you have someone writing down who gave what. This helps the bride when it comes to writing those thank-you notes.
 
Be sure to have a camera on hand, and perhaps one special friend who can take plenty of photos. The bride will appreciate it and there will be lots of smiles to capture!
 
Don’t forget to send all your guests home with a party favor. We chose to purchase small picture frames that were used as placecards.

Once the gifts are opened and the bride thanks all those in attendance, people are pretty much ready to go home. Some may linger to do a little more visiting or to view a particular gift.

Just remember when hosting a shower to keep things moving from beginning to end to keep the affair an exciting event.

Even thought the bridal shower is for the bride, make it a special day that all your guests will remember.
 
Last year my friend and I hosted a more casual shower. We planned a menu of ham and cheese quiche with a mixed green salad and apple cider dressing.  Along with that we served croissants, followed by dessert and coffee.
 
We chose not to set tables and instead served the food buffet style. That gave the ladies the opportunity to eat and not feel confined to one seat.

If you're considering this type of luncheon, I suggest you have some place settings around a table. Not everyone feels comfortable holding a plate and cup in their lap.

The following two recipes are appropriate for this type of luncheon.
 
Ciao! 

E-mail Betty at: jchicca@bak.rr.com

Ham and Cheese Quiche
1 large onion
2 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
3⁄4 cup evaporated milk
1 1⁄2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1⁄4 teaspoon dry mustard
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of white pepper
1 cup ham, cubed
 
1 deep-dish prepared frozen pie shell 
follow pie shell directions
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sauté the onions in the butter until transparent. Set aside. In medium-size bowl, beat eggs lightly, add the salt, pepper and dry mustard. Add the evaporated milk, cheddar cheese and ham. Mix well. Pour into pie crust. ( I prefer to follow the “Betty Crocker Cookbook” pie recipe for pie crust.) Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes. Let quiche set for at least 30 minutes, before cutting. If it is too hot while cutting, it will run. Serves six.

Baby Spinach and Strawberry Salad
with Goat Cheese
1 pound baby spinach leaves
cut into bite-size pieces
1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and cut into
lengthwise pieces
6 tablespoons toasted slivered almonds
3-ounce package of crumbled goat cheese
 
Dressing:
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons minced red onion
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1/2 tablespoon poppy seeds
1/2 cup olive oil

In a large salad bowl, combine the spinach and strawberry hearts, reserving six of the best looking strawberries for garnish. To make the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a jar with a tight fitted lid and shake to mix. Drizzle over the salad and toss, then divide the salad among plates. Top each salad with the toasted almonds, goat cheese and strawberry. Serves six.

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