Baby On Board

(redacted for privacy, created by Announcing You)

My Sister-in-law is due with her first baby this spring, so my other sister-in-law and I had a ton of fun putting together a surf themed baby shower for her. With a simple menu of cauliflower hazelnut and chicken bacon kale handpies (made by Heidi in advance and frozen to be baked off that day), salads and, of course, cake we were all well-fed and enjoyed visiting with family and friends while we celebrated Laura and the impending birth of baby D. The chicken-bacon handpies were made with Heidi's bacon bourbon jam, which is ahhhhhmazing, and will be added to my 'to can' queue as it added so much flavor and dimension to a dish that's so simple.

Heidi used fabric to create a rustic bunting and paired with some paper lanterns and a fun tablecloth that she made for another occasion, the decor was simple. A metal surf board-laden VW bus played up the theme, in addition to a pier piling ocean cake and sharky cupcakes. The cake was chocolate with salted caramel cream cheese buttercream, while the cupcakes were a simple vanilla with vanilla buttercream. I used the 'Best. White cake. Ever.' recipe, and it really is amazing. With 5 eggs, 2 sticks of butter, buttermilk and my own vanilla it was rich, dense and delicious. The frosting ended up being pretty sweet and I think I'd do a cream cheese buttercream next time, but I didn't get any complaints!

Washi tape graced the sides of the cupcake tower, and I found a printable on etsy that I used to create the shark fin cupcake toppers. Buttercream dyed to have an ombre effect, topped with a single sandy, surfboard cupcake created a display of caloric decadence. A big green salad and some ginger-limeade rounded out the food. 

No games, but we did have two crafts ;) Message to the parents on midnight diapers, and an ABC book with a letter page decorated by each guest with stickers, drawings or a message.

1:1 Gingerale and Simply Lime, my favorite party punch!

The next morning, I had breakfast with my girls at Tasty n Alder, then stopped in at Blue Star for treats to bring back to the boys. After the drive home from Portland, they made for the perfect Breakfast for Dinner.

Cointreau Creme Brulee for Mama, though I snuck a bite of J's Blueberry Bourbon Basil, it was amazing. I would get it next time; clean, not too sweet and the basil flavor was the prominent note: delicious!