Baby Shower Part 1: Baking Frenzy

The last couple weeks I have been spending most of my evenings preparing for my friend's baby shower.  Though my friends and I could have easily taken the easy way and bought pre-made food, that's just not the way I work. I LOVE cooking and baking and any chance I have where I have more than just B and I to eat it, I will take advantage of it.  So, I set out to make a menu for the shower where almost every single thing was homemade.  The shower was planned to be a Sunday brunch so I knew I wanted lots of baked goods.  I also wanted to make sure that I could make things ahead because I wouldn't have much time the day of the shower to cook.

Here is the final menu --

Spinach, Mushroom and Gruyere Quiche
Tomato Quiche
Mix Greens Salad with Toasted Sesame Dressing
Fruit Salad
Sweet Potato Soup with Coconut Milk and Bacon
Assorted Baked Goods

Everything turned out wonderfully!  For this blog I am going to focus on the last 3 words...Assortment Baked Goods.  Seems like such a small thing but, me being me, decided we had to have tons of variety.  For a week, I baked a different item each day and then stored it in the freezer until the day before.

The table with the assorted baked goods

Close up of the plate of goodies!

PUMPKIN MUFFINS with MAPLE GLAZE
I wanted to make sure we had some touches of fall in the assortment.  Instead of oil, I used applesauce to make them just slightly healthy.  Though these were good, they weren't commented on very much.

http://pinchofyum.com/mapleglazedpumpkinmuffins


DRIED CHERRY and WHITE CHOCOLATE SCONES
I love these scones.  They basically taste like cookies.  The original recipe calls for dried cranberries but I like the plumpness of dried cherries instead. This recipe is from my aunt.

SCONES

3 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons baking powder

3/4 cup butter, cold

1 egg

3/4 cup half and half

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1/2 cup nuts

Mix dry ingredients.

Cut in cold butter.

Stir in egg and half and half.

Mix in cranberries, chips and nuts. (I use my hands.)

Divide batter in half.

On lightly floured board, pat each half into a round about 3/4 inch thick and about 8 inches in diameter.

Cut each round into 8 pieces.

Separate the pieces and place on ungreased pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes.

WHITE CHEDDAR and GREEN ONION SCONES

I really love savory things, especially for breakfast.  So I wanted to make sure we had some savory mixed in with the sweet.  I saw this recipe on a friend's blog.  Her blog is fabulous and I highly recommend reading it.  MUCH better than mine with MUCH better pictures.  I fell in love with these scones!  I could eat several day.  They are perfect morning, noon and night -- probably even as a midnight snack.  :-)

http://www.thingsimadetoday.com/2014/01/23/white-cheddar-green-onion-scones/

GRAPEFRUIT YOGURT BREAD

My friend, Anne that co-hosted the shower, brought this fabulous bread/cake. You could serve it for breakfast or dessert.  You finish the bread with a mixture of grapfruit juice and sugar when it comes out of the oven, which it gave it this awesome burst of citrus.

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2007/01/cake-paradisi/

DONUTS AND POPOVERS

So, I bought the donuts.  Though I have made donuts before with my mom (since my grandma was known for them).  I felt I had to draw the line somewhere and frying up donuts the morning of the shower was where it was at.  As for the popovers, I did make them but I am not going to share the recipe because I don't think it is quite right.  They came out ok, but didn't pop very high.  Other times I have made them and they don't pop at all.  Some day I will perfect the popover and then I will share my success!

Coming soon....Part 2 of the shower with quiches and dessert!