Bundle of Joy Buffet

Last weekend I hosted a baby shower for a surprise baby. NO, the baby is not a surprise, but the sex of the bundle of joy will be unknown until the doctor announces it in the delivery room. What fun and excitement! The way we all used to do it!

The color scheme for the shower was completely pastel—pink, blue, yellow, green, and lavender. Cupcakes, mini cheesecakes in pastel liners, pacifier candy favors, and candy-coated almonds lined the sideboard.

I made pastel marshmallow fondant flowers to top the cupcakes and put them together them in every combination I could think of. I didn’t want to influence the outcome :). You can find details on the fondant here and the recipe here.

The favors are made with Lifesavers, icing for glue, pastel jelly beans for the nipple, and LOTS of pastel curling ribbon. They are completely edible!

The centerpiece was a mixture of fresh yellow and green flowers in this adorable bassinet I found online. I truly had hoped to take pictures of the entire table, but this baby shower almost got away from me! I thought it was more important to answer the door rather than keep clicking away!

You can’t have a proper southern tea or shower without homemade pimiento cheese tea sandwiches! I used my acorn and maple leaf cookie cutters.

For me, deciding on a beverage is always hard for afternoon events. I am not a real fan of most punches. However, this Apple Julep was a hit! It’s not too sweet and made a beautiful presentation with apple and lemon slices floating in it. Christy Jordan, who writes A Southern Plate blog, was recently featured in Southern Living and included this recipe. I’ve been reading Christy’s blog for a couple of years and she is as entertaining as she is informative.

Apple Julep

1 quart apple juice

1 cup pineapple juice

1 cup orange juice

1/4 cup lemon juice

Mix all well and serve chilled or over ice. Makes about six cups and doubles or triples easily.

I am linking to Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday and to Michael Lee West at Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday. Click on their buttons on the sidebar for immediate inspiration. I’ll let you know what the “surprise” is in about three weeks! :) Thanks for stopping by—leave me a note!!~~Susan

Cucumber Sandwiches

Our friend Gollum is hosting Foodie Friday and burning pizza today (her words, not mine!). But Gollum is to be forgiven--she's in creative mode. If you read my post yesterday you know what mode I'm in---bridal!! Spring makes me think of graduation luncheons, bridesmaids' luncheons and teas. This sandwich has long been a staple on all of those menus for me. I love cucumbers--have almost never had one I didn't like. Of course, I prefer the long skinny kind from the farmers' market, but I'll eat the 99 cent grocery store variety in a pinch! This sandwich is always a hit. It's a little different from the open-faced tea sandwich, a little more substantial. Even men seem to love this. One of Beloved's hunting buddies regularly requests

this for fishing trips! I hope you'll try it and click on the Foodie Friday button for more fun!

Cucumber Sandwich Spread

1 large cucumber, peeled and grated

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon grated onion

4 (3 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

Mix vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, salt, pepper, and onion together. Soak cucumber pulp in vinegar mixture for fifteen minutes and drain well. Mix softened cream cheese and cucumber. Refrigerate until ready to use.