Baby shower - food suggestions?

J-B

We are having a baby shower for a friend on Saturday and somehow have found myself volunteering to make food along with another girl . Was thinking of making cupcakes/muffins on the basis that everyone likes sweet things but am a bit stuck on the savoury food front. Any suggestions (will only have that morning to put stuff together so reasonably simple recipes would be great)?

Eviledna

I guess you would have to be very careful about what your friend can eat being pregnant, here's a basic list of what not to cook:

1. Raw Meat: Uncooked seafood and rare or undercooked beef or poultry should be avoided because of the risk of contamination with coliform bacteria, toxoplasmosis, and salmonella.
2. Deli Meat: Deli meats have been known to be contaminated with Listeria, which can cause miscarriage.
3. Fish with Mercury: Fish that contain high levels of mercury should be avoided.
4. Smoked Seafood - no smoked salmon/mackerel.
5. Raw Shellfish- no sushi!
6. Raw Eggs including some homemade Caesar dressings, mayonnaise, homemade ice cream or custards, and Hollandaise sauces may be made with raw eggs.
7. Soft Cheeses like feta, goat and blue cheese.
8. Unpasteurized Milk or dairy products
9. Paté
10. Caffeine
11. Alcohol
12. Unwashed Vegetables

Also many pregnant women like to eat as pure food as possible, and spicy food can induce labour, so unless you want the shower to become the christening, maybe avoid the curries!

Some suggestions:

Savoury Chedder Scones
Mini Burritos (make the standard Fajitas minus the spice and halve the size of the wraps when filling them. Mince beef or chicken make nice fillings )
Mini Quiches
Mini Burgers
Greek Lamb Meatballs (Great finger food with dip)
Chicken Peanut Skewers

And if you want to be everyone's best friend, make the biggest fattest chocolate chip cookies too

Also if you are on a budget, pop in to your nearest aldi and have a look at their freezer section that has lovely indian samosas, chicken skewers, party food in general. And don't forget the plain oul triangle sandwiches for the more traditional guest!:)

January

Deli meat is fine... in late pregnancy... you can't miscarry... she can eat tuna also, just not large amounts (I think they recommend not more than 2 small tins a week.). Hellmans Mayonaise is fine. Caffeine in small amounts is also fine. A lot of scaremongering goes into what one can and can't eat during pregnancy, it's up to the person what they eat... as they're the ones taking the risk.

I reckon the normal sandwichs, cocktail sausages, chicken goujans buffet would do perfect.

superficies

A few quiches, some nice fresh green salad with a balsamic dressing, plenty of French bread. Want to cheat and have some money to spare? Pop to Avoce in Kilmacanogue and buy quiche, salads etc... on the morning. Not cheap but delicious, quick, and minimal fuss and no need to tell anyone you're cheating (!!)

Eviledna

adrieanne__x wrote: »

Deli meat is fine... in late pregnancy... you can't miscarry...

The OP didn't specify what stage of preganacy her friend is at...and considering this happened in the last month...
http://www.fsai.ie/news_centre/food_alerts/fa05092009.html
...personally I'd rather be safe than sorry!

Hellmans Mayonaise is fine.

I only referred to homemade mayonnaise in the context of raw eggs.

A lot of scaremongering goes into what one can and can't eat during pregnancy, it's up to the person what they eat... as they're the ones taking the risk.

I am not scaremongering. Indeed it is the choice of the pregant friend what she puts in her mouth, for all we know she could smoke and drink while pregnant. [For all we know it could be a post-birth shower!] But from the OP's perspective, she has the task of making an appropriate meal for a baby shower. It would be an awful shame to go to such effort and have it go to waste, or worse, have an ill effect. Surely in the case of preganacy, the safer the better, and anything else would just be presumptuous?

allandanyways

I know they're not savory but I made these for my sister's debs party a while ago:

Got mini shortcrust pastry cases in Tesco (30 in a pack I think), whipped up some cream and cut up fresh strawberries, blackberries and raspberries, placed them delicatley on top of the dollop of cream in each pastry case, took all of 20 mins, garnished with some mint and icing sugar and they looked fab.

Just tell everyone you made the cases too and they'll be uber-impressed.

Sorry, just read posts above, dunno how safe cream is for pregnancy, bit clueless as to all that, suppose you could always use something like dream topping instead

For savoury, mini quiches are great as another poster said, stuff like sun-dried tomatoes on those jacob melts crackers are lovely aswell, if you can get ready made filo pastry, and shred some carrot and celery and various other veg, bit of parsley or dill and wrap them up like little wontons, oven bake them and they're twice as nice, but nowhere near as bad for you.

All I can think of atm... as I said, none of that may be suitable for pregnancy, but you could swap stuff around and make it more apt if you like.

Mary-Ellen

For parties I often make mini pizzas

English muffins (halved)
Jar of pizza sauce or you could make your own
Cheese
Whatever toppings you like eg salami, ham, peppers, onions pinapple pesto etc.

When I do them I usually make 2 or three different types last time I think it was sundried tomato pesto and feta (for me I'm veggie )
salami and red peppers
and plain cheese

Best thing about them is everythings cooked so couple of minutes in the oven and ta-da.
And if you've everything chopped in little piles before they're thrown together in minutes.

and because they're maybe 2.5-3 inches they're substantial enough but still the perfect size to walk about yapping with.

CathyMoran

Peanuts are out too and as far as I know salami...it is suprising that we are allowed to eat anything at all during pregnancy...I am avoiding pineapple but do not know the validity of that...

January

Eviledna wrote: »

The OP didn't specify what stage of preganacy her friend is at...and considering this happened in the last month...
http://www.fsai.ie/news_centre/food_alerts/fa05092009.html
...personally I'd rather be safe than sorry!


I only referred to homemade mayonnaise in the context of raw eggs.



I am not scaremongering. Indeed it is the choice of the pregant friend what she puts in her mouth, for all we know she could smoke and drink while pregnant. [For all we know it could be a post-birth shower!] But from the OP's perspective, she has the task of making an appropriate meal for a baby shower. It would be an awful shame to go to such effort and have it go to waste, or worse, have an ill effect. Surely in the case of preganacy, the safer the better, and anything else would just be presumptuous?

Sorry, I didn't mean to suggest that you were scaremongering. Just that there is a lot of scaremongering going on with what pregnant women can and cannot eat.

J-B

thanks everyone - great suggestions!!

I was pretty clueless about what you could or couldnt eat so good to know what's off the agenda. Is fresh mozzarella ok do you think? Probably not given some of the posts above I reckon but if anyone has any thoughts let me know.

Love the quiche idea and the cookies! Might do a bit of cheating in Avoca and a bit of cooking/baking - that way the stress levels should stay low! Sandwiches definitely an essential too I think.

PFJSplitter

Puff Pastry "Deep Dish" Pizza Bites with Mascarpone, Crispy Ham and Pesto

Ingredients
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
Flour, for dusting work surface
1 egg, well beaten
4 ounces Virginia ham, thinly sliced
8 ounces mascarpone, at room temperature
1/2 cup basil pesto, drained if very oily, plus more for serving
1/8 teaspoon salt
Pinch freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
Parmigiano-Reggiano shavings, for garnish
2 tablespoons lightly toasted pine nuts

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
On a lightly floured work surface, unroll the pastry and, using a floured 2 1/2-inch
biscuit cutter, cut the pastry into as many rounds as possible, usually about 25. Brush
lightly with the egg wash and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Using a smaller cutter,
ideally about 1 1/2" wide, make an impression in the center of each round but take
care not to cut all the way through the dough. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until puffed,
golden brown, cooked through, and crispy. Remove from the oven and, using the tip of
a paring knife, cut out the center portion of each pastry. Set aside while you assemble
the remaining ingredients. (Puffs may be made 1 day ahead and kept in an airtight
container at room temperature, then recrisped in a warm oven the day of serving.)
Place the ham on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and cook until crisp, about 10
minutes. Remove from the oven and once cool, finely chop.
In a small bowl, combine the chopped ham, mascarpone, pesto, salt and pepper and olive
oil. Stir gently but thoroughly to blend. Divide the mascarpone filling evenly among the
hollowed-out wells in the pastries. Top each pastry with a dollop of the remaining pesto
and a Parmigiano-Reggiano shaving. Garnish each with a few pine nuts and serve.

NOTE: You can use any kind of filling for the puff pastry - chicken salad, tuna salad, spinach salad or spinach dip, crab meat, shrimp, finely diced and drained fruits. Use the above recipe as a guide.
I cut and cook the pastry WITHOUT the additional smaller cut, then remove the pastry cap with a paring knife. Caps can be used to top the filling or placed on another dish with other foods.


Enjoy The Celebration!

PFJSplitter

Turkey Meatballs with a Minted Yogurt Dipping Sauce

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small red onion, very finely chopped
1 scallion, finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 egg
1 egg yolk
4 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 1/4 teaspoons salt, plus a pinch
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1/8 teaspoon
1 1/4 cups plain whole milk yogurt, preferably Greek, drained overnight in a
cheesecloth-lined fine mesh sieve
1 lemon, zest finely grated and juiced

Directions
Place the turkey in a medium mixing bowl and set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in
a small skillet and, when hot, saute the red onion and scallions until softened, 3 to 4
minutes. Let cool slightly, then add to the turkey, along with the garlic, cumin, bread
crumbs, heavy cream, egg and egg yolk, 3 tablespoons of the mint, the parsley, 1
teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Mix gently but thoroughly. Using a
small scoop or spoon, divide the mixture into 1 tablespoon portions and roll into smooth
round balls. Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap.
Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 1 hour.
While the meatballs are chilling, make the dipping sauce. Combine the yogurt, remaining 1
tablespoon of mint, remaining 1/4 teaspoon plus a pinch of salt, remaining1/8 teaspoon of
pepper, and lemon zest, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and lemon juice and whisk to combine.
Refrigerate until ready to serve the meatballs.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Brush the meatballs with the remaining 2 tablespoons
of olive oil and bake until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes.
Let the meatballs cool slightly, then serve warm, with the yogurt dipping sauce.

Yield: About 5 1/2 dozen bite-size meatballs, generous 1 cup sauce, serving 6 to 8

CathyMoran

Shellfish is iffy at best and probaby not good during pregnancy...pregnant women need to be careful. Also eggs need to be thoroughly cooked.

PFJSplitter

Herb Stuffed Tomatoes

Ingredients
5 beefsteak tomatoes
1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
3/4 cup Italian-style bread crumbs
1 cup grated provolone
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon butter, softened
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Cut the tomatoes in half, horizontally. Use a small spoon to gently hollow out the inside
of the tomatoes, discarding the seeds and reserving the pulp and being careful not to
puncture the outer shell. Chop the reserved pulp and put in a medium bowl. Add the
parsley, bread crumbs, cheese, and pepper and mix gently to combine. Place the tomato
halves in a buttered casserole dish, and fill with the bread crumb mixture. Drizzle the
top of the tomatoes with olive oil. Bake until the tops are browned, about 20 minutes.

NOTE:
If you'd rather not go through this much work, then slice up a batch of your favourite tomatoes, use a cookie or biscuit cutter about the same size as the tomato slices to make some cheese cutouts to place atop the tomato slices. Favourite deli cheeses - Swiss, Baby Swiss, Cheddars, Provolone, Mozarella, crumbled Feta or Blue Cheese...et cetera. Shredded cheese works well, too!
Be certain to season the tomatoes with your favourite herbs and sea salt.

CathyMoran

Blue Cheese is another deffinite no no in pregnancy...

Faith

PFJSplitter, while your input and recipes are appreciated, please take into consideration that the foods are for a pregnant woman, and women are advised to avoid many foods such as shellfish during pregnancy.