October Flowers and Showers

It was a weekend of entertaining and the fall weather inspired the menu-making. We hosted a baby shower for our friends Matt and Lindsey, who are expecting their first child in a few weeks. And then I hosted a Do-It-Yourself Flower Arranging Class that my friend Melissa led. Both were such fun! You may think I'm crazy to host 2 events in one weekend, and while I might be a bit crazy, I also think it makes sense to have them both while the bathrooms are clean and the floors are mopped!
My friend Tobi has already posted about the flower event: Check it out!
And take a look at my friend, Melissa's floral design blog, Vintage Florals. If you are needing flowers for any occasion (in the Middle Tennessee area) you should look no further!

So back to the baby shower. I must say I have a thing about baby showers. Wedding showers are fun and festive but baby showers are essential! I mean, when getting married it is loads of fun to get new dishes and real flatware and nice towels. It is a great chance to “upgrade” your stuff, however, with a baby on the way you NEED everything. People typically don’t have bottles and boppys and burb cloths and onesies sitting around the house before having a baby. You have nothing and you need tons of stuff! So, anytime I have a friend who is expecting a baby I make sure that a shower is in the works and if a host or home is needed, I gladly offer.

We were so glad to help celebrate and honor Lindsey, Matt and their baby boy. It was a co-ed shower, which I enjoy. Cooking for guys is always a treat. It was great to host with other friends of theirs and Sharon and Jennifer got really creative with the decorations. We decided to go with a book theme, as Matt is an avid reader, we thought it only fitting to start baby’s library right off the bat. We asked each guest, in lieu of a card, to bring a book with their gift with an inscription written inside. So going with that theme, Jennifer cut up pages of old books and sewed them together making this adorable penent garland. She said it was simple, but she has skills!



They also made the invitations with pages of children's books and a sewing machine. Mixed with the vintage bookie theme were heirloom pumpkins and vintage toys- charming for an October Baby Boy Shower.

















In addition to readying my house, my task was food. I made Texas Caviar (Bean Corn Dip) with tortilla chips. It makes a ton and we had so much left over, I was sending to-go containers home with people at the end. This recipe is simple and so yummy. I have had versions of it before but this one, from our friends Shaka & Stephanie, is the tastiest to me.

















I also made 2 dips for Apple Slices and Graham Cracker Sticks: a Pumpkin Pie Dip and a Toffee Caramel Dip. The Toffee Dip seemed to be the big hit (it is so easy and people consistently love it).















And I decided to make Sausage Pinwheels, in honor of the male attendees. Guys love them. (My guys – Asher (my son) and Dave (my husband), confessed to have eaten a dozen each). To me they are a prettier version of sausage balls…and a little harder to “pop in your mouth” which helps to stretch them. I always say that people will eat as many as you serve.















Others brought veggies and dip, marinaded cheese and crackers, cookies, and assorted bars. It was a fun occasion and the parents-to-be left with lots of much needed baby goods.



A little hint: often when I am cooking, day or night, I light a candle or two, make a cup of coffee or at least fix a glass of water, and turn on some good music. Since discovering Pandora online radio (which you should check out if you don't know it) I have loved choosing my "custom station" based on my cooking mood. Friday night when I was cooking I chose Patty Griffin style music for a mellow cooking time, other times I choose Motown for a more dancy upbeat mood. These small things make the standing on my feet & "working" at night feel more like an experience than a task.



Confession: I realize that I have been posting much more frequently about baking (revealing my bias) and then today about party foods, and not real meal stuff. Tomato Soup season has officially begun at our house so I will post about it soon.