Ladies at Lunch

As we have been talking all this week about baby showers, I became curious as to how this custom began, especially in light of the fact that ‘showers’ as we know them are relatively unheard of in most other countries.  What I discovered in researching the subject was interesting….at least to me…so I’ll share it with you in case you are curious as I was.
In the late 19th century, Victorian women began hosting tea parties (of course!) for expecting mothers. This is how the umbrella became symbolic at showers;  it was tradition to carry an umbrella to these afternoon affairs.  Some historians say that gifts were placed in the umbrellas as a symbol that the new mother was being “showered” with gifts.  Baby showers as we know them today gained momentum after World War II with the baby boom.   People had very elevated incomes after the war and it became quite fashionable to have a party for any reason as a way to show one’s prosperity.  What better reason to have a party and celebrate, than the birth of a new baby….there were, after all, a lot of us born then, thus the term “baby boom”.

Earlier this week we gave you a menu for brunch that works really well for a shower.  But knowing that brunch isn’t always going to work, or be the preferred time that you, or the person you are honoring, would choose, we want to share with you one of our favorite  luncheon menus and the recipes to create it yourself.

As we have mentioned before, we think it is always nice to seat your guests and  mark their seats at the table with a place card.  When we plan to serve our guests while seated at the table, rather than at a buffet, we have also, from time to time, tucked a menu card into the fold of a napkin just to let them know what they are going to enjoy.  A menu card can easily be created as a word document on your computer and printed out on card stock that is in keeping with the theme you’ve chosen.  It might look something like this:

Menu 

Broccoli Cheddar Soup with
seasoned croutons and sour cream

Curried Chicken Salad
served on avocado

Melon and berries

Date nut muffins and French bread

Chocolate cake with
vanilla ice cream and hot fudge sauce

Coffee and Tea

No matter how it all started or what time of day you choose to celebrate, we think showering a new mommy or mommy-to-be is a lovely idea and yet one more way to express love, joy and abundant living!

Broccoli Cheddar Soup
2 good sized stalks of broccoli roughly chopped
3 cups chicken stock
1/2 -1  pound cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup half and half
1/2 teaspoon Lawrys Seasoned Salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Cook the broccoli in the chicken stock until it is tender.  In batches, puree the broccoli and stock in a blender or food processor.  When you have pureed all the broccoli with the broth, return it all to the pan and add the cheese.  The amount of cheese will be a matter of taste, so add a half of a pound along with the Lawrys salt and the pepper.  Stir until melted., Add in the half and half and then taste the soup.  Add more cheese until the flavor and consistency of the soup is the way you like it.  Keep warm over a very low flame until ready to serve.  Garnish with croutons and sour cream.
 To make the croutons, dice some left over or stale bread and drizzle it with a bit of melted butter and olive oil, just enough to coat it. ,Season with salt, pepper and a dash of dried thyme.  Bake in a 400 degree oven for 6-7 minutes or until lightly browned.  Croutons will continue to crisp up as they cool.

Curried Chicken Salad – simply follow the recipe for Chicken Salad in the link provided here.  Omit the rosemary and soy sauce and add approximately 3 Tablespoons of curry powder.  The amount of curry will vary according to your taste, so add less to begin with and keep adding it a little at a time until it suits you.
 

Date Nut Muffins

These couldn’t be easier or more tasty…everyone always loves them!

Beat together:
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Stir in:
2/3 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 chopped dates
3/4 cup chopped pecans

Spoon into lightly oiled muffin tin and bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  Muffins should be lightly browned when done.

Allow to cool in muffin tin for about 5 minutes then remove and serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 10 muffins.

French Bread is simple to make and always appreciated:)

Chocolate Cake with vanilla ice cream and Fudge Sauce – you can’t ever go wrong with this!