Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Planning for a Baby Shower

Ting came over for dinner tonight so that we could start planning the baby shower which is in ten short days!! Tony worked days today and has to go back in at midnight tonight so he was trying to catch some shut eye.

We sent out the invitations last month and all the responses were due this past weekend so tonight we went through the list and figured out how many guests we will have. We are planning for 65-70 people, including children. This is an unusual baby shower, it is more of a summer party during which we are celebrating the coming baby.  So while it seems that it is huge for a baby shower it isn't really because whole families are gathering with us to celebrate.





Once we had the head count we started working on the menu.  When we ordered up the invitations we decided on a Baby Q since it was going to be a large gathering with summer fun.

Menu for Baby Q

Appetizers 2-4 pm
Chicken Wings
Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Veggie Trays with Dip
Cheese and Fruit Trays
Jalapeno Crab Dip
Assorted Crackers

Dinner 4 pm 
Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Italian Sausage Sandwiches with Peppers and Onions
Cole Slaw
Potato Salad
Pasta Marinara
Baked Beans

Dessert Buffet
Cupcakes
Cookies
Assorted Pastries

While we were gone canoeing last weekend, Kirsten and Karen, were busy baking and decorating all the cookies for the dessert buffet.  They did a wonderful job.  I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends.



Didn't they turn out adorably amazing.
They made 96 of these cookies.
That is truly a labor of love.

Before we got started on all the planning we had dinner.  It is much easier to plan things on a full stomach. Don't you agree?

I had a sirloin steak left from those that I had taken up north this past weekend and it needed to be cooked up.  There were 4 of us for dinner and only one steak so I decided to use it to make Beef Stroganoff over Egg Noodles.  This is a quick and easy dinner and great for stretching a small amount of meat to feed a family. We even had enough left to send home for Tony to take to work tonight.  We enjoyed it, I hope you do too.


This steak on the grill would never be enough to feed 5 of us.
But slice it up,saute it with some mushrooms and onions and serve it over noodles.
Dinner for the whole family.


Delicious!!!

Beef Stroganoff

1 sirloin steak, about 1 lb. after being trimmed and sliced into strips.
1 small onion, diced
4 T. butter
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz. white mushrooms
8 oz. asst. wild mushrooms
splash of red wine, about 2 T.
1 c. heavy cream
1/4 c. sour cream
1 pkg. egg noodles, cooked per package directions


Melt butter over med high heat in a large saute pan.  Add onions and cook until softened and fragrant.  Add steak season with salt and pepper and brown on the outside leaving it pink inside. Add mushrooms and cook until they start to release their liquid.  Add a splash of red wine and deglaze pan, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the pan.  Add cream and sour cream.  Bring to a boil and let cook for a few minutes until sauce reaches desired thickness.  Serve over cooked and drained egg noodles.  Print Recipe

This is a great Thrifty Thursday meal to enjoy while you are Thriving at Home.  Check out both sites for more wonderful ideas, and then join me at the Inspiration Monday Party and get inspired.


20 comments:

  1. The book in place of a card idea is brilliant - you need to post that to Pinterest. Expectant mothers would love that! And yes, the cookies are perfection!

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  2. The book instead of card idea has been around in this area for a long time now but maybe not in other areas. I did pin this post. Thanks Lisa.

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  3. Aww, I love planning parties! This all looks so cute!

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  4. Replies
    1. But it is fun work Angie, thanks so much for stopping by. I filled out an app to participate in the swap I hope I am found acceptable.

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  5. I like the book instead of the card idea!! I also like that it has a written note in the book. It makes it more personal!!

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    1. Thanks Dina, we are big readers in our house and want to encourage that in our little one as well. Thanks so much for stopping by.

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  6. What a fun idea to turn the baby shower into a summer party! I really like the book instead of a card too.

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    1. That was all Tng's idea. She came home from a baby shower and said....Let's just have a regular party where people can have fun. Made me happy because we have a large party every July anyways so I was able to incorporate both. Thanks for stopping by April.

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  7. what a fun baby shower! i love your invite and the fact that it was a party and not just games and tiny sandwiches. :)

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    1. Thanks Sarah, I think we will have fun...I will be posting about how it turns out.

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  8. The book is such a great idea!...and now - I'm hungry! Thanks for sharing your party planning with us :)

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    1. Thanks Tanya, you can see how it turned out...I just got done posting about it. Probably 30 books and not one repeat. It was great.

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  9. This sounds like a killer baby shower!!! I love the idea and asking for a book for the babies library is so cool!!

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    1. And we got about 30 books Jacquie and not one repeat in the bunch. It was a great shower. Thanks for stopping by my blog.

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  10. Swimming and kayaking sound like great additions to a baby shower! And those cookies are precious!

    Chloe | Wanderlust in the Midwest

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    1. Thanks Chloe, the shower was a great success. Everyone had a wonderful time. Thank you for stopping by to share our day.

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