a long distance baby shower

I’m lucky to have a sister for a lot of reasons.  As a big sister, I get the special privilege of providing advice and wisdom as she navigates life events, having already experienced them.  [I’m sure she really appreciates and loves this particular feature of sisterhood.]

The downside of brunch is the start time.  Unlike an afternoon event, you have just a few hours the morning of the party for food prep.  With that in mind, I cooked up a menu filled with sweet and savory options that were make-ahead friendly. And the long-distance part?  When the mom-to-be asked to have the party in her new home, I couldn’t say no.  Having only visited once, I was flying a bit blind in terms of her current cooking arsenal and other party planning concerns.  I also had just about 24 hours between arrival and showtime.  This meant every element of the menu, from ingredients to serving dishes, had to be really well thought out in advance.

No sweat.

• Mimosa Bar – bottles of Prosecco, a selection of fruit juices, and fresh raspberry and lemons for garnish [inspired by this post at sweet phi]
• Mint Iced Tea with Blueberry Garnish
• Coffee and accompaniments

The mimosa bar was a big hit, and a great conversation starter to bring together people from all areas of Kate’s life.  There was also a bottle of our favorite sparkling California wine, Schramsberg Blanc de Blanc, for those who prefer their bubbly neat.

The iced tea was inspired by this “blue” idea from country living.  I made it super-simple by purchasing brewed iced tea and steeping in with fresh mint leaves for a few hours.  I added the inspiration recipe’s blueberries on long skewers, lime wedges, and blue-and-white striped straws to make an equally pretty non-alcoholic option.

• Mushroom Gruyere bread pudding [recipe: real simple]
• Smoked salmon with creme fraiche and microgreens on pumpernickel toast [inspired by this recipe: country living]
• Mozzarella, tomato and pesto “caprese bites” [recipe: real house moms]
• Roasted vegetable and goat cheese pasta salad [my recipe]

Cooking in someone else’s kitchen adds enough variables to the food preparation process, so tried-and-tested recipes were a must.  I’ve made the bread pudding and the pasta salad for dozens of parties, so I knew they’d be both easy and popular.  As a bonus, they can be prepared the night before with minimal steps to complete the dish the day of the party.  The salmon toasts and caprese bites required no “cooking” and were simple to assemble with store-bought ingredients.

• Chrissy Teigen’s Cravings French toast Casserole
• Fruit and goat cheese crostini with honey drizzle [recipe at Sally’s Baking Addiction]
• Greek yogurt parfaits with lemon curd, blueberries and granola
• Chocolate covered strawberries
• “Baby Boy” cake pops

• Move the mimosa bar and drink station out of the kitchen.  We set it up on the counter, which led all guests directly into my sister’s relatively small kitchen and not into the living room as we had hoped.  Eventually we did some traffic redirection, but the real solution is to put the drink station in the place you want guests to initially congregate.

• The guest favorite was the french toast casserole by a landslide.  My personal favorite was the yogurt parfaits, but I’m biased — lemon curd is one of my favorite things in life. These were both beautiful on the plate and sweetly delicious.

• The smoked salmon was the least popular dish.  That’s not a surprise — not everyone finds this brunch favorite appealing.  Those that did try it loved it.  I would keep it on the menu, just make less.

• The caprese bites were perfect to serve throughout the entire gathering area.  Served on toothpicks, they were a perfect single bite.  A reminder that guests like options that are neat and easy to eat while standing around with a drink in hand.

• As usual, I had too many dessert options.  I just can’t seem to get it through my head that everyone in the world is on a diet.  My kids happily ate multiple cake pops, and I happily missed the sugar craze when they left with their grandparents.

Another party in the books.  What’s your favorite baby shower strategy?  Any great tips for planning a party long-distance?  Share them in the comments below.  And don’t forget to follow my always entertaining pinterest board for more party planning ideas.