Hosting

a baby shower
Decorations

On tables

Napkins folded like diapers Name tags typed and printed then glued on pink paper Bottles for water glasses with pink straws Glass jars with paper flowers Pink confetti made using pink paper and a hole punch

Fabric garland Giant paper flowers (see tutorial above) Fresh gardenia in the bathroom and by the sink Napkin pinwheels

Not on tables

Games
Guess how big Sarahs Belly is Guess the mothers girth tape measure piece of paper with everyones name a pen

How it works: measure the mother-to-bes stomach before everyone arrives. Have everyone write down their guess. The winner is the person who guessed the closest number. Baby trivia questions answer sheets (1 for each person) pens (1 for each person) How it works: Each guest will receive an answer sheet and a pen. Ask each guest to write their name on the top of their answer sheet. Read out the questions and have the guests write down their answer. Collect the answer sheets and add up the scores. Each correct answer receives 1 point and 5 points are awarded for a correct BONUS answer.

Guess the baby item in the bag 10 paper bags o rattle, head band, hair clip, nappy, q-tip, safety pin, bib, bottle, mini champagne, answer sheets pens 10 items 10 paper doilies numbers 1-10 printed How it works: place a baby-related item in each bag and seal the top. Fold a doily over the top and glue on a number. Each guest will get a numbered answer sheet. Ask them to write their name on the top. They will feel each bag for a few seconds and write down their guess. The person with the most correct answers wins. Photo booth with whiteboard backdrop 1 big piece of fabric white board I used a photo frame with a piece of pink fabric inside white board marker camera

How it works: ask each guest to write a message to the mother-to-be on the white board. The guest will then stand in front of the white board and have another guest take their photo. After the shower, compile the photos into an album or book.

You will need

tables chair for each guest knife, fork, dessert spoon and cake fork for each guest glasses for each guest white table cloths for each table an eski or cooler box to keep the drinks cold plates (2 for each guest) I used disposable to help with the clean-up)

Menu

Savoury

Honey soy chicken breast pieces Meatballs (I bought mine from IKEA) Green salad Char sui pork skewers Bread rolls buy Asian noodle salad Mini quiche made by my friends mum these were served on arrival Chicken sandwiches


Sweets

Pink swirl cookies Butterfly cakes White chocolate mud cake cake pops Mini white chocolate cheesecakes Raspberry jelly with cream Baby scones with jam and cream

Drinks
champagne on arrival diet coke lemonade soda limes for soda

Recipes Savoury
Honey soy chicken pieces 5 large chicken breast fillets 3 tbsp honey 5 tbsp soy sauce Cut the chicken into 7cm chunks and place them in a bowl. Add the sauces and stir them through. Leave it to marinate over night. To cook, spread the chicken evenly on an oven tray (I use disposable to make it easy) and cook at 180C fan-forced for 20-25 minutes. Timing: these can be made ahead and frozen uncooked

Pork skewers 3 pork fillets 5 tbsp charsui sauce (comes in a jar at the supermarket) skewers Cut the pork into 2cm pieces. Thread the pork onto the skewers. Spread the pork with the marinade. Refrigerate overnight. To cook, place in a single layer on a lined oven tray and cook for 15-20 minutes at 180C fan-forced. Timing: These can be made ahead and frozen then cooked on the day. Alternatively, make them the day before and cook them fresh the day of the party Meatballs meatballs (I bought mine from IKEA to save time and effort) Follow the instructions on the packet. Green salad your favourite green salad ingredients Timing: Make on the day but prepare the ingredients the day before. Make the dressing the day before. Asian noodles my Thai chicken noodles without the chicken
1 packet of fresh hokkein noodles 1 capsicum cut into thin strips 100g snow peas 1 carrot cut into thin strips 1 tin coconut lite evaporated milk (or light coconut milk) 2 tbsp sweet chili sauce 1 tbs soy sauce 1 tbs fish sauce fresh mint and basil (or dried flakes) about a tbsp of each chopped

Heat the coconut milk, soy sauce, sweet chili sauce and fish sauce in a large saucepan. Add the vegetables and heat until almost done. Mix through the herbs. Add the noodles of your choosing.

Timing: Vegetables can be prepared up to two days before. The whole thing can be made up to two days before and heated on the day or served cold. Chicken sandwiches aka my mums best ever chicken sandwiches

4 chicken breasts 2 shallots 1/2 cup mayo one packet of white tortilla wraps salt and pepper

Cook chicken breast in individual alfoil boats with shallots, salt and pepper at 180 degrees for about 30 mins. Remove to a plate to cool. Tear up chicken and blend in a food processor with mayo, extra shallots, salt and pepper. This mixture can be frozen and then defrosted on the day to make the sandwiches. Lay out one wrap and cover with chicken mix. Roll it up and cut into slices. Repeat with the rest of the chicken and wraps.

Timing: The chicken filling can be made in advance and frozen. Defrost on the day and make the sandwiches. Cover with a damp tea towel until serving time.

Sweets

Pink swirl cookies

makes about 40 cookies 125g butter, softened 1 cup caster sugar 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp baking powder 2 cups plain flour Pink gel color Sprinkles

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat them through. Add the rest of the dry ingredients to the bowl and beat them through too until the dough comes together. Remove half the dough from the bowl and set it aside. Add the food colouring to the dough left in the bowl and beat it until the colour is even. Lay two big sheets of baking paper on the bench and place a ball of dough on each one. Lay a sheet of baking paper over the top of the dough and roll each one out into a large rectangle. Place the pink dough on top of the white dough. Trim the doughs so they form a perfect rectangle and then very gently, from the long side, roll them together using the baking paper as a lifter. Keep the off-cuts and use them to make marble cookies. Pour the sprinkles onto a large tray and roll the dough log in the sprinkles. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it, resting in two glasses, for at least 2 hours. Alternatively the dough can be frozen for later use. Pre-heat the oven to 160C fan-forced and line two baking trays with baking paper. Cut the dough into 1cm thick pieces and place each slice on the lined tray leaving at least 2cm between each one. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes or until they start to turn golden at the edges.

Leave them to rest on the trays for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Timing: Dough can be made in advance and frozen and the cookies can be baked the day before.

Butterfly cakes

Make your favourite vanilla cupcake recipe and buttercream icing. When the cakes have cooled, use a knife to cut the top out of each one. Spoon a blob of icing into the hole. Cut the piece of removed cake in half and then replace it on the cake to form wings. Dust the cakes with icing sugar before serving. Timing: Make the cakes the day before and assemble them on the day.

White chocolate cake pops

makes 22

1/2 600g iced white chocolate mud cake 375g packet white chocolate melts pink food colouring lollypop sticks (you can buy cake pop sticks here)

Remove the icing from the cake and throw it away. Use your hands to crumble the cake very finely. Place 2/3 of a cup of the chocolate melts in a heat-proof bowl or jug and melt them in the microwave. Heat them for 30 seconds at a time and stir between each one. It should take about 1minute 1 minute 30 seconds to be smooth. Pour the melted chocolate into the crumbled cake and stir it through. Using two teaspoons of mixture at a time, roll it into firm balls and place it on a baking paper lined tray. Melt another 1/4 of a cup of the chocolate. Working with one stick at at a time, dip the stick 2cm into the chocolate and then insert it into each ball.

Put them all in the fridge for at least 2 hours or until they are firm or you can put them in the freezer for 30 minutes. Set 1/3 of a cup of the chocolate aside. Melt the remaining chocolate in the microwave until it is smooth. Working with one stick at a time, dip them in the melted chocolate and make sure theyre covered. Tap the stick on the side of the bowl to remove any excess chocolate then stick it into an over-tuned egg carton or piece of styrofoam and leave it to set for at least 10 minutes. Repeat with the remaining balls. You may need to re-microwave the chocolate if it starts to harden. Melt the rest of the chocolate and add the pink colouring to it. Pour it into a zip-lock bag and cut off a tiny bit of the corner. Decorate the tops of the cake pops. Leave them to set.

Timing: These can be made a few days before.

Mini white chocolate no-bake cheesecakes

makes 16 small cheesecakes (6cm diameter ramekins)

500g white chocolate, broken into pieces 50g butter 1 tsp vanilla essence 500g full fat cream cheese 50g white sugar 175ml whipping cream 5tbsp raspberry jam something crunchy to top them I used wafer biscuits

Put the chocolate, butter and vanilla essence in a heat-proof bowl. Melt it all together in the microwave in 20 second bursts, stirring between each microwaving. It will take about 1 minute all up but be very careful not to burn the chocolate. Once melted, set it aside to cool. In a large bowl, use a wooden spoon to stir together the cream cheese, sugar and cream until the mixture is smooth. Add the melted chocolate and stir it through until the mixture is even.

Spoon blobs of jam into the mixture and cut it through with a spatula. Be careful not to over mix it. You want it to have a marbled effect. Spoon the mixture into the ramekins and smooth out the top. Refrigerate them for at least 8 hours. To serve, stick a biscuit or something crunchy in the top.

Timing: These can be made at least 2 days before. Dont put the biscuit in the top until serving. Baby scones with jam and cream Makes 25-30
3 cups of self-raising flour

1 cup lemonade (Sprite, 7-UP not traditional lemonade) 1 cup pure cream (35% fat) extra cream to whip

Pre-heat the oven to 190C fan-forced. Gently mix the three ingredients in a large bowl until it just comes together. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and flour your hands. Gently pat the dough together and then flatten it gently into a disc. Use cookie cutters (or a floured glass) to cut out the scone rounds and place them on a lined baking tray so they are almost touching. You can press the off-cuts together to make a few more scones. Bake the scones for 20 minutes or until they turn golden. Transfer them to a wire rack to cool. Serve scones with whipped cream and jam. These can be made the night before and stored in an airtight container then gently heated on the day. Timing: Can be made a day before and heated on the day.

Baby jellies with cream Makes 24

2 packets of raspberry jelly whipped cream in a can something pink to decorate I used leftover white chocolate from the cake pops (see instructions here) 24 mini ramekins

Make the jelly according to instructions but leave out 1 cup of water. Pour the mixture into the ramekins and refrigerate to set. Just before serving, decorate each one with a dollop of whipped cream and something pink. Timing: Can be made 2 days before but topping cant be added until the last minute.

Shopping list Drinks

champagne white wine diet coke lemonade soda water limes for soda

Food
9 large chicken breast fillets 3 tbsp honey 5 tbsp soy sauce 3 pork fillets 5 tbsp charsui sauce (comes in a jar at the supermarket) meatballs your favourite green salad ingredients 1 packet of fresh hokkein noodles 1 capsicum 100g snow peas 1 carrot 1 tin coconut lite evaporated milk (or light coconut milk) 2 tbsp sweet chili sauce 1 tbs soy sauce 1 tbs fish sauce fresh mint and basil (or dried flakes) about a tbsp of each chopped 2 shallots 1/2 cup mayo one packet of white tortilla wraps salt and pepper 175g butter 275g caster sugar 1 egg 2 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 tsp baking powder 2 cups plain flour Pink gel color Sprinkles 1/2 600g iced white chocolate mud cake 375g packet white chocolate melts 500g white chocolate, broken into pieces 500g full fat cream cheese 500ml whipping cream

5 tbsp raspberry jam something crunchy to top cheesecake I used wafer biscuits 3 cups of self-raising flour 1 cup lemonade (Sprite, 7-UP not traditional lemonade) 2 packets of raspberry jelly whipped cream in a can something pink to decorate I used leftover white chocolate from the cake pops (see instructions here) bread rolls skewers for pork napkins paper plates mini glass bottles mini glass jars tissue paper in the colour of the theme printer paper foil trays for the oven ice lollypop sticks (you can buy cake pop sticks here) pink cardboard for name tags and food labels

Other

Baby Trivia Questions

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. What was the babys name in Three Men and a Baby? What are the names of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitts children? On average, how many nappy changes does a newborn have a day? A baby is born with how many bones? Which sense does a baby develop first? What do you call a baby horse? What is the name of Bella and Edwards baby in the Twilight series? What is the average time is takes a man to change a nappy? a. 30 seconds b. 3 minutes c. 2 minutes 5 seconds d. 1 minute 36 seconds Which mammal has the longest gestation period? What are the twins names in The Rugrats.

9. 10.

BONUS QUESTION: What is the record for most babies born to one woman?
1. Mary 2. Angelina Jolie has 6 kids. Maddox, Zahara, Shiloh, Pax, Vivienne and Knox. 3. 10 4. 300 5. Hearing 6. Foal 7. Renesme 8. d. 1 minute 36 seconds 9. The elephant 22 months 10. Phil & Lil BONUS QUESTION: 69

Baby Trivia
1. ______________________________________________________________ 2. ______________________________________________________________ ---------------------------------------------------------------- 3. ______________________________________________________________ 4. ______________________________________________________________ 5. ______________________________________________________________ 6. ______________________________________________________________ 7. ______________________________________________________________ 8. ______________________________________________________________ 9. ______________________________________________________________ 10. _____________________________________________________________

BONUS QUESTION:

Guess the how big the babies are (around Sarahs tummy) Name Guess

1 2 4 5 7 8 10

3 6 9

Guess whats in the bag

1. ______________________________________________________________ 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

Name

Name

White chocolate cheesecake

Raspberry jelly

Name

Name

Scones with jam & cream

White-choc cake pops

Name

Name

Butterfly cakes

Honey soy chicken Green salad

Name

Name

Pink swirl cookies Mixed seed bread rolls

Name

Name

Char Sui pork skewers Swedish meatballs

Thai noodle salad