Katie's Baby Shower and Afternoon Tea

Our beautiful daughter Katie and her family are pregnant

Of course the whole family is "involved" as with most pregnancies!!!
I'm sure every Husband, Child and grandparent will be aware.

Her dear friends Cara and Justine held a Baby Shower for her/them and I was the host.
Justine came over early and dressed the room.
So pretty

Balloons tea lights and roses…everything in pink and blue It was afternoon tea with wine for the non pregnant and fruit punch for the Mothers-to-be.There were 5 of them.Here are 3 of them Don’t they look gorgeous.

Katie/Cara/Karen
For your info Karen has since delivered a beautiful baby girl just 4 days after the party

So Justine supplied her Date and Coconut Cake

Lucy made her renowned Sandwiches, all “pregnancy safe”.

Canned salmon and Gherkins

Boiled smashed Egg and Avocado

I made little Crescent Sausage Rolls

The sausage meat was delicious
I used bought flaky puff pastry.
1 x square ready rolled sheet made 8 rolls

For filling
3 good quality pork sausages
2 tablespoons apple sauce
10 sage leaves chopped
1 shallot finely chopped
Sea salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper
Mix all together quite strongly and leave at least an hour for the flavours to meld.

To assemble

Cut the sheet in quarters

Each quarter in half diagonally

Put point of triangle at top

Place sausage meat as below

Brush with egg wash to help seal.

Then roll into little croissant shapes

Brush with egg wash and bake at 195C about 18 minutes until golden brown

Delicious
And we had an oldie but a goodie

Devils on Horseback
Haven’t had these in years but they are yummy

Packet of prunes
1 packet streaky bacon cut in half horizontally
Creamy blue cheese (I used Kikorangi) Cut into little cubes

Just make a hole in the prune
Place a little cube of blue cheese
Wrap in a bacon slice

Bake 180C about 10 minutes

The saltiness of the bacon and cheese combined with the prunes.
A real taste treat.

To finish off the savoury nibbles
Cara’s little Spinach and Feta Frittatas.

12 eggs
1 packet feta cheese
1 packet baby spinach

Handful self raising flour
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Wilt spinach in a little oil in a hot pan
Beat eggs in large bowl
Crumble cheese into eggs
Chop spinach and add
Season

Lightly grease mini muffin tins
Pour into muffin tins ¾ fill and bake 8 minutes in 190C oven
I love the idea of these little frittatas (they were very moreish) and decided to do the

Spanish tortilla version

Heat oven 190C

For 1 dozen mini frittatas
1 shallot finely chopped
1 med potato cut into tiny cubes
4 tablespoons Olive oil
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Gently sauté cook shallots and potatoes in oil till tender
Drain in a sieve and tip into beaten eggs
Season with S & P
Mix well
Pour into muffin tins ¾ fill... and bake about 8 minutes

Turn out onto plate

Dale and I wolfed them down for our dinner.
Excellent

Now onto the cakes
Ingrid made the most divine cup cakes

And to top it all off Justine's Date and Coconut Cake

2 cups fresh dates chopped (or 1 cup dates and a large apple peeled and chopped into chunks
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups boiling water

170 gms of butter

2 cups of sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla essence
2 eggs

3 cups flour
2 heaped teaspoons baking powder

First prepare dates
Add dates into a bowl with baking soda and pour boiling water over and allow to soak
while you prepare the remaining cake.

Meanwhile cream, butter and sugar until pale and fluffy
Add vanilla and then eggs one at a time beating well with each addition
Sift dry ingredients and add to the butter mix.

Add the dates and liquid. [don’t drain the dates, everything gets tipped in]
Mix all together well

Pour into a LARGE (27cms) tin that has been previously greased and lined.
NB: spring tin is best.

Bake in oven at 180 c for 50mins or until a skewer comes out clean.

COCONUT TOPPING 170 gms of butter

1 ½ cups brown sugar1

½ cup coconut [shredded and desiccated together work best]
8 tablespoons of cream

Place all in a pot and bring gently to the boil. stir constantly.
Pour this on top of the cake that has just come out of the oven [leave in its tin]

Put the whole tin with the topping under a hot grill and grill for around 8 minutes or until it starts to crackle and brown.

Let it cool well before removing from the tin.

Serve with whipped cream (just to cut down the richness)

ENJOY!!!!!!!

There was a sweep

Date of Birth

What sex?

Weight

Will keep you posted