Cookaholics Bulletin Board

One of my dearest friends is preggers...I've offered to host her baby shower.

Not being a Mom (other than to my lovely Clara), I'm not accustomed to baby shower traditions. I could do a cocktail party standing on my head, but a shower? not my forte.

Suggestions?

Amy

These are often in the afternoon, not the evening, so a lighter menu is good. Traditionally there are "Girly" finger foods. But if you know the guests, make what you think they will enjoy. Asking the guest of honor if she is having odd reactions to anything is a good idea. A buffet works well.
Crustless sandwiches, profiteroles with chicken salad, deviled eggs.
A fun booze-free punch, and maybe a proseco for the daring.
Some sous-vide salmon with dill sauce? A big mixed salad with dried fruits and toasted nuts?
The presents are usually things new parents need.
For what not to make the cake look like, check out cakewrecks.com
clickety

I like all of Becky's ideas and would add wine. Depending on the people coming, some may be escaping little ones and wine is always welcome. And you probably know to stay clear of the non-friendly to pregnant mom things like soft cheeses, raw eggs, sushi. Some moms to be steer clear of peanut products and tuna as well. Hmmm, wonder how my kids turned out fairly normal as I'm typing all that.
My favourite gift for moms is a coffee card to their local joint, since many a day it's the farthest you get out of your house.

We've had a few at work recently and they've been standard finger-foods, a few salads, a cake, etc. One of the main features at the last one was the "diaper cake." I have to admit it was cute.

You may want to see if the nursery has a theme and work around that. I did an ark cake for a friend a couple of years ago (who is now pregnant with baby #3) because she had a Noah's ark-themed nursery.

You'll get all kinds of good food ideas. My advice? No games.

amen!

Mine was cute. My sisters threw me a tea. Soooo, tea (chamomile for me, but the hard stuff for most of the guests), tiny chicken salad sandwiches on mini-croissants, cupcakes, seckel pear slices (they were in season), and scones -- blueberry, gingerbread, and other flavors. No games, but my mom had a humongous box of hats, and everyone picked a hat to wear.

How about doing an evening one with guys invited? Most guys do a ton of baby/kid work (if not most of it in many cases). You could still do a mocktail or cocktail offering.

Kind of a good initiation to the "now we have kids" idea.

Ditto.

Little sandwiches, dips/spreads, some kind of fruit, petit fours are the norm here. I'll bet some little gift bags of Marilyn's toffee for the attendees would go over well.

I don't often push other stuff here, but today's cake wrecks are too on point to miss. Be sure to read all the way through!
clickety