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I knew I didn’t want a traditional baby shower this time around. My vision was an intimate, girly gathering with great food and conversation and all of the favorite women in my life. I also wanted to include my husband and son and the other men in our family. After suffering months of horrible morning sickness, I just wanted to enjoy some beautiful, fresh food in a beautiful setting. There’s really nothing I love more than getting together good friends to enjoy good food and company.
I wanted everyone to be comfortable and the event to feel casual. I liked the idea of a picnic vibe, but with the ease of a table for serving food family style. My husband fashioned a 16ft long, low table. I spread out some picnic blankets and pillows and it was everything I hoped for. I kept the table top simple with some fresh flowers, picked up from the farmers market, and arranged in vintage glass bottles. I wanted to honor the baby girl about to come into our lives, so I used blush linen napkins alternating with natural linen for subtle pops of pink.
I asked my husband to catch and grill fish covered in a hefty dose of lemon. Which is one of my favorite ways (besides raw) to eat the fish he catches for us and has the benefit of being simple to make for a large group of people. My mother-in-law made lovely, large bowls of greens with home made pickled veggies and my father-in-law’s salad dressing that is famous amongst all our friends. I made a version of Eyeswoon’s roasted sweet potatoes. I have adapted this recipe to the herbs I keep on hand, but it’s safe to say you can use a variety of different ingredients for this dish and it never fails. It also plates beautifully. For desert my mom made her carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, which is another tried and true favorite among our friends and family. We also had fresh mango sorbet made with mangoes from my in-law’s trees. It is literally made from only frozen mango and not a single other ingredient. The secret is the vintage juicer that turns the frozen mango into the creamiest, most delicious sorbet.
Creating this special day with the help of my family felt like the perfect way to bless the baby about to enter our lives. Nothing makes me happier than combing my love for food and design for these types of events in our lives.