Amazing Bridal Showers

The Stock-The-Pantry shower is a great opportunity for friends and family to get together and help the bride-to-be equip her new kitchen with necessities and splurges!

The premise behind the shower is exactly what you think. Guests will gift the bride with kitchen and pantry staples, like flour, sugar, salt, pepper, rice, Bisquick… just about any dry, packaged or canned item is fair game! The key is you will be asking the guests to present these in a unique or creative fashion. Include a blank recipe card in each invitation, and instruct invitees to write their favorite recipe and the bride’s gift will be associated with the pantry ingredient they have given as a gift, with what is needed to make the recipe! Remind guests to wrap creatively. By the end of the shower, your bride should have loads of pantry staples and recipes for her new kitchen, without ever having to step foot in a grocery store!

I found the cutest shower invitation that’s perfect for this Stock The Pantry theme. It’s a darling design featuring an apron, and has a detachable recipe card. Too cute!

Will We Be Eating Pantry Staples For Our Meal?

NO! Let’s plan a classic ladies’ brunch menu and invite the guests to come around 11:00am. To start, offer guests mimosas when they arrive. A mimosa is simply chilled champagne and chilled orange juice served in a champagne flute. Equal parts of champagne and juice will do the trick! Have regular orange juice and hot coffee and/or tea available for guests as well.

For brunch, plan on having at least one meat entree, an egg dish, a bread dish and a variety of fresh fruit. For a wonderful and easy bacon recipe, try this:

Sweet Oven Cooked Bacon
One package thick-sliced bacon
½ C brown sugar
fresh ground pepper

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, which will help make cleanup a cinch! In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and the pepper. Take each slice of bacon and “dip” it into the sugar mixture, coating both sides. Place each sugared bacon strip on the cookie sheet and twist it, like you’d twist a breadstick. Push down on both ends to secure it to the cookie sheet. Bake 25 minutes or until crisp.

Your kitchen will thank you! No greasy bacon splatters coming from a skillet. When you are finished, simply plate the bacon, roll up the parchment paper and toss it in the trash! Cleanup from bacon will never be easier than this.

There are many recipes for egg dishes out there, ranging from frittatas to quiches to omelettes. You might already have a family favorite that’s your “go-to” egg recipe. Pull it out! If you are hosting this shower during the summer months, try incorporating fresh, seasonal produce: tomatoes, bell peppers and onions are wonderful with eggs.

An easy way to offer a bread item is to prepare something the night before in a casserole dish, and pop it in the oven an hour before your guests arrive. Try this easy recipe for Baked French Toast, courtesy of the Food Network’s Paula Deen:

Baked French Toast
1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces) ?8 large eggs ?2 cups half-and-half ?1 cup milk ?2 tablespoons granulated sugar ?1 teaspoon vanilla extract ?1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon ?1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg ?Dash salt ?Praline Topping, recipe follows ?Maple syrup

Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each. Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup.
Praline Topping
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter ?1 cup packed light brown sugar ?1 cup chopped pecans ?2 tablespoons light corn syrup ?1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon ?1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Combine all ingredients and blend well.

Add a nice bowl of fresh fruit, garnish with mint sprigs, and you are set!

Don’t Forget the Favors!

The obvious choice is to go with small kitchen gadgets. But with a little creativity, you can come up with something clever! Here’s some food for thought – these cute little spice jars are only $2 each that can be filled with tasty nut mixture or candy assortment. Consider doing a “Recipe In Reverse”, where the bride provides her favorite recipe, and you print copies and attach them to cookie cutters or other small kitchen utensils.

Both make for wonderful favors and will be appreciated by the bride and her guests. Good luck with your shower—have fun!