Fresh Berries and Kettle Chips

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Can you tell we went the easy route when it came to side dishes for our picnic baby shower? And why not? We didn't sacrifice flavor or visual appeal in the least, and the ladies were so appreciative that they could eat their little bellies full out without regret.

Shauna must have a berry patch hiding behind her townhome, because these strawberries, raspberries and blueberries that she brought were perfection. I could have gone to bed snuggling the leftovers.

So far you have the Wedge Vine Tomato & Avocado Salad and fresh berries to accompany the Cashew-Chicken Rotini Salad . The third side dish is the easiest of all: kettle chips! I couldn't resist. Salty, crunchy, and unpretentious. The menu needed some crispiness to go along with the other softer textures, wouldn't you agree? Normally I'd say that a basic potato chip would be tacky at a shower, however, in this case it seemed to fit the casual picnic vibe we were going for. Besides, don't you worry; we got the yummy, quality, thick ones.

Click here for the full Picnic Lunch Menu!

Gotta love the lush green of Northern Virginia.

Picnic Lunch Menu: Cashew-Chicken Rotini Salad

When I have a picnic, I want foods that mimic the moods the outdoors inspire: simplicity, freshness, lightness, and vibrancy. There should be a healthy dose of unadulterated, natural foods as if you could be eating what you just picked from a nearby garden. Don't you think?? Nobody wants to leave a picnic feeling weighed down, just pleasantly satisfied.

I mentioned that my friend, Shauna, and I served this for a casual baby shower, but this could just as appropriately be served for any kind of outdoor (or indoor) social gathering this Summer. We received so many compliments from our guests and many of them thanked us for not serving heavy foods. You betcha, ladies!

The Menu:
Main Dish: Cashew-Chicken Rotini Salad
Side Dishes: Wedge Vine Tomato and Avocado Salad, Fresh Berries, Kettle Chips
Beverage: Lemon & Mint Ice Water
Dessert: Caramel Apple Kits

The Cashew-Chicken Rotini Salad is a recipe that my mother found from Taste of Home and made for me while she was visiting after Kate's arrival last year. I pretty much never, ever, ever cook using prepared foods like ranch dressing, but almost everything else on the menu is so light and fresh, and the pasta is so delicious that I made an exception. With just a few adaptations, here's the recipe!

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Cashew-Chicken Rotini Salad from Taste of Home
Prep Time: 30 Min
Chill Time: 1 hour
Serves 12

Ingredients:
1 package (16 ounces) spiral or rotini pasta
4 cups cubed cooked chicken
1-1/2 cups sliced celery
3/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1 cup seedless red grapes
1 cup seedless green grapes (I used 2 cups of only red grapes to make my life easier, but having both does add a little extra variety to the dish.)
1 package (5 ounces) dried cranberries
1 cup ranch salad dressing
3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 cups salted cashews

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the chicken, celery, onions, grapes and cranberries. Drain pasta and rinse in cold water; stir into chicken mixture.
In a small bowl, whisk the ranch dressing and mayonnaise. Pour desired amount over salad and toss to coat. (The original recipe calls for all of the dressing/mayo combo, but I thought it was overkill. Adjust it to suit your individual preference!) Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Just before serving, stir in cashews. Stirring in the cashews any earlier will make them lose their texture. If you think you'll end up with leftovers, you may want to serve the cashews in a separate dish.

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And a big "CONGRATULATIONS" to the expectant mother of the baby shower who welcomed baby Alison into the world on Monday! I got to visit her just 6 or 7 hours after she was born and she is one of the most beautiful newborns I've ever seen. We love you already, baby girl! 

Throwing a Picnic Baby Shower, and The Easiest Shower Treat!

The easiest DIY baby or bridal shower treats/party favors: "Caramel Apple Kits." (Scroll down to the bottom for details!)

Well, no need to tell you the sickness and exhaustion hasn't gone away just yet. BUT I have been working behind the scenes to bring some goodies your way, so this coming week will have a few good posts. YAY!!!!! I really do miss being here with you... *sigh*

Speaking of babies, my good friend, Lisa, is due with her first baby girl in just a couple days and I had the chance to co-host a baby shower for her last month. Like any pregnant woman, this one deserved all the effort and fuss we could manage to put into her celebration, but we needed to be careful in our planning not to bite off more than we could chew. So, knowing our guest-of-honor loves the outdoors and a relaxed atmosphere, we opted to throw her a picnic shower in a nearby park. Though it takes some extra planning, ultimately they're much easier to pull off than an indoor shower thrown in your own home. Here are some of the perks to opting for mother nature as your backdrop:

• A grassy, wooded park is already beautiful so you need minimal decorations. 
• Unless there's a chance of rain, you don't need to worry about cleaning your house!
• Since you're not hosting it in a home, you don't need to worry about rearranging furniture or gathering extra seating. Shauna, my co-host, and I simply told the guests that we'd bring quilts for sitting and suggested they bring a camping chair if they'd be more comfortable.
• Many parks can be used for free (like the one we used) or rented for a small fee.
• Even though you're really not supposed to bring children to a baby shower, within our group of friends is a number of moms who're still nursing and such, so we usually welcome kids. At a park you don't have to worry about child-proofing, and the open grass allows plenty of space for them to crawl and play.

Like I said before, it does take some extra planning, simply because if you're not in your home, you have to make sure you bring everything you need with you. Some things you may forget to include on your picnic "to-bring" list are:

• A pen and paper for recording the mom-to-be's gifts.
• A camera will a full-charged battery.
• Trash bags, if your park doesn't provide waste bins.
• Extra ice, and water in a well-sealed container. We chose to do ice water with fruit since it looks nice and is a universal refresher for a warm Summer gathering. We bought water in jugs and waited until we were there to arrange the water, ice and fruit in the decanter.
• At least two folding tables along with table cloths. We had one for food and one for the drink dispenser and party favors.
• Cutting boards, knives, or anything else you might need for on-the-scene food prep. For example, we served wedged tomatoes and avocados as a side dish. Not wanting the avocados to brown or get smooshed, we waited until we were on site to cut them.
• Paper towels and/or kitchen rags, and a bottle of cleaner in case of any messes.
• Plastic bins, both for carrying supplies onto the site and for clearing away the party remains. On a similar note, you may also want to bring some empty grocery bags for the dirty serving utensils.
• Tupperware or zip-lock bags. We often end up with more extra food than we can manage to eat, so we decided to bring an easy means of sending the mom-to-be home with any leftovers she'd like. Whatever's left for us got placed in zip-locks so that we could easily stack all the dirty dishes and place them in the traveling bins.
• A first-aid kit. We did not bring this, but we're so glad one of our guests did since poor Shauna cut herself while preparing the avocados!

Okay, last, but certainly not least, (MAN I am long-winded today!) are the "Caramel Apple Kits" you see in the picture above. These are so, so, so, so easy. Do you hear me? SO EASY! And, I don't know about you, but I rarely want sweets in the middle of the day, and I find that most cakes aren't worth the calories, so a healthier treat option is a welcome alternative to me. As luck would have it, Lisa is a really healthy eater, so these were just right for honoring her. Each kit consists of one green apple, two individually-wrapped caramels, a tapered, wooden caramel-apple stick, plastic favor bags, and some ribbon in a color of your choice! Your guests are very unlikely to go home and actually make a caramel apple, but who the heck cares? It's really not the point. They're vibrant, classy, and offer something for both your health-conscious and sweet-toothed attendees. (All non-food items can be found at Michaels.)

*Exhale* Whew! More to come on this baby shower, including the full lunch menu we served! Until then, have a fantastic rest of your weekend and enjoy the sunny weather with whatever "babe" you have you in your life. :)

Music Playlist- Girls Only Cafe

Recently I was asked to create a playlist to match a baby shower my awesome friend Dannii was throwing for FIVE (count 'em) pregnant friends of hers. I don't know what's in the water, but it is resulting in a mini baby boom where they live in Thailand! (Keep your eyes peeled for a post on her event!)

So, let me say this. I was totally intimidated by the project for two reasons.

1. Dannii is a creative GENIUS. Genius, genius, genius. And the girl can cook. The day she decides to create her own blog, I will be its biggest champion. Anyway, nobody wants to disappoint a genius.
2. The theme for the shower was "Mum's Tea Time." Baby shower + tea time. Honestly, I was at a loss for where to start. 

What I ended up deciding to do was to honor the special roll of women as mothers but choosing only female artists, and then I chose songs that had a cafe sort of vibe as a nod to the tea theme. I also selected several of the tunes for how they might apply to a parent-child relationship, or for their childlike, cheery vibe. Three of the songs you'll recognize from the "I Wished For You" Valentine playlist, but the rest are new to the Eats and Beats music repertoire. 

Some of my favorites on the list are Dia Frampton's "Isabella," (track #5,) "A Little Bit" by Madi Diaz (track #13,) Miranda Lee Richard's "Beautiful Day," (track #9,) and "Wake Up" by The Ditty Bops, (track #16.)

How do you use this playlist? It'd be perfect for hosting a shower, breakfast, brunch, picnic, or dessert-centered event. Enjoy through Eats and Beats, featured right now on the right-hand menu, or adjust it as you please on Grooveshark!