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Karen, brought this fabulous cake to my baby shower. It was AWESOME. I am a fan of white cakes, so I thought I’d died and gone to heaven.

In my very pregnant state, I easily justified eating most of the leftovers by myself. It was just so damn good. In an effort to save myself from this cake, I threw it in the freezer. What a useless gesture that turned out to be. I simply threw frozen pieces in the microwave for 8 seconds making it was even better than before…sigh. The cake was gone in a day.

One year later, I asked my Mom to make the cake again for my birthday

Note: To all you baker’s out there, this cake has a heavy, buttery consistency almost like a pound cake but richer. It is definitely not light and airy.

I know a lot of work went into making this cake for me. I was very touched by the gesture and the guests were impressed by the cake. The carriage cake was a very special addition to my baby shower.

Recipe from Canadian Living Magazine: May 2008
http://www.canadianliving.com/food/baby_carriage_cake.php

As you can tell, I was loving everything about my Baby Shower. I enjoyed the planning, the execution but mostly…I enjoyed seeing everyone having so much fun. All the guests and “worker bees” had a great time.

When it came time to plan the food, everyone pitched in. My Mom, Aunt, and Sister did the bulk of the work. Actually, I didn’t see much of my Sister at all, she’s the type of person that’s more comfortable “slaving away” in the kitchen then socializing. I know she ran things from behind the scenes.

I loved the food and; as is always the case, I wish I’d eaten MORE. Let’s face it, at 8 months preggo on a hot day I wasn’t into food. That’s about the time I realized “this thing” was coming out (one way or another) and I started to watch what I ate. Well, until the cake came out….ahhhhhh…the glorious cake.

Back to the menu, this is what we came up with. It was the perfect mix of “easy to prepare” verses “make ahead” verses “whip up on the spot”.

Spicy Cilantro Dip
Ingredients
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon sour cream
1 (7 ounce) can tomatillo salsa
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon celery salt (Note: I find this too salty and more than half the salt)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Directions
Combine cream cheese, sour cream, salsa, pepper, celery salt, cumin, garlic powder, cilantro and lime juice in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy. Place in a serving bowl.

Recipe from: AMYKINS, Allrecipes.com (Amy’s Cilantro Cream Sauce)

Spice-Crusted Shrimp with Remoulade Sauce
Yield: 8 servings
(serving size: 6 shrimp and about 1 tablespoon sauce)
Ingredients

Sauce:
1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise
1/4 cup plain fat-free yogurt
1 teaspoon grated lime rind
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon capers, chopped
Dash of ground red pepper

Shrimp:
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
48 large shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
Cilantro sprigs (optional)

Instructions
To prepare sauce, combine first 6 ingredients in a bowl; stir with a whisk.

To prepare shrimp, combine cumin, paprika, coriander, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper in a medium bowl. Add shrimp; toss well. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add half of shrimp. Cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove shrimp; keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining oil and shrimp. Serve shrimp with sauce. Garnish with cilantro, if desired.

Recipes from: David Bonom, Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2001

Hawaiian Chicken Skewers with Peanut Sauce

Ingredients
Peanut Sauce
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
4 cloves garlic; peeled
2 tsp arrowroot
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 oz chicken tenders
1 cup hot cooked brown rice
sprigs of fresh cilantro;

Instructions
Sauce:
In blender combine all ingredients for sauce. Blend until smooth.

Transfer to small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until heated through and thickened. Do not boil. Cool.

Pour half of sauce into sealable plastic bag, setting remainder aside. Add chicken to bag. Seal and marinate in refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours.

Meanwhile, soak four 6-inch bamboo skewers in water, to prevent burning during cooking. Preheat broiler. Thread chicken tenders on skewers. Broil skewers close to heat, 1 to 2 minutes each side or until cooked through.

In small saucepan heat reserved sauce. Divide hot rice among 4 serving plates. Top with chicken. Drizzle with heated sauce, and serve extra sauce in a bowl. Garnish plates with sprigs of fresh cilantro, if
desired.

Recipe from: Richard Simmons Farewell to Fat Cookbook

The Ultimate Baby Shower Carriage Cake

How do I Spell Success with this Menu….D-E-L-E-G-A-T-E.

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