Baby & Bridal Showers

A popular joke amongst my friends is this:  Q.)  How can you tell the Mother-of-the-Bride at a Mormon wedding?  A.)  She’s the pregnant one.

It is no secret that people of our faith have several children. I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, sometimes referred to as Mormons.  Because of this,  I am constantly going to or putting on baby and bridal showers.  I go so far as buying the paper products for such events when I see them on sale… knowing full well that they will not stay in my cupboard more than three months.   Even the clerk at my local Safeway once made the comment (upon seeing my combination of several liters of Sprite, frozen raspberry juice and a half gallon of sherbet), “Another baby shower this month Mrs. Palmer?”

I remember my own bridal shower.  Even then, it revolved around cooking.  First, my sister Melissa sent out the invitations which included a poem explaining that I would need lots of help with my cooking skills, since they were not yet developed.  She asked everyone to bring a recipe and one spice to start me on my way. 

Then the first game we played went like this…Melissa placed all sorts of ingredients on the kitchen table that one might possibly think went into making a cake from scratch.  With nothing more than a large bowl and wooden spoon, I was asked to create the batter.  Of course, my mother’s best friend Myrtis snickered a bit when I picked up the corn starch, so I didn’t add that.  And my former Beehive* instructor, MaryLou, kept nodding toward the use of baking powder, so some of that went in.  I believe milk, eggs and flour went in there somewhere as well.  After I mixed up what I thought would work, off to the oven it went.  At the end of the party, everyone was invited to sample the “creation”.  It had the consistency of cheese cake rather than white cake.  Luckily, I have greatly improved since that first try and my girlfriend Kathy brought her Turtle Cake “just in case”.

Thus I joined the ranks of married women everywhere who would be going to and giving these ‘rites of passage’ parties.  I had to learn quick how to proceed.  And the presentation and taste of these delectable refreshments was a big part of it.

At first, the “punch and cake” shin-dig seemed sufficient.  But as more and more of my friends became regulars at the event, I had to branch out and get more creative so as not to bore us all.  Thus began my search for the unique, yet simple, additions to my repertoire of refreshments.

My favorite has been the discovery of how to make an Ice Bowl.  I can change the color of the flowers, and the flavor of the ice cream and have a unique presentation each time.  Read through the next few pages and see if you find something that suits your fancy for the next shower your privileged to host.

*Beehive is the name given to the 12 and 13 year old girls who meet together weekly for religious instruction and group activities.