Bridal Shower: Part I

This weekend I'm headed down to D.C. for my friend Nicole's bridal shower and bachelorette party. Most of the old Amherst (pictured above) crowd will be there, eight of us in total, spanning from those who graduated last year to a few still in school.  Although we all stay in touch and see each other individually quite regularly, occasions for all of us to be together are quite rare.  Its still bizarre for me to go from spending all your time with the same people, eating every meal together, living in the same suite, watching reruns of SATC on the futon when you should be doing work to spending only a few weekends a year together.  I used to think that our relationships would inevitably change once removed from the Amherst bubble, but that isn't as true as I once believed.  We've stayed remarkably close over the past year and hopefully it will remain that way.

Anyways, onto the food.  The bridesmaids were awesome enough to let me plan the menu for the shower.  The shower will be on Sunday at noon after the bachelorette party the night before.  We pretty much at once decided to do a brunch menu leaning towards breakfast type foods.  Not only did this simplify and pare down the options, but it would be an easier meal to prepare for a lot of people even after a late night out.

One important goal was for the bulk of the menu to be made the day before.  I knew I wanted a one or two egg dishes, a few sweet items, a meat, some salads, and one more savory item.  After much editing and deliberation I produced a final menu.  The recipes are mostly drawn from my favorite food sources like Gourmet, the Barefoot Contessa and Smitten Kitchen.

Stay tuned to find out how the cooking goes and the shower turns out!

The Menu:

Spinach and Pancetta Strata from Giada de Laurentiis

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/spinach-and-pancetta-strata-recipe/index.html

Baked Egg Custard with Gruyere and Chives from Gourmet
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Baked-Egg-Custard-with-Gruyere-and-Chives-350969

2 lbs. Sweet and Spicy Bacon

Melon and Berry Fruit Salad

Mixed Green salad

Raspberry-topped Lemon muffins from Smitten Kitchen

http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/05/a-new-muffin-in-town/

Blueberry crumb cake from the Barefoot Contessa

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/blueberry-crumb-cake-recipe/index.html

1 dozen bagels and cream cheeses

Lox platter (lox, tomatoes, onions, capers, lemons)

Blood Orange Mimosas 

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/drink/views/Blood-Orange-Mimosas-236687