Okay, this post is shaping up to be a long one. I want to give you all the details and recipes for Steph’s shower.. so here we go!

White Hot Chocolate
-This was a fantastic recipe. I was afraid the white chocolate would be too sweet, but it had great flavor. We didn’t use the whipped cream, but we did float some homemade marshmallows in the cups, which went over very well.
-Changes: I used 1% milk instead of half/half. I’m sure it would even work with skim. It was delicious and a huge calorie saver! I still used the cream to melt the chocolate- I think it gave it a richness that would be absent if I used all low-fat milk.

Homemade Marshmallows
-This recipe is not the original that I used (apparently that blog no longer exists online!), but I remember the post saying that it was Martha’s recipe. This one sounds just about the same, except I didn’t use food coloring.
-I loved these little things! Simple to make (make sure you have a candy thermometer and a stand mixer) and pretty addictive!

Vanilla Meringues
-I’d never really eaten meringues before, but this recipe changed my mind. They’re very sweet little bites, just enough to satisfy without going overboard.
-In the recipe, I used vanilla extract instead of vanilla bean. There was plenty of vanilla flavor. I used a plastic bag with a hole in the corner to make the meringues and it worked out very well.

White Chocolate Cheesecake Pops
-These were the most laborious to make out of all of the recipes. It’s a long process, plus we had trouble rolling the cheesecake into balls, and then they weren’t very firm when we dipped them, and then we ran out of chocolate and couldn’t dip them all! But as crazy as the process was, everyone seemed to love them. I would have liked a better presentation, but if the people are happy, then I’m happy, too.
-Changes: I used 1/3 fat cream cheese, and this might have been the problem with the rolling process. I would stick to the full fat, and be sure to follow all of the chilling directions! We did a simple white chocolate dip, no toppings.

Mini Vanilla Cupcakes with Coconut Topping
-For these, I used the time-honored Magnolia recipe, vanilla cupcakes and vanilla buttercream. For a little extra pizazz, I topped half of them with sweetened coconut. Tasty and moist, as usual. Just make sure to check them early if you make them miniature- they’ll cook faster.

Tomato Focaccia
-SO good. I was a little scared when I was making the dough, as it seemed a little too shaggy, but the results were great. I covered mine with sea salt and pepper, so when it was finished, it had the faint taste of a well-salted soft pretzel. Delicious and easy!!

Blue Cheese and Walnut Puff Pastry Spirals
-These were a favorite of mine this holiday season. Great to throw together last minute, very flexible with flavor combinations!

Brussel Sprout Salad
-This was a Natalie original, and I’m very proud of it. A lot of people are scared of brussel sprouts, but I think I changed a few minds with this one. I got the most compliments on this recipe.

-1/2 lb sliced bacon
-2/3 cup pinenuts
-2 lbs brussel sprouts, cored and shredded
-1 red onion, sliced thin
-sea salt and pepper
-parmesan cheese, for serving

1. Toast pine nuts in oven or on the stovetop for 10 minutes until fragrant. Set aside.

2. Place bacon in a large skillet or fry pan. Cook over medium-high heat until crisp. Drain, crumble, and set aside.

3. In the same skillet (use bacon grease if you’d like, I drained it and used olive oil), add red onions to the pan. Season with salt and pepper, and cook for 3-5 minutes until soft. Add brussel sprouts and cook over medium heat until sprouts are tender, but still bright green, 5-10 minutes. Stir in pine nuts, bacon and parmesan cheese before serving. Top with extra parmesan on each portion.

Chicken Skewers with Prosciutto and Sage
-Also a Natalie original. I wanted to do a skewer with a little more class, and I wanted to keep it light for the female crowd. The chicken is marinated overnight, which helps to keep it moist during baking. I made a huge batch, so if the proportions aren’t quite right here, I’m sorry!

-3 lb chicken breast (about 6-8 halves)
-1/2 lb prosciutto (about 15 slices)
-about 20-30 sage leaves
-Italian dressing, for marinating
-wooden skewers

1. Cut chicken into strips. Place into a Ziploc bag and cover with Italian dressing. Marinate atleast 2 hours, overnight is preferable.

2. Place the wooden skewers in water. Let soak for 30 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 400. Put one piece of chicken onto a skewer, add a sage leaf, and wrap it with 1/2 slice of proscuitto. Repeat with all of the ingredients. Place on a non-stick or foil-lined baking pan. Bake for 7 minutes. Turn the skewers and bake for 7 more minutes, or until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through.