Category Archives: Showers or Teas

Coconut Cream Cheese Pinwheels

I made these for Elizabeth’s Baby Shower when she had the twins.  I sprinkled the cookies with  edible glitter.

by Pat Savoie

Cookie dough:
1/2        Cup  Butter — room temp
3            Ounces  Cream Cheese
1             Large  Egg
2            Cups  Flour
2/3        Cup  Sugar
1/2        Teaspoon  Baking Powder
1            Teaspoon  Vanilla

Filling:
3            Ounces  Cream Cheese
3            Tablespoons  Sugar
1            Cup  Unsweetened Coconut
1/3        Cup  White Chocolate Chip

Egg mixture:
1            Large  Egg — lightly beaten
1           Tablespoon  Oil
Granulated Sugar

Cream butter and cream cheese until fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add egg, 1 cup flour, sugar, baking powder, and vanilla.  Beat on low speed until combined.  Gradually add remaining cup flour.  Using a wooden spoon, stir until fully combined.  Divide dough in half.  Shape each half into a disc, wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm, 1 to 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Prepare the filling: Beat cream cheese and sugar until fluffy.  With a wooden spoon, stir in coconut and chips.  Set aside

Remove one disc of dough from refrigerator.  Roll on a lightly floured surface into an 8 by 13 inch rectangle about 1/8 inch thick.  With a fluted cookie cutter, cut into 15 2 1/2 squares.  Place on prepared baking sheets, about 1 1/2 inches apart.

Place 1 teaspoon filling in center of each square.  Using a fluted pastry wheel, cut 1 inch slits diagonally from each corner toward the filling.  Fold every other tip over to cover filling and form a pinwheel.  Press lightly to seal.

Whisk together egg and oil.  Using a pastry brush, lightly brush tops of pinwheels with egg mixture.  Sprinkle with sugar

Transfer to oven, and bake until edges are golden and cookies are slightly puffed.  10 to 12 minutes.  Transfer baking sheet to a wire rack to cool.  Let cool for 5 minutes on baking sheets before transferring cookies to wire rack.

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Butter Meltaways with Lemon Frosting

These are great little cookies.  I have made cut out cookies for showers with this recipe. Make the dough ahead so it has time to chill.

by Pat Savoie

Cookies:
1              Cup  Butter — softened
1/3          Cup  Powdered Sugar
1 1/4       Cups  Flour
3/4          Cup  Cornstarch

Lemon Frosting:

1/4          Cup  Butter — softened
1 1/2       Cups  Powdered Sugar
1              Tablespoon  Lemon Zest
1 1/2       Tablespoons  Lemon Juice

Beat butter until creamy; gradually add powdered sugar.

Combine flour and cornstarch; gradually add to butter mixture; beating well.

Shape dough into 2 logs and wrap in wax paper dusted with powdered sugar.  Chill at least 6 hours.

Unwrap dough; cut each log into 18 slices, and place slices 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets.

Bake 350 for 12 minutes.  Remove to wire rack.  Cool completely.  Spread with lemon frosting.

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Peanut Butter Chocolate Balls

These sweet treats disappear fast!  Elizabeth made them for a Sweet Swap she hosted during Christmas.  We’ve also seen them served at weddings and showers.

by Theresa, a friend of Mary Ellen’s family

Ingredients

1 1/2   Cups  Creamy Peanut Butter (15 oz jar)
1          Teaspoon  Vanilla
3          Cups  Powdered Sugar
1/2      Cup  Butter — softened
1/2      Teaspoon  Salt
1           Pound  Chocolate Flavored Candy Coating
2          Tablespoons  Shortening

Method

Combine peanut butter, softened butter, vanilla and salt and beat until blended.

Add 2 cups powdered sugar and beat.  Continue adding 1/2 cups of sugar at a time until mixture will shape into a ball and hold onto a toothpick.

Shape into 3/4 inch balls and place on a tray and chill.

Combine candy coating and shortening in a microwave safe bowl and heat at a medium heat for 30 seconds.  Stir and repeat until smooth.

Method 1:Insert toothpick in candy ball and dip into melted coating.  Scrape off excess. Place on a waxed papered tray.  Remove toothpick and smooth over hole.

Method 2: Place ball on spoon, drop into chocolate and spoon chocolate over ball.  Do not stir.  Remove ball on the spoon and tap spoon on the side of the bowl a few times to create a smooth finish.  Carefully drop on to wax paper.  If the chocolate needs repairing, tap tray against counter to smooth any chocolate used to fill holes.

Top with a peanut half before chocolate hardens.

Refrigerate until candy is firm then remove from wax paper and store at room temperature in a covered container.

Makes 8 dozen

Use a toothpick to draw lines around the candy to remove excess chocolate.

Roll Peanut Butter mixture into balls.

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Filed under Candy, Holidays, Showers or Teas

Candied Orange Peel

Granny made these gumdrop-like candies every Christmas when we were little.

When David was getting married, Mary Ellen made them for Kayla’s wedding shower and served them with Chocolate Shots.  They looked great presented on a plate together.

We recommend using the leftover juice to make Granny’s Orange Pecans.

by Granny–Dolores Borel

6        medium  orange — peeled
1        Tablespoon  salt
2        cups  sugar

Peel the oranges by hand and scrape with a spoon to remove the membrane from the orange peel.  As an alternative, use a vegetable peeler to create long strips of peel that will later be trimmed.  A vegetable peeler will create thinner candies than the peel and scrape method.

Add salt and peel to 4 cups water.  Weigh down peel with something and keep submerged overnight.  Drain and rinse.

The next day, cover with cold water and heat to boiling.  Drain and repeat 3 times.

Cut peel with shears in strips.

In saucepan, combine peel, sugar and 1/2 cup water.  Heat and stir until sugar dissolves.  Cook until transparent.  Drain and roll in granulated sugar.  Dry on rack.  Makes 2 to 2 1/2 cups.

Transparent peels ready to be drained and sugared.

Drying on the rack.

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Filed under Candy, Dessert, Holidays, Lunch Box, Showers or Teas

Sparkling Strawberry Punch

Monsignor DeBlanc, Dolores & Jerry

Granny served this punch at Pat’s wedding reception in 1973. She likes sparkling strawberry punch because it’s not too sweet.

Monsignor DeBlanc married Pat and Kent at Our Lady Queen of Heaven.  This is his recipe for punch.

.

by Monsignor LeBlanc

20         ounces  strawberries, frozen
6            ounces  lemonade, frozen concentrate
1/4        cup  sugar
1/2        bottle  almond extract
28         ounces  club soda
3            28 ounce  ginger ale

In blender at a high speed, blend strawberries, lemonade, sugar.  Pour into bowl and add remaining ingredients.  Make an ice ring with lemons, strawberries and mint.

Pat and Kent's Wedding Reception

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Filed under Drink, Showers or Teas

Pineapple Lemon Punch

A favorite punch for showers.

by Pat Savoie

2            large  pineapple juice
12          ounces  lemonade, frozen concentrate
1            bottle  almond extract
2            cups  water
2            cups  sugar
2            liters  ginger ale

Heat water and dissolve sugar.  Add to pineapple juice, almond extract, and frozen lemonade.  Freeze in ziplock bags.  It will not freeze too hard.  When ready to serve, add concentrate to bowl and pour in ginger ale.  Slushy.

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Strawberry Champagne Punch

I had this at a wedding shower where the punch (without champagne) was served out of a decanter.  Guests topped their glass with the champagne and a fresh strawberry.

by Pat Savoie

3            Ounces  Strawberry Gelatin
1                Cup  Boiling Water
6            Ounces  Frozen Lemonade Concentrate — thawed
2              Cups  Cold Water
750      Milliliters  Rose Wine
750      Milliliters  Champagne — chilled
1              Pint  Strawberries

Dissolve gelatin in boiling water; cool.

In punch bowl, combine gelatin mixture, lemonade concentrate and cold water.

Just before serving, stir in wine, champagne and strawberries.

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Shrimp Mold

Granny and her best friend Melba made this mold for special occasions.  In the same tradition, Pat made this in the shape of a fish for Mary Ellen’s wedding.

by Granny–Dolores Borel

2            pounds  shrimp, cooked and chopped (can pulse in food processor 7-8 times)
1/2        cup  onions — grated
1            cup  celery — minced
1 1/2     cans  tomato soup
8           ounces  cream cheese
2            packages  plain gelatin
1/2        cup  warm water
1            teaspoon  baking soda
1            cup  mayonnaise

Heat soup and cream cheese. Add onion and celery.  Simmer.  Mix gelatin in warm water and add to mixture.  Remove from heat.  Add shrimp, mayonnaise and baking soda.  Chill overnight.  Serve with crackers.  Sesame crackers are our favorite.

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Filed under Appetizer, Seafood, Showers or Teas

Fruit Dip

We always serve this dip with fresh strawberries.  It’s great for baby or wedding showers.

by Pat Savoie

1 jar marshmallow cream
1 block of cream cheese, softened

Place in a mixer and beat until smooth.

*If you’d like a pink dip, add a touch of grenadine.

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Filed under Appetizer, Dessert, Showers or Teas