Hosting a New Recipe Bridal Shower  

Bridal showers are so much fun. The bride to be will be starting a new life with her new partner.  

Instead of catering the event, why not ask each guest to make their favorite dish and bring the recipe? If you are not comfortable asking guests to bring dishes, what about asking them to send in their recipes to you, the hostess, and you’ll create the recipes in your kitchen? 

New brides often do not have a collection of recipes or cookbooks. This is a wonderful way to help the bride to be begin her married life with some tried and true family favorite recipes. 

Another idea is to mail out recipe cards with the bridal shower invitations and have everyone bring them the day of the shower. The day of the shower, you can create a mini recipe scrapbook for the bride to be. You can actually pre-make the pages, so that the day of the event, all you need to do is add the recipe cards. 

Another twist on this idea is for guests to not only write out the recipe, but to base their gift around the recipe. Purchase the ingredients needed and purchase a mixing bowl, a storage bowl, a casserole dish etc. to go along with the recipe. New brides need to stock their kitchen with spices, seasonings and supplies. Many times I have given gifts of a bowl set stuffed with some spices, some utensils and a few recipes. 

One of my favorite recipes is Chinese chicken salad. I’ve been making it for years. Here is our very simple family recipe: 

Salad:
1/2 pound chicken breasts cooked and shredded
4 ounces of won ton skins, cut in strips and deep fried
1 head lettuce, shredded
4 strands green onion, cut lengthwise, very fine
2 tablespoons almond slivers, sautéed in butter  

Dressing:
2 tablespoons white sesame seeds, toasted
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup salad oil
3 tablespoons vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil  

Combine ingredients and shake well.  Pour over salad and mix lightly. Serve immediately.  

Note- I often take this to pot lucks.  I will put each of the ingredients in a separate baggie. I'll put the dressing in an old mayonnaise jar.  When it's time to serve, I throw it all together.  

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Audrey Okaneko has been helping women with their kitchen needs for several years now. She can be reached at audreyoka@cox.net or visited at http://www.recipe-barn.com .