little feet, big sky

Awesome BBQ yesterday! We had something like thirty people out on our tiny little patio. It was baking hot at first, but was much more comfortable once the temperature dropped a bit. My mother was over for the weekend and took charge of the kitchen and the stuff to grill was flavored Southeast Asian by her. Whole spicy ginger pomfrey, coconut calamari, a shrimp & veggie platter, some pre-fab chicken & beef from Trader Joe’s, and lots of really good stuff brought by our guests, like cajun trout, portabella mushroom burgers, and a strawberry trifle to die for.

It turned out to be a really great mix of people, but I was so busy running between the kitchen, the grill and the baby that I didn’t get to chat with everyone as much as I’d have liked. There were some guests that I barely got their names down by the time they left, but the spouse-unit got in more socializing and everyone seemed to go home stuffed and happy, so overall, the afternoon was a hit.

Can’t wait to do the next one!

I’ve been dabbling in cocktail drinks again, to get ready for the upcoming barbecue and summer party season. I’m not sure if these have names already, but if not, I’ve named them myself. :-)

I love Bailey’s and Kahlua and other rich liqueurs, but dairy is out of the question for me. These satisfy my sweet tooth once the bebe is down for the night. Enjoy!

Pirates’ Almond Joy

• 2 oz. vodka
• 1 oz. creme de cacao
• 1 oz. Malibu Coconut Rum

Shake over ice & serve in shot glasses.

Butterfinger

• 2 oz. vodka
• 1 oz. creme de cacao
• 1 oz. Buttershot

Shake over ice & serve in shot glasses.

And for those times when I want something fresh and fruity without the fuss:

Street Margarita

• 2 oz. vodka
• 2 oz. triple sec
• 2 oz. fresh lime juice

Fill a old-fashioned or cocktail glass with crushed ice. Shake over ice and pour into glass. Sprinkle a pinch of kosher salt on top.

I’ve decided against having the classic baby shower. I’ve hosted a few before and I think they’re cheesy and over-the-top. :-) I don’t like the games, do not want a diaper cake (cloth diapering!!), and honestly, do not want all the presents. The spouse and I are trying to get rid of things in the house, not get more stuff and we’ve made a conscious decision to get only the absolute bare necessities for the baby. Plus, it’s a eco-style idea to re-use, rather than splurge. Here’s some of the things we’re planning:

• Have a “baby party” rather than a “baby shower”. Set expectations right from the event title.
• Do online invites through Evite or MyPunchBowl. Save trees and postage while gaining cool event tools like picture uploading and tracking things for guests to bring.
• Ask guests to bring food instead of gifts, potluck-style. Again, using an online invite service helps here, as you can often specify list items like “2 entrees” on MyPunchBowl and have two separate guests each select to bring an entree and have that item disappear from the list of available items to bring. Neat!
• Specify in detail on the invite “No gifts, please” for moms, grandmas and other types that might need a more direct approach. :-)
• Optionally, offer a more acceptable way to give for those who just have to give something, like a link to donate to your favorite charity. Sometimes this helps cut down on the misc. gifts that people bring and whisper, “Oh, it’s just a small thing…” One idea is to have them make the donation in the baby’s name and bring a print-out of the donation with them. You can add this to the baby’s scrapbook for posterity, with a note that “Aunt Jo helped make the world a better place for you”. Personally, I’m going with Oceana; I can explain to our kid down the road that before he/she was born, our friends and family helped make things better for all the animals in the ocean.
• Instead of those god-awful cheesy shower games, think of ways to make the event memorable for you & the baby in years to come. Set up a video camera and a chair and let guests record messages to the baby. Have a blank canvas and paints setup and let guests contribute to a communal painting that can hung in baby’s area for years to come. You can also do this with the scrapbook, letting guests write their own messages to baby in the book. Keep easy-to-use scrapbooking stickers, stamps and color pencils nearby for guests to “pretty up ” their own messages.