Ladybug Baby Shower

We did the baby shower for my sister-in-law, Brenda. She is carrying the first granddaughter my parents will have, so of course there is a lot of excitement because currently there are four grandsons. My mom and I planned the evening, with help from my sister and my other sister-in-law. Her nursery theme was ladybugs, so my mom decorated the event with ladybugs she made from styrofoam balls she halved and painted red with black dots. She wound some wire and stuck it in the bottom, which was attached to different items on the table.

She used fake grass instead of a tablecloth to give an outdoors feel to the table. Bowls and jars of red and black candy adorned the table. We played baby shower games that mixed up bug names and tested our skill with nursery rhymes. Just for fun we did a baby shower mad lib that I found here.

We printed the menu on cardstock and set it on an easel on the table. Our menu consisted of gougeres, quiche, pomegranate-pineapple lemonade, green apple sandwiches, chicken salad sandwiches, mini chocolate fudge cupcakes, spinach salad with warm bacon-balsamic vinegrette, strawberry parfaits with angel food cake croutons, and shortbread cookies dipped in orange-chocolate.

I want to share the recipe for the pomegranate-pineapple lemonade, a recipe that I developed from something I tasted at a restaurant. This is great for a party for grown-ups, because it is not too sweet, but has a delicious blend of flavors.

Pomegranate-Pineapple Lemonade

2 quarts lemonade, homemade or purchased

1 can pineapple juice concentrate, thawed

4 cups pomegranate juice

1 2-liter of lemon lime soda

mint leaves for garnish

Combine ingredients, plus water called for on pineapple juice concentrate (usually 3 cans). Garnish with mint leaves and lemon wedges, if desired.