How to Have a Recipe Shower

A bridal shower is a joyous time for friends of the bride to give her gifts before the wedding. For many busy brides and grooms, the greatest gift can be the skills for home cooking. In recent years, meals for working people include restaurant fare, microwaving a frozen dinner or unwrapping a prepared salad. Many people do not know how to make a dessert or main meal from scratch. It is fashionable and thrifty to cook and serve home meals. You can hold a recipe shower for a relative, friend or co-worker. With the help of friends, the future bride or groom can spend a little time in the kitchen and come out shining as a chef.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Invitations
• Binder or notebook with plastic page inserts
• Paper
• Index cards
• Writing pens
• Colored markers
• Optional camera

1. INVITE guests to bring an easy-to-prepare favorite recipe for the bride. Each recipe should be typed or written out with a list of ingredients and preparation instructions. Every recipe should be for a novice cook, someone with little or no cooking background. The recipes should be easy to cook in a small kitchen.

2. RECIPE ideas can include salad tips, pasta dishes or simple ways to make veggies more interesting. Easy dessert recipes are always a success. Every recipe should be time-tested and easy to prepare.

3. ORGANIZE the recipes at the shower. Use a binder with plastic insert pages or a simple notebook with pages to hold the guest recipes. Have index cards or paper handy with colored pens. Give each guest a page to insert his or her written recipe. They can add comments or tips on the extra cards. The plastic pages let a kitchen guy or gal refer to the recipe during cooking without worrying over spills.

4. ROUNDTABLE the recipes. Each guest should briefly talk about the recipe and why it was chosen. When everyone has added a recipe or two, the guest of honor will have a heritage book for quick and tasty meals.

5. GUESTS who want to bring more tangible gifts can choose items related to their recipe theme. These gifts could be an essential ingredient to go with the recipe, a kitchen utensil or other cooking-related item. Unique spices and herbs with an herbal guide are handy for the future homemaker’s spice rack.

6. FAVORITES lists are shower icebreakers to help guests get acquainted. Take turns offering opinions on kitchen tips. Use a notebook page to list dinner wine recommendations, best home coffees, top ways to use potatoes and tastiest chocolate chips for cookies. Use your imagination to match ideas to your future homemaker. Write them down for recipe memory pages. Keep the party fun and simple-- and get cooking!