Kitchen Adventures 13.1

Baby showers are usually a finger food affair. It's a time for snacking and light, small dishes. Several friends got together to have a shower for one of our fellow SLIS comrades who was expecting a baby girl. We kept the menu light as it was a lunchtime event. Her cake, done by a friend, was gorgeous! the food complimented the time together and was delicious as well. I made two dishes and friends made others so we could split the workload.

These two dishes were both very good. I especially liked the chicken tortellini salad. I went through quite a lot to make them, though. I should have used a different kind of tortellini (I used the frozen kind rather than the refrigerated kind) and I also busted a cutting board in the process. I never thought that would happen, but it sure did. I left my kitchen a disaster to get to the party on time and fortunately for me my wonderful boyfriend came over and cleaned my kitchen up for me. It was a challenge because it was a mess! Thank goodness he is not afraid of working in the kitchen.

I unfortunately do not have images of the dishes I made, but I will include an image of the gorgeous cake. Also, a friend sent these recipes to me so I am not sure where she got them.

Hot Artichoke Dip

Ingredients:

1 8 oz. can artichoke hearts, chopped and drained
1 c. grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 c. mayo
Garlic powder to taste

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes in a lightly greased small casserole dish.

Chicken Tortellini Salad

Ingredients:

2 9 oz. packages refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini
1/2 c. olive oil
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 c. chopped cooked chicken
1 c. frozen sweet peas, thawed
1/2 c. thinly sliced green onions
1/2 c. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Prepare tortellini according to package directions. Process olive oil, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice garlic cloves and Worcestershire sauce in a blender or food processor. Toss olive oil mixture with tortellini, chicken, and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl and serve.

Here is a picture of the cake for little Maelia.