When my sister Stephanie asked if I would want to host her baby shower in my home, the answer was easy - Are you kidding me? Absolutely.
Her asks were simple; a spread of all of her favorite things: PJs, Christmas themed, and filled with loads of “yummy bites and festive drinks” amongst her closest of friends and family. I just want it to be low-key and super cozy.
Now onto my favorite part - the menu.
The Menu
Since Stephy has always had a very vegetarian-based palette, I chose an array of Fancy Peasant meze that would fit her taste: lentil meatballs with spicy feta dip, stuffed grape leaves, Greek peasant salads, garden veg pastitso, and a spread of homemade grilled breads, roasted veggies, and dreamy dips. We also created a tower of vegetarian pites including our spinach + leek pita and our fillo-less green pita (we ended up having a lot of vegetarian and gluten-free enthusiasts at the party, so this menu was ideal for everyone). For the hunter and gatherers, there was a build-your-own gyro platter which included olive oil braised chicken, sliced juicy tomatoes and sea salt, fennel, onion and grilled flatbreads (Also divine because who doeas’t love a de-constructed sandwich).
The Dessert
We kept this simple. My sister does not have a sweet tooth (even when pregnant, bananas in my book!), so she will only eat desserts with minimal sweet tones.The great thing about Fancy Peasant desserts is that they fit this mold perfectly - not too sweet, creamy, and definitely not rich. We opt for healthy alternatives (think honey, organic sugar, fresh lemon rinds) and use them in limited quantity for desserts that are light, refreshing, and that allow for that second helping. A big hit were our Greek Christmas Honey Pastries (Melomakarano) and powdered Greek Butter Cookies (Kourabiethes) as seen below. We also had a gluten and dairy-free Koulouri cookie platter. Of course, there was cake to accompany a shower of toasts. A naked cake, (sexy, simple and elegant) from my favorite cookie shop, One Girl Cookies. Lemon and raspberry curd for the larger layer and vanilla and chocolate buttercream for the other.
The Decor
I enlisted the help of my dear friend, Maria Seremetis, who has done a number of birthdays for my children over the past two years and has the most exquisite taste. We worked together to bring a magical Christmas theme to life using winter blues and whites for Steph’s baby boy. Over the years, I have also invested in several pieces for the holidays, ranging from dishware, ornaments, faux white sheepskin rugs, and a lifesize musical Nutcracker (yes, you read that correctly). As a mama to two boys, I can assure you it’s been a hit for any holiday-themed party and most fitting for an event like this one. Additional accents included oversized white snowflakes that hung from the ceiling, sparkly blue glass poinsettia plates, and faux sheepskin rugs that we layered on chairs and coffee tables to create cozy spaces. Our tree was adorned with my French Blue and Linen Ornament Collection and accented with velvet blue bows throughout. Oh, and the fuzzy, cozy, Christmas socks. Each lady got to choose a pair upon her arrival to wear throughout the festivities and take home for keeps. I really struggled to wear the socks in the end because when I went to buy my sexy sleepers the store clerk looked at me dead serious and said “wear these PJ’s with diamonds and heels women, they look insane together.” Too late lady, we’re all wearing ugly Christmas socks from Target.
Until our next Fancy Peasant soirée,
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year xx
