Baby Shower!

I know, I know, I have not been the best blogger lately. I lost focus- not only with the holidays and the new baby coming, but because I don't know what direction I'm heading with the blog. Last year was full of fancy Southwest dinner parties, and I learned about a lot of new ingredients and techniques, but those kind of parties can't happen with the baby on the way. Those took two days to prep for! So what to focus on now? Still not sure...






But here's what I can share – I had my baby shower this past weekend. It was so much fun! My friend Stephanie did all the games and made a delicious belly bump cake, Natalie helped with all the decorations and my mom helped with all the delicious food. And Hannh, the cupcake master that she is, made the most delicious blue velvet cupcakes- they were a hit!





We had a menu of Southern style foods because the name Jackson (what our precious baby boy will be named) is a traditional Southern name. We had shrimp and grits biscuits, barbecue on sweet potato biscuits, turnip green dip, pimento cheese dip, and sausage balls. But the most raved about thing we had were the mini crawfish pies. I got the recipe from an old issue of the Paula Deen magazine, and here it is:

Mini Crawfish Pies

2 tablespoons butter
1 minced red bell pepper
4 minced celery ribs
Three minced shallots
Two cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons parsley
2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 pound frozen crawfish tails, thawed and drained
4 boxes frozen mini phyllo shells, thawed
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon butter, melted

In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper, celery, shallot, and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes, until tender. Stir in flour, cook for two minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly add cream, 1 tablespoon parsley, and Creole seasoning, stirring until combined. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes, until slightly thickened. Add cream cheese, whisking until melted. Stir in crawfish. Remove from heat.
Preheat oven to 400°.
Place if phyllo shells on ungreased baking sheets. Fill shells evenly with Crawfish mixture.
In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs, remaining 1 tablespoon parsley, and melted butter. Sprinkle evenly over crawfish mixture. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until lightly browned. Serve immediately.

Just so you know, the only place in Vegas I have found that has crawfish or phyllo shells is Walmart. Enjoy!