a Luncheon shower?
Well there;'s sol's chicken strudle....but that's really a glorofied chicken salad in a croissant....but yummy!
How about a rolade? That rolled souffle thing? I made a bunch of them once for a shower, filled them with a mushroom parmesan cheese filling, rolled up in saran and refrigerated them....then zapped and sliced ands erved with a drizzle of tomato sauce.....pretty and yummy.
And there is always quiche....crab...spinach...or Lorraine.
How about serving skewers of well marinated shrimp cooked in the oven on a bed of rice pilaf with pistachios and dried cherries?
I also remember one shower where I served cold cucumber soup in martini glasses and the main was a salad nicoise with a lady-like roll.
I have also made tomatoes hollowed and filled with tuna salad or egg salad.
And then there is that old favorite a sandwich loaf....where you take the square loaf and cut into 5 layers and fill each layer with something and frost with cream cheese and mayo and decorate with artfully cut veggie flowers.
Those ought to get you thinking.
Attached is the recipe for the rolled souffle....but the filling lacks a lot.
Linda C

Here is a link that might be useful: rolled souffle

It would help us help you if you could tell us the time of the shower and how many guests were invited.

Thanks!

Make little dessert shots in baby food jars! Little cheesecakes w/strawberries on top or blueberries; little chocolate ones; key lime ones.....

Fresh fruit kabobs with a yummy dip.

Chocolate fountain with various foods to dip.

Tuna/chicken/ham salad sandwiches cut into triangles (crusts removed) then spread outside edges w/a small amount of mayo and dip into parsley; they'll look so pretty.

Pasta salad, macc salad, macc n cheese..

A crock pot of shredded BBQ pork or beef with little rolls to make small sandwiches.

I'll keep thinking!

The shower is at 2:00 in the afternoon with about twenty guests. Chicken strudel sounds interesting. I'm making the cake, so I want to keep it fairly simple.

This Lori's recipe and it is excellent and can be made in advance

Chicken Strudel (Lori)

8 ounces mushrooms sliced
3 chicken breast halves boned skinned and thinly -sliced
3/4 c water
1/2 t salt
pinch of pepper
1/2 bay leaf
1/4 c vermouth or dry white wine
4 T butter
J 1/3 c flour
1/4 c milk
2 egg yolks
1/2 c whipping cream
1/2 c grated Swiss cheese
1 T pimiento
1/4 c chopped parsley
1/2 lb phyllo dough leaves
1/2 c butter,melted
1/2 c dry bread crumbs

In a saucepan, place mushrooms, chicken, water, salt, pepper, bay leaf and onions. Bring to a boil, and simmer 10 minutes. Remove mushrooms and meat with a slotted spoon and place in bowl. Boil down the cooking liquid to 1/2 cup. Remove from heat, add wine, and set aside.

In a separate saucepan, melt butter, add flour, and stir constantly over medium heat for 2 minutes. Slowly add cooking liquid and milk;~stir with a wire whisk until thick and smooth. Remove from heat.

Slowly stir in egg yolks, whipping cream and cheese. Add chopped pimiento and parsley. Then add chicken and mushrooms, stir well and correct seasoning. On a dry kitchen towel, lay 1 phyllo sheet, brush lightly with melted butter, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon dry bread crumbs, top with another phyllo sheet, brush again with melted butter and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Repeat until 1/2 pound phyllo leaves are used.~
Pour chicken mixture in a band lengthwise down center of prepared phyllo sheets. Roll sheets up as you would a jelly roll.

Carefully transfer roll to a greased baking sheet, seam side down, and brush top with remaning melted butter. With a sharp knife (a bread knife works well here) divide roll into 6 or 8 portions*, cutting halfway to two thirds through the roll. Bake at 375 F. for 35 minutes until golden.
*I usually get about 10 generous slices out of each roll. If I'm having several people over for brunch, I make 2 or 3. I'd probably double the recipe and make 2 for your party.

Also, I make this up the night before I'm serving it. I cover it well (on the baking sheet) with plastic wrap, and then put a slightly damp towel over that. Then just bake as recipe instructs. It's wonderful!
Lori

I've also had make your own taco bar at a baby shower. Very fun! Beef, Chicken, and bean filings plus all the toppings, with a green salad. But I'm thinking that Chicken Strudel sounds pretty awesome!!

At 2:00 in the afternoon, I would guess that most people would have had lunch, so I would serve sandwiches and snack type foods than something substantial that would be a "main course."

Garden Veggie Pizza Squares:

Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Ready In: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
Servings: 24

"Pre-packaged crescent roll dough gets baked into a single rectangle, then topped with ranch dressing-spiked cream cheese and crunchy vegetables."

Ingredients:
1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent rolls
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (1 ounce) package Ranch-style dressing mix
2 carrots, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped red bell peppers
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup fresh broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green onions

opt. grated sharp cheddar cheese to sprinkle all over the top of the veggie pizza

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Roll out crescent rolls onto a large non-stick baking sheet. Stretch and flatten to form a single rectangular shape on the baking sheet. Bake 11 to 13 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown. Allow to cool.
3. Place cream cheese in a medium bowl. Mix cream cheese with 1/2 of the ranch dressing mix. Adjust the amount of dressing mix to taste. Spread the mixture over the cooled crust. Arrange carrots, red bell pepper, broccoli and green onions on top. Chill in the refrigerator approximately 1 hour. Cut into bite-size squares to serve.

Fruit Kabobs:
cut fruit into bite-sized pieces pineapple, melon, banana, or leave whole, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc.
thread onto 5" or 6" bamboo skewers, chill until ready to serve

Curried Egg-Mayonnaise Sandwiches - makes 12 pieces:

Curried Egg Salad
2 hardboiled eggs, peeled
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 t. curry powder

Finely chop the eggs, mix with mayo and curry powder (add salt to taste if needed). Cover and chill for up to 3 days.

8 thin slices wheat bread
soft butter

Spread each slice of bread with the soft butter, divide the egg salad evenly between four slices of bread, top with rest of bread slices, trim crusts, cut the sandwiches into three equal strips each

Other ideas:
good quality bought Scottish shortbread cookies
store bought cheese ball or cheese spread served with plain Carr water biscuits

My two cents:

Depending on how strictly the guest of honor is following dietary guidelines, remember that the FDA recommends avoiding foods with uncooked egg in them, which includes mayo and mousse. Also, no deli meat unless heated to steaming. No cheeses made from unpasteurized milk (no queso fresca, no brie). Other guests, of course, can eat as much egg salad, deviled ham, and chicken salad as they want. And many expectant mothers eat it anyway. I adhered like a madwoman to every restriction and I was unable to eat anything my step mom prepared for my baby shower. (All contained mayo.) Which was fine, as I still had a good time.

That said, the chicken strudel sounds like the best bet.

Fresh fruit and fresh veggies with hummus or another mayo-free dip would round it out nicely with little extra cooking.

~Amanda

Commercial mayo is fine....
Also most brie is fine as it's made from pasteurized milk.
the US has a rule that any cheese must be aged longer then 60 days when imported into this country IF it has been made with unpasteurized milk. However some of the finer domestic brie's are not made with pasteurized milk....but many of the lesser ones are.
Long aged cheeses usually are not made with pasteurized milk....so parmesan and many other hard cheeses like sharp chedders, may not be good for pregnant women.....but the US dairy says that there is no danger from aged cheese.
But commercial mayo is just fine, no danger of salmonella.

Back to the shower...at 2 in the afternoon I would serve something like a wine cooker and faux coolers (no alcohol) and a dessert. Cookies and fruit, a parfait, a lovely cake....cheese cake with fruit.
Linda c

Make it a tea party!
Link shows what I did for my daughter's Bridal Shower in '07.
Across bottom: Scones, fruit tray (grapes, strawberries, pineapple) and open-faced tea sandwiches (tuna w/ yellow pepper, radish/butter, cucumber dill).
Above the scones are the strawberry jam and Devonshire cream.
On the tiered stand top to bottom: Strawberry Petit Four, Chocolate Petit Four and Lemon crisps.

We had punch, coffee and tea available.

Deanna

Here is a link that might be useful:

How about building a menu around the mothers favorite meal/food.

I was going to suggest Chicken ala King served in biscuit bowls. The ala king can be made a day or two ahead & then just make Bisquick biscuits-rolled out thin, cut with a 4" round cutter & turn cupcake tins upside down & lay a round over every other bottom (so they don't touch) & bake. You could serve a small salad (spinach or Caesar?), a skewer of chunks of fresh fruit & your cake for dessert.