Oh my sakes....chicken salad...honey nut bread for starters.
How about a salad of shredded lettuce in a nest shape with halved grapes as eggs and a few sticks of peppers and green onions added in...dressed with a simple balsamic dressing.
Cake could be a skep shape with candy bees....and doesn't matter what cake....decorated with real or sugar flowers

Oh yeah, chicken salad or chicken sandwiches, that's the "bird", or turkey if you prefer. "Bees" would be anything honey, including honey nut bread or honey cookies or even baklava, it's full of honey.

Shower cake? I'd make this one!

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/85/e6/86/85e6868e8cb63df0e8adb9655bdfd7fd.jpg

Or this one:

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/254734922646197743/

Oh, and congratulations, Grandma, another little one to spoil, that's wonderful.

Annie

Crispy chicken strips or bites with honey mustard-covers both birds and bees.

Quiche or frittata- I guess eggy stuff can go under "birds" you can make frittata on a sheet pan and cut it into little squares. Ina garten has an interesting recipe for one like that.

Chicken salad in filo cups or tea sandwiches.

I have made chocolate covered strawberries with white chocolate. Perhaps you can dye the chocolate yellow and make the stripes with dark chocolate. Or make truffles the same way.

Mini potato or zucchini pancakes. They look like nests to me.

Can food that starts with the letter "b" count? Or is it to far off the theme for your DIL? If it can:

Brownies

Blueberry scones with honey butter (or regular scones with blueberry butter)

Banana muffins or banana cake decorated with candy bees.

Anything featuring bacon as a main ingredient.

Cheese tray with blue cheese,brie.....uh.....something else. Sorry can't think of another b cheese. Or, a cheese ball with stripes and those oval crackers for wings.

I would take this theme too far I think. I would make little oval meatballs,stick them on a toothpick "stinger " and add sliced almonds for wings. I would be tempted to make chicken or turkey meatballs to stick with the theme,but don't know if in would do it.

Turkey tea sandwiches to go along with the chicken salad ones. The chicken on little croissants, the turkey on sliced bread and cut into smaller ones.

Tuna tarlets or even just tuna salad with toast points or made into small sandwiches . If DIL balks,promise to use bumblebee tuna. Or chicken of the sea. (Tee hee) Here is a recipe from the two fat ladies. I have made them with canned tuna and they were good. The recipe is for one big one,but I made small individual ones in small tart shells or even in a muffin tin once. (Those weren't very pretty,but were delicious and a good portion size)

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tomato-tartlets-recipe-1918627

Idea!

Is there going to be a cake involved? If so, I suggest a layer cake with alternating chocolate and yellow cake layers,decorated with flowers.Or both kinds of cupcakes(chocolate with chocolate frosting yellow with lemon or dyed vanilla frosting),lined up in alternating stripes. Or sugar cookies, with a lemon glaze,cut into honeycomb (6 sided) shapes,again decorated with candy bees or candy flowers or both.

Okay I'm done now. Promise.

annie says about a cake...i'd make this one! Ha! in layers, with rolled fondant....and a fondant bow....and little bees...
I would be afraid that would be a set up for one of those epic fail pictures for me!
But even I could make a bee shaped cake by cutting down a cake in a 9 by 12 pan and frosting it with yellow frosting with skinny strips of licorise for stripes.

Well, pinterest always comes through. Here are lots of bee ideas for a shower! I'm sure there are even more for birds.

https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=bee%20themed%20baby%20shower&rs=guide&term_meta[]=bee%7Ctyped&term_meta[]=themed%7Ctyped&add_refine=baby%20shower%7Cguide%7Cword%7C5

and, of course, Bird and Bee themed showers:

https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=birds%20and%20bees%20themed%20baby%20shower&rs=typed&term_meta[]=birds%20and%20bees%20themed%20baby%20shower%7Ctyped

sorry, the link icon is missing for me, so the I can just cut and paste, so the links look way too long.

not a cake, but look at this adorable donut hole bee hive:

Bowls of a combo of nuts, dryed fruit and seeds to snack on.

You can add vegetables and pesto salad on your main menu :) https://joannamaelim.wixsite.com/virtualassistance

Thanks guys. Still mulling on the food. My head was thinking more along the lines of appys / finger foods rather than sandwiches.....but that could change !!!

Yikes, after all your great sweet suggestions and links I have decided to order all sweets from a bakery that specializes in novelty cakes, cupcakes etc. !!!!! No way I'm going there!

There is also a really neat candy shoppe nearby that does great things with candy presentations and loot bags.

Maybe I'll just fill them up on sweets !

LOL, LIndaC, only the fndant bow is the problem. The cake could be frosted with buttercream and the decorations cut from fondant with cookie cutters, then stuck to the cake. No one actually gets those letters that perfect freehand, those are cutters.

With everything else, though, I think Sharon has the right idea about contacting a bakery!

Olychick, I LOVE the donut hole beehive!

Annie

'Birds and Bees' is a great theme for a shower, for food, and for games! My first thought was chicken and honey -- something along the lines of a chicken satay and include at least one honey-based dip. Anything with honey works... I'd even be inclined to think of a way to have all kinds of honey options... like muffins w/ honey butter, or a choice of different honey types (raw, buckwheat, etc). Figs w/ prosciutto and honey? Dried apricots w/ a smear of cheese (blue, goat, whatever), a toasted nut, and a drizzle of honey. lol!

Congratulations!

I make tea sandwiches for a lot of occasions. They are always a hit, no matter what age group. They are also a great presentation. I use a variety of breads, plain old white, whole wheat, mini croissants and cheese. All crusts removed. Some rolled, some triangles, some fingered and so on. Filling are chicken salad, egg salad, deviled ham, turkey and cheese. The chicken salad, I like to add a bit of curry and toasted slivered almonds.

If you start at 1, many will have skipped lunch and come hungry. If there is wine or an adult punch they need something in their tummies so they can head home to families. Feed them well and all will be good.

PK..you know me...they will be fed well ; )

Plramer60, I was thinking the same thing. But different parts of the country entertains differently. My part of the country with my family and friends you better have real food no matter what time the party is. Usually it is 2 - 3 main dishes, 1 -2 vegetables, 2 starches, snacks, and desserts.

How about little tiny "chicken and waffles", drizzled with honey or honey mustard? About a two bite size, covers both "bird" and "bee" and could be made mostly ahead of time. That chicken salad could go into little cream puff type pastries, or your cheese gougere made small.

Although if it's birds, then it's eggs and you could fill the potatoes with caviar, they're eggs. Flying fish roe? (grin)

Baked brie drizzled with honey? Tiny little crostata topped with seasoned ricotta and drizzled with honey, or ricotta sweetened with honey and berries?

I'm trying to think of something in the mini potatoes, but I keep getting stuck on eggs in a hash brown basket for some reason. Maybe you could put the chicken salad in those?

Annie

Sharon, I was never worried!

Annie, I am picking up what you are putting down.......getting there.

I have made a great appy of a pear slice topped with blue cheese and drizzeled when honey.....forgot about that

As an aside......

For those of you who have posted over all these years and followed the events of our lives . This has been a frightening time....but all is good.

Meredith has had back issues for quite some time. She was in serious pain for years before her pregnancy but they would not do surgery. Four weeks ago she developed total paralysis on her left side. ...total paralysis. A disc had excruded in the extreme and was pressing against the nerves in her spine

Because she has had these ongoing back issues her doctor had already had her placed on a high risk clinic for women with ambulatory/ spinal issues at a well renowned hospital.......Sunnybrook for the Canadians here

Wisely, when the paralysis developed they went right to the high risk clinic where she had an Obgyn team and a neurology team familiar with her situation.

Long story short they did emergery spinal surgery........at just short of 6 months pregnant . It was beyond tense. A full neurological team, obstetrics team and a neo natal pediatric team......I have never been so frightened.

But Meredith being Meredith she and my darling new little grandson came through brilliantly.

All of which to say.....it's gotta be a great shower!!!

Sharon, that's very frightening, at that stage so many things can happen. Whew, you all have my hugs and good thoughts. So the little guy is here? Or is he still unborn?

No doubt that your shower will be great, even more so considering the circumstances.

I hope Meredith's surgery helps her back now and in the future, that would be a blessing, especially with a little one to care for.

Prayers to you all, for good health and lots of healing for everyone.

Annie

First things that came to my mind on seeing "birds and bees" was eggs in the next and hummingbird cake. That takes care of the birds. As for the bees, how about Bee Sting cake?

I'm just excited you get to have a baby shower. Congrats!

I was thinking along the same lines as Annie with the shredded potato nest filled with something. I wondered about a bit of sour cream in the bottom with a dollop of fish roe.

If you go with nests, I've seen them made with fried rice noodles... they're lighter and easier than shredding potatoes. :) Just layer the rice noodles between two 'spiders' (jumbo wired spoons like this) and lower into the hot oil for a few seconds.

I love planning menus! I just remembered thsmlittle appie that is so easy and so good. You can use other things than the olives. Not exactly theme appropriate, but maybe try another time.

http://www.bestofbridge.com/olive-cheese-balls/

I'm really liking the little nests with sour cream and roe......could do other filings as well. That's a for sure

Thinking I might also be able to pull off a Gougere bee hive inspired Olychicks post.

This theme carp makes me nuts

Annie , no baby grandson is still in the oven and doing very well. She is due end of May.

Oh, thank goodness, when you said "neo-natal team" I started getting anxious.

Oooh, I like the gougere beehive idea, that's cute AND delicious...

Annie

I agree on the bee hive gougere....and the poached salmon.
but you better get some devilled eggs in there....and a honey cake or bread or something.
Glad Meredith is feeling better and the scary surgery is over....and I am sure you all will whoop for joy when the little nugget makes his face shown!!

Deviled eggs were there from the git go........; ) thinking of pear slices topped with blue cheese and drizzled with honey

Sharon, I love the pear slices with honey idea. For "birds", you could also make tiny quiche or frittata in mini-muffin cup size.

I do like deviled eggs, though!

Annie

Please let us know how it goes. Sounds wonderful!

I do birds nests with chinese noodles and melted butterscotch chips. Sort of like "no bake" cookies except with the noodles and butterscotch for a "nest" color. Scoop with ice cream scoop and then hollow out center for nest shape. Fill with a few jelly beans or candy eggs of some other type. Can serve with our without Peep as a side . . . :)

Oh yeah, L!! I forgot about Peeps. There's your "bird". (grin)

Annie

Perfect!