Baby Shower Menu | What to Serve

• Heat oven to 425 degrees; place oven rack in lower third of oven. Unfold pastry onto piece of parchment paper and rol ½ inch bigger on all sides. Slide parchment and pastry onto baking sheet. In medium bowl, beat egg. Lightly brush ½-inch border of egg around pastry.
• Add ricotta, garlic and herbs cheese, and salt, pepper, and lemon zest into bowl with remaining egg. Mix well then fold in scallions. Spread onto pastry, leaving ½ inch border uncovered.
  
• Top filling with asparagus using remaining pieces to fill in any empty spaces; drizzle with olive oil. Bake until crust is golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes.
  

• Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add tortellini. Cook according to package directions until al dente, about 5 minutes, and drain. Rinse with cool water and set aside to dry before using.
• On a small bamboo skewer, add one each cooled tortellini, cherry tomato, and mozzarella ball. Set on serving tray and spoon pesto on the tortellini. Serve with extra pesto on the side if desired. 

• In a large bowl whisk together all of the dressing ingredients.
• Add the chicken salad ingredients on top and stir together using a rubber spatula until combined.

Meatballs:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Combine all meatball ingredients in a large bowl and, using clean hands, mix until combined. Roll into large balls, approximately 1 ½ inch and place on baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes until cooked through. 
  

Marinara Sauce

• For the marinara sauce, heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes, then add the garlic and salt and cook for an additional minute. Add the remainder of the ingredients and bring to a simmer. Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes. Adjust seasoning as needed. Optional: using an emersion blender, blend the sauce to your desired consistency. 
• Add the cooked meatballs to the sauce and simmer on medium-low heat for 30 minutes. If making ahead, cool slightly, cover, and refrigerate. Reheat over medium heat until warmed through. Serve with parmesan and pasta, if desired. 
  

• Cook quinoa according to package directions. Set aside to cool. 
• Roughly chop kale, being careful to remove any hard stems. Add kale, cooled quinoa, parmesan, raisins, and walnuts to a large bowl. 
• Make the dressing: whisk together all dressing ingredients. 
• Toss together the dressing and salad and refrigerate at least an hour before serving. Salad can be made up to a day in advance. 

• Arrange the fruit and donuts on the skewer with the blackberry in the middle. Either wrap each individual skewer in wax paper and secure with ribbon, or serve stacked on a platter. 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar, and vanilla. Pour into the bottom of either a springform pan or a pie dish. If using a springform, press crumb mixture into bottom of pan. If using pie dish, press into bottom and up the walls of the pie pan. Bake for 12 minutes. Set aside to cool. 
• For the ice-cream layer, arrange the sliced bananas on top of the graham crust. Pour on dulce de leche or caramel sauce. Place the softened ice-cream in a large mixing bowl. In a microwave safe bowl, add the butterscotch chips and about ¼ cup of ice-cream. Microwave until melted, stirring every 30 seconds. Pour the melted chips and chopped pecans into the ice-cream and stir to combine but do not over mix. Pour into pan and freeze for at least an hour. 
  
• Spread the softened ice cream over the bananas and freeze for about an hour.
  
• Remove the cake from the freezer and pour the remaining dulce de leche or caramel sauce on top. Arrange the remaining banana slices around the edge of the cake. Sprinkle the pecans in the middle. Return to freezer for another 15 minutes or until ready to serve. 
  
• When ready to serve, allow to sit at room temperature before cutting or removing the springform. Serve with whipped cream (optional).