Pot of Gold: Jessica's Virtual Baby Shower

It's time for a virtual party! A virtual party is when a group of blogger friends choose a day to write a post to celebrate such a blessing in their life. It's one way to shower their friend with love and it is a special way to share the dishes that we might be enjoying if we were all together in real life. The hardest part of the virtual party is that most of us all live far away from each other but that doesn't stop us from showering our friends with love.

Today Jessica of My Baking Heart and I are co-hosting a baby shower for Jessica of Sunny Side Up. She is expecting her first baby anytime now - a sweet baby girl! As you may know if you don't already, Jessica and Jesse have named their sweet daughter, Maeve. It comes from Irish descent and Jessica absolutely loves Irish dancing. Jessica and I wanted to do a little Irish jig (if we could) to celebrate and help welcome her little bundle of joy Irish style, so we came up with the perfect theme - Pot of Gold!

Jessica is a dear friend to me who I had met a couple years ago on a cooking board and we actually met in real life at a food blogger conference and also have had a couple meet-ups afterwards as well. We have been friends ever since and I have been slowly waiting for the day for her to become a mommy. Jessica is pretty awesome with kids (she was a part-time nanny), cooks and bakes yummy and delicious foods like this incredible Tuxedo Layered Cheesecake or one of favorite meals Spicy, Sticky, Sweet Asian Meatballs and is a very thoughtful and caring friend and her down to earth charm is infectious. She is one of my all-time favorite bloggers that continues to inspire me and a true sweetheart of a friend. I know that Jessica is going to be one fantastic mommy and will shower her little pot of gold with so much love.

To celebrate Jessica's Pot of Gold baby shower, Jessica and I have gathered a fabulous group of Jessica's favorite bloggers for a virtual shower. Everyone has prepared plenty of delicious treats and mouthwatering eats for this wonderful Pot of Gold virtual baby shower.

First up, Katie of So Tasty, So Yummy baked a Chocolate Guinness Cake. Chocolate and beer in a cake? This scrumptious sweet treat is a must for any Irish celebration if you ask me. Pure genius (Guinness).

A fellow friend of ours, Joelen of What's Cooking Chicago made a tasty Shepard's Pie. This is a staple in Irish cooking and definitely a meat pie that we would all enjoy. Highly satisfying!

Next up, Amber of Sugared Whisk made these fantastic Irish Egg Rolls. These tasty and filling appetizers are a perfect alternative to the typical corned beef and cabbage. Heck yes!

Krissy of Dainty Chef baked up these gorgeous Rainbow Cupcakes. These colorful rainbow cupcakes are perfect for this Irish celebration because they are fun to make and eat as well. It's like eating all the colors of the rainbow!

Rachel of Good Thymes and Good Food baked up one of my favorite dishes that I love to indulge on of Irish Soda Bread. This Irish classic is best when served warm with good butter, especially Irish butter if you can find it.

Kelsey of Apple a Day baked up a batch of some savory Irish Cheddar Scones. These scones are the perfect Irish indulgence - cheesy and buttery carb-y heaven. Yes please!

Elly of Elly Says Opa made a tray of Steak and Guinness Sandwiches. This fancypants steak sandwich is a beautiful marriage of beef and Guinness. Can I have a tray of these right now?

Nikki of Seeded at the Table made this gorgeous End of the Rainbow Fruit Salad. This End of the Rainbow Fruit Salad is the first book in a series of kids cooking-related books from the Kitchen Club kids. Kid-friendly recipes are a must for any future baby foodie! Smart thinking mommy Nikki!

Another mutual friend of ours, Nicole of Prevention RD, made these irresistible Guinness and Pretzel Truffles. I have to get my hands on some Guinness and try these suckers out because they sound ahhh-mazing!

Jessica my fellow co-host of My Baking Heart made Chocolate Mint M&M Cookies. Jessica must have been on the same cooking mindset as myself because I used Mint M&Ms in my recipe as well. Any M&M cookie is a winner but this Chocolate Mint version will have you addicted!

Finally, for my own contribution, something that every pregnant woman wants/needs/must-haves are the perfect icy cold sweet treat - Shamrock Ice Cream. You always need to wear green for St. Patrick's Day to avoid getting pinched and I wanted to make something that was green enough to eat! I was inspired from Suzanne to make a batch of Shamrock Ice Cream. It's funny but I have been on an ice cream making kick lately, and I'm not even pregnant! My adaptation has mint Oreos and mint M&Ms making it the ultimate minty green concoction.

Shamrock Ice Cream

Adapted from The Perfect Scoop & Inspired from Kokocooks

{Printable Recipe}

Yield: 1 pint
Ingredients

• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• pinch of salt
• 5 large egg yolks
• 1/4 teaspoon mint extract
• 1 cup crushed Mint Oreos
• 1/2 cup Mint M&Ms
• 1/8 teaspoon green coloring

Cooking Directions

1. In a small saucepan, warm the milk, heavy cream, sugar and salt over medium heat. Bring to a slow simmer for about 10 minutes.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly scoop 1 cup of the warmed milk liquid into the medium bowl and whisk constantly until the egg mixture has thickened slightly. Be careful to curdle the eggs with the hot milk, remove any cooked eggs if so.
3. Stir the whisked egg mixture back into the pot and stir the mixture together with a heatproof spatula over medium heat. It will coat the spatula. Remove from heat and chill mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator.
4. Prepare ice cream in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Stir in the green coloring until the mixture is the desired shade of green. Fold in the crushed Oreos and mint M&Ms. Place in a freezer container and let it freeze for at least 4 hours before serving.

Thank you so much to Jessica my co-host and the rest of the shower contributors. It's too bad that we all live too far away and couldn't celebrate in real life because all of these dishes sound absolutely perfect. Please make sure you check out all the fabulous dishes and scrumptious treats for this adorable "Pot of Gold" virtual baby shower.

Congratulations to Jessica on your sweet Irish baby girl. Maeve is so lucky to have parents like you and Jesse! I wish you nothing but the best as you begin your journey as a family of three. The love that your sweet child will bring you and Jesse is one of the greatest gifts that you could ever ask for.