A delicious wedding

A couple of months ago, my friend Naomi’s friend Claire contacted me about possibly catering her wedding.   Naomi and Claire both live in Minneapolis, but the wedding was to take place on a ranch/retreat center near Watertown, South Dakota.  It’s still under construction, and the facilities are very limited – fridge, running water, electricity, coffee maker.  No stove, definitely no serious kitchen.

Thankfully, we knew this ahead of time and planned the menu accordingly. The bride and groom made arrangements for someone to haul in an enormous grill and make steaks for everyone, leaving us with the apps, sides, and dessert.  This is how Carla, who traveled to the wedding with me, felt about this:

The grill guys told us they were relieved not to have our job, and we felt the same about theirs – everyone did what they were good at, and I think we were able to pull it off.  The bride and groom were happy, and that is the most important part!

Appetizers

Dried apricots with chevre & pistachios

Marinated feta, olives, roasted peppers, roasted garlic, marinated artichokes + selection of flatbreads

Soup shooter duo – chilled corn chowder with chive oil & chilled zucchini soup with fresh basil

Smoked salmon, capers, creme fraiche, onions, tomatoes + baguette

The groom and flower girl peruse the appetizer selection.

(aside:  what is going on with my fonts here?  Why can’t I get a consistent font?  WordPress, sometimes you are a mystery to me.)

Sides

Potato gratin (this one was very stressful, as it had to be cold during transport for safety reasons, but was to be served hot.  We warmed it with sternos and prayers to the gods of cooking.  It worked!)

Couscous salad with grilled summer vegetables, olives, capers, and pistachios

Haricots verts salad with shallot & tarragon vinaigrette

Caprese panzanella

Assorted rolls

Desserts

Brownie tarts, topped with either honey-candied pecans or dark-chocolate covered pomegranate

Pound cake with balsamic-roasted strawberry sauce

Cheesecake bites with fresh berries and honey

Thanks to Tom for the app/side pictures, and to Kate for the dessert pictures!  And thanks to Claire and Darren for letting Jeanne Cooks World be a part of your day.

Fridge Friday – Pork-A-Palooza edition

Pork-a-palooza is tomorrrow!  This is what a fridge that contains ~180 empanadas and ~230 meatballs looks like.

Oh, and a double batch of Cuban pork hash – I’m really interested in trying that one.  It’s ground pork with onions and garlic, heavily spiced with cinnamon.  Very curious.

I’m just a little unclear where I’m going to put the coleslaw.

Hope to see you at Pork-A-Palooza tomorrow!

Housewarming appetizers

I have to leave for a wedding rehearsal dinner right now.

There will be no Fridge Friday or Weight Watchers post this week.

So I will leave you with

spanikopita porn

And red velvet cake balls/chocolate hazelnut cutout cookies – all of the above taken at Janelle’s housewarming last weekend.

Happy almost Friday, everyone!

Inspiring

It’s been a crazy weekend of food awesomeness. Friday night Jeanne Cooks World catered a gallery opening – the food was great, the people were awesome, and (I think) a good time was had by all.

I definitely had fun plating appetizers…

We made rosemary & white bean dip with sage, polenta triangles with goat cheese & red pepper, and antipasti rolls.  The antipasti rolls were a BIG hit – as expected, I suppose. Who doesn’t love prosciutto?

Saturday we went to Nebraska City to get apples and apple stuff.  And also to hang out with Curt’s cousin Brandon and his super-excellent wife Lacey.  I have 25 lbs of apples and not one damn picture to show for the day.  But soon there will be pictures of apple… stuff.  Not sure what yet.

Today, Sunday, I volunteered at the Stored Potential opening exhibition and dinner.

It was a dinner for 500 put on by local chefs to celebrate the banner installation on the old grain silos on 36th and Vinton Streets in Omaha.

It’s really freaking hard to capture the scale of a table for 500 people or to explain the logistics of feeding them.  Especially feeding them 1. Outdoors; 2. With no kitchen; 3. Or even running water; and 4. With a mostly-volunteer staff.  It’s really awe-inspiring what they (we!  I helped!) pulled off today.

And this was no sandwiches and lemonade picnic – it was a phenomenal multi-course meal:

UPDATE:  Thanks to Jenny and Brian for sending me a photo of the actual menu. 

It was fitting tribute to these silos.  I used to drive by them every day on my way to work – they’ve been vacant for ages.  I’ve never, ever been near them though.

They look a lot cooler now than they did then, and I hope this project, the climbing gym project, and the extension of the Field Club Trail past them will mean more people can get up-close and personal with the old silos.  As they become something new again.

A wedding weekend to remember

Neil and Sara got married last weekend – I didn’t cater their actual wedding, but they had a big party after their groom’s dinner on Friday and a brunch on Sunday that I did do.

Neil and Mitch worked together in the past, and Neil was a guest at Mitch’s graduation party in June.  After tasting the food there, Neil asked for my card and about six weeks later I had an email asking me to cater their events.  It was a lot of fun and the food was DELICIOUS, if I do say so myself!

There aren’t a ton of pictures from Friday night because the party started near dusk and the light was just not working – but I did get a few.

Mac & cheese bites:

Mediterranean lavosh – hummus, cucumbers, kalamatas:

Margherita lavosh:

There were also caprese skewers with a balsamic vinaigrette, lamb lollipops with a mint/yogurt sauce, andouille pigs in a blanket with a remoulade sauce,and chicken satay with a peanut sauce.

And of course, dessert:

Red velvet cake balls and flourless honey-roasted peanut & chocolate chunk cookies from Words to Eat By.  Apparently the red velvet cake balls were the hit of the night.

Sunday morning there was a brunch so everyone could enjoy themselves and relax together with the happy couple a bit more.  There was creme brulee french toast and quiche Lorraine:

A bagel bar with cream cheese, lox, sliced onions & tomato, and strawberry jam; cut melon with basil; and spiced roast potatoes.

And you can’t forget the mimosa bar with orange juice, mango puree, and papaya puree – and the crowning glory, the bloody Mary bar with jalapeno-infused vodka.

There were quite a few logistical challenges with catering an event for so many people so far away from where we live and in a different kitchen!  I think we met the challenge and made Neil and Sara some delicious food for a couple of great parties.

And man, I wish there was some red velvet cake left.  That was AWESOME.

Mitch’s Graduation

My friend Mitch is a real live radiologist!  A big graduation requires a big party and lots of delicious appetizers.

Caprese skewers with balsamic vinaigrette

Spring rolls (purchased) with peanut sauce (homemade).

Pausing for a photo op.

Beautiful racks of lamb.

Lamb lollipops with mint/yogurt sauce.

There was also chicken sate with more peanut sauce, seared peppered tuna with a wasabi mayo, and antipasto crostini.  The crostini had provolone, various meats (salami, spicy salami, or mortadella), olive tapenade, artichoke hearts, and roasted red peppers.  You can see the crostini in the bottom left of the below photo.

Pretty and delicious – just the way I like it.  Congratulations to Mitch!