My Best Friends Wedding

Jun 21, 2011

My best friend is now married! They met in grade school, started dating 4 years ago, were engaged for 5 months and were married 3 days ago.

She looked like a princess…

and he was her king…

We spent the morning getting our hair and makeup done and trying to keep the bride calm about cake problems and reception decorations that were in slight disarray.

The afternoon was filled with picture-taking and making sure the bride did not cross paths with the groom at the on-site bed & breakfast that was rented out for the wedding party.

The wedding ceremony was outside under a gazebo at a local vineyard.

It was a beautiful ceremony and a fun reception full of dancing. After the reception the bride and groom left to their suite at the B&B and the wedding party went out downtown. Needless to say I’m still tired from the festivities. I’ve watched a lot of this:

…and this:

…and this:

so I made this…

Homemade Kettle Corn

3 T. vegetable oil
3 T. popcorn kernels
1 T. agave (or honey)
1 t. cinnamon

1. Pour oil into pot (make sure it covers the bottom of the pot). Add a single kernel of corn. Cover and heat at medium-high setting.
2. When kernel pops, add corn to cover pot bottom (one kernel deep). Cover and shake gently.
3. When popping slows, remove from heat and add agave and cinnamon.

FYI: Honey works, but agave gives a classic kettle corn taste. You can also use an air-popper if you have one.

***

If you know me, you know I can’t sit for too long. Tomorrow I’m heading to Chicago!!! My step-mom has a business conference and I’m just going along for the ride.
I can’t wait to find a deep-dish pizza and some fabulous veggie food.

Have you been to Chicago? If so, what is your favorite thing to do or favorite place to eat?

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The Day Before My Best Friends Wedding…

Jun 17, 2011

Go on a 4-mile run – check.

Take a shower – check.

Make a delicious breakfast – check.

Baked Eggs in a Portobello Mushroom
1 serving

1 large Portobello mushroom cap
2 eggs (or egg whites)
2 T onion, finely diced
1 T scallion greens and bulbs, finely chopped
1 oz. goat cheese
roasted tomatoes, optional
S&P
Cooking spray

1. Preheat the oven to 375°.  Line a cookie sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.  Clean the mushroom caps with a damp paper towel. Pop off the stem and leave the gills intact.

2. Lightly sprinkle each mushroom cap with salt & freshly ground pepper, followed by the onion, cheese and scallions. Carefully crack two eggs into each mushroom and place on baking sheet.  Bake for 25-35 minutes, until the eggs are set according to personal taste.

3. Remove from the oven & allow to cool for about 5 minutes.  Garnish with scallion greens and pepper, and enjoy!

Make signs for the wedding – check.

Go over my Maid of Honor toast – check.

Pack – check.

Burn CD with back-up wedding songs on it – check.

Eat a gigantic summer salad – check.

Spinach, homegrown tomatoes, baked tofu, sweet potato, bell peppers and left-over black bean salad. Yum-ola!

Drive to the rehearsal dinner….

I’m off and will see you Monday. Have a great weekend!

 

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Have Food, Will Travel

Jun 13, 2011

My best friends wedding is this Saturday and, as her Maid of Honor, I threw a bachelorette party this past weekend. We stayed at a hotel in downtown Dallas, learned a chair dance from ‘Spicy Denise’, played tons of bridal-themed games, went out on the town and managed to get into a VIP room at the House of Blues. My favorite game was making Christie, the bride, pop a balloon when someone said the word “wedding”. On the inside of the balloon was a dare such as, “run to the center of the lobby and scream ‘I’m getting married’!!!”….It was HILARIOUS to see the reaction on the receptionist’s face. She almost dropped the phone she was holding! It was a night we will never forget.

I baked rum cake and chocolate chip cookies for dessert. I also made a couscous salad (similar to this quinoa salad) and a black bean salad on Friday morning to go with the smorgasbord of veggies, hummus, fruit, chips, pretzels and cheese. I loaded the food into my new car and made the four-hour trip to Dallas.

I really want to share the black bean salad recipe with you because it turned out so well. Inspiration for this recipe came from a salad I purchased at a Whole Foods on my California trip.

I decided to wing the measurements based on the ingredient list. This makes a HUGE salad with intense flavor. It works well for a summer party because it was easy to travel with, quick to make and could be served cold. Opt to half the recipe if you are only making this for a few people.

Black Bean and Corn Salad
Yield: 12 servings

3 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 bags of frozen corn, defrosted
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
3 scallions, finely chopped
1 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/8 cup rice wine vinegar
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 t. oregano
S&P

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Sprinkle with S&P to taste.
2. Refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to combine.

I hope you enjoy this as much as we did!

Have you recently celebrated a wedding? If so, what was your favorite part?

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