Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: Wedded Bliss – Take 2

Imagine the moment when you hear “And now introducing the bride & groom for the first time as Mr & Mrs SoS!” It should be a moment you remember forever. You’ve been planning for months- down to every detail including the number of petals on each flower on the centerpieces. Not to mention the menu- ahh the wedding menu, one of the most important pieces of that special day. Brides agonize over picking the perfect dishes- their favorite foods, foods the guests will enjoy, what dishes will complement each other, how you will eat them- hors d’oeuvres or full course meal?

Only you can’t focus on that special moment because you’re starving. After anxiously awaiting the ceremony, then taking a million pictures of every great aunt, uncle, and Grandma, all you want is a glass of wine and big plate of that food you so deliberately chose for this moment.

But one more thing- all those pictures with Aunt Fiona made you miss the cocktail hour, and the first course. The instant you walk into the room, everyone wants to talk to you. Try though you may, you can’t force your way through the adoration to the buffet table. Before you know it, it’s time to cut the cake. Perfect- you’ll finally get to enjoy some of your laborious wedding choices…but they immediately take the cake away to serve the other guests.

The hours you spent specifically picking each dish….gone. You hope everyone else enjoyed it, but you have no idea. You didn’t get any.

The husband and I attended 11 weddings last year. Yup, 11. (And that’s just the ones we could make it to!) When you’ve been to that many weddings, you start to notice things. One of the things we noticed over and over is that bride & groom hardly ever get a chance to eat the food they spent hours selecting for their special day.  (I’m sure we took particular notice of this since we were still hurting over our missed chance at fine cuisine at our own wedding!)

If you’ve ever planned a wedding or been along side someone else who’s planning a wedding, you know the work that goes into every little detail. Even the non-foodies spent hours deliberating over food choices and dining styles.

But the moment’s passed; you’ve missed out on the food. What are you going to do about it? Enter Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: 24 meals, 24 hours, 24 blogs. Thanks to 24, 24, 24, we were able to recreate some of those special dishes for our newlywed friends.

Fresh sushi rolls for Emily- the one gluten-free item on the menu that disappeared before she got to the reception. The special apple-goat cheese-pecan salad my step-sister and her now husband created themselves to share their love of fresh food with their guests. The sweet potato bar Courtney and her now husband missed out on due to a stomach bug that pervaded the wedding party at the most inconvenient of times. And let’s not forget the delicious red velvet cupcakes Elizabeth & Joe missed out on- gluten-free for Joe, regular for Elizabeth!

From signature drinks to delectable desserts, I asked each invitee to share with me their favorite and most missed items on their wedding day. When February 27th rolled around, I got set to work recreating those dishes.

The Menu

Salad Greens with Maple Vinaigrette: Elizabeth & Joe

Fresh Sushi Rolls: Emily & Mike

Adobo Marinated Chicken Kabobs: Sara & Robby

Southern Shrimp & Grits: David & Ashley

Mashed Sweet Potatoes: Courtney & Justin

Roasted Asparagus & Assorted Cheeses: Heather & Chris

Red Velvet Cupcakes: Elizabeth & Joe

The Recipes

Salad Greens with Maple Vinaigrette

Mixed greens

Sliced granny smith apples

Candied pecans

Fresh goat cheese; crumbled

Maple vinaigrette:

- 1/8c apple cider vinegar

- 1/8c red wine vinegar

- 1/2c extra virgin olive oil

- 3T maple syrup

- 2T Dijon mustard

- Salt & Pepper

Adobo Marinated Chicken Kabobs

Chicken breasts, pounded thin & cut in long strips

Marinade:

- 1/2c orange juice

-2T lime juice

-1T white vinegar

-1-2 chipotle chiles

- 2 cloves garlic

-1/2t cumin

-Salt & pepper

Marinate chicken 30-60 minutes. Thread on to bamboo skewers (soak in water to prevent burning). Place on hot grill; cook several minutes on each side until cooked through.

Southern Shrimp & Grits

1 cup stone ground grits

2 cups water

2 cups chicken broth + 1/4c  for shrimp

1 yellow onion, chopped

1T butter

1/2c shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Shrimp

2 T flour

1T lemon juice

Splash hot pepper sauce

Salt & pepper

Stir grits into boiling water & broth. Simmer ~25 minutes, until liquid is absorbed. While grits are simmering, sauté onions. Remove grits from heat; stir in butter, cheese, and onions. Saute shrimp over medium heat with remaining 1/4c chicken broth. Stir in flour, lemon juice, & hot sauce. Cook until shrimp turn pink. Season shrimp & grits with salt & pepper. Top with shredded cheese.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

4 large sweet potatoes

1/2c Milk

1T butter

1/2T brown sugar

Bake sweet potatoes in oven or microwave. Let cool slightly and scrap insides into bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. Serve with crushed pecans and shredded cheddar cheese for toppings.

Roasted Asparagus

1lb asparagus

Olive oil

Salt & pepper

Coat asparagus in olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Roast at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Can be served hot or cold.

Sushi

Cream cheese rolls

Assorted Cheeses

Buy cheese. Cut in cubes. I used sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

I used the recipe from the Babycakes cookbook.

[To be honest, they didn’t turn out well- at the last minute I transformed them into cream cheese filled & chocolate drizzled volcanoes by crumbling the cupcakes and mixing them with the icing.)

Drinks

My favorite part: personalized bottles of wine for each of the couples.

The ten of us enjoyed a great evening, reminiscing about our weddings & talking about upcoming nuptials. The girls were in white; the boys in black. (We’re brides & grooms after all!). The music playing in the background was songs we played at our weddings, and a slide show of wedding photos played on the television. Decorations were themed around each of our bridal party colors- three shades of blue, deep purple, and champagne; candles & flowers throughout.

Wouldn’t you love to attend your own wedding a second time, and have time to soak it all in and enjoy the food this time around?! That’s Wedded Bliss – Take 2. Thank you Foodbuzz for this opportunity!!