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| Tables |
A year ago at this time, my family and I were busily preparing
for my youngest daughter’s upcoming marriage and well, you know how much
preparation, anxiety and true happiness a wedding can bring. Since I am a DIY Event
Planner, Interior Decorator and Chef, I of course hosted and catered the bridal shower for some 50 women in my
yard. I happen to have a large patio
which I had tented to protect our guests from the elements and on that day, it
was simply to protect us from the oppressive heat. (You may recall that last
year’s blizzards spawned last spring’s torrential rain fall which bloomed into
a full fledge summer heat wave, particularly the week in July that Noelle and
Rick got married.) Paper laterns hung from
the tent and paper umbrellas decorated the floor, rented tables were covered in
pink clothes, table floral arrangements were pink, rose and white, and the party
favors were personalized hand painted wine glasses and assorted cocktail mixes
which, I have to say, were fun, cute and a great table decoration. Only one
thing could have made the set up better: a big fan!
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| Noelle & her signature Bloody Mary |
Noelle loves brunch and so her shower was just that: as the guests arrived, my wait staff offered them either her signature cocktail, bloody mary, or mimosa. (There was also non-alcoholic iced tea and pink lemonade.) Favorite brunch items substituting as passed hors d’oevres were mini potato latkes, mini quiches and black bread with cream cheese, smoked salmon and dill. And then came the smorgasbord table of entrĂ©es and side dishes:
Gazpacho
Asparagus, Mushroom,
MozzarellaFrittata
Bacon and Tomato Strata
Cream Cheese and Pesto Spread
Lobster Roll
Chicken Salad on croissant
Prosciutto, Mozzarella
and Roasted, Peppers on baguette
Lemon, Tomato and
Artichoke Pasta Salad
Strawberry Crepes
Tossed Salad With French
Dressing & Pecans
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| Cake and Tiramisu |
For dessert, there was of course the classic bridal shower cake which was overloaded with buttercream flowers and lemon filling and homemade tiramisu, several of them, and another Noelle favorite. Every single specialty on that menu was made with my loving hands for my beautiful bride except the latkes which I just did not feel like frying in the heat. I even made the French dressing! And I have to admit and thank some of my other family members including my husband, other married daughter, Jessica, and my sister Mindy who shelled lobsters, chopped and chopped and chopped parsley, grated lemons, hulled strawberries, deboned chickens, assembled sandwiches, concocted the drinks, moved furniture, stood on ladders and sweated it out with me every step of the way. I know Noelle loved her shower and they are living happily ever after so it was all worth it. I just wish I had another unmarried daughter left so I could do it all again!
The pasta salad was a huge hit that day and friends have
been asking me for the recipe ever since so here it is to enjoy.
Lemony Farfalle, Tomato and Artichoke Salad
4 medium
tomatoes diced
½ c. coarsely chopped
parsley
4 T. lemon zest grated
1 T. olive oil
2 ½ tsp. salt
Fresh ground pepper
½ lb. cooked farfalle
pasta
Raw artichoke hearts
shaved in thin slices with mandolin
¼ c. shaved parmiggiano
2 T. chopped mint
In a large bowl, combine
tomatoes, parsley, lemon zest, ½ T. olive oil, 2 tsp. salt and fresh ground
pepper. Marinate for 30 minutes and toss with cooked farfalle.
In another bowl, toss
together shaved artichoke, 1 T. lemon juice, ½ T. olive oil, ½ tsp. salt and
fresh pepper. Note that I used frozen artichokes and sliced them with a knife.
To serve, top pasta salad
mixture with artichoke mixture and shaved parmiggiano. Sprinkle with mint.
*** For Noelle’s shower, I
made at least 6 times the amounts in this recipe. Whew!
