The bachelorette weekend I attended about a year ago was the kick off for our "Year of Weddings" - five weddings that started in December
of 2013 and ended last weekend.
This "Year of Weddings" was unusual for us for two reasons. We are in our 40's and we haven't been to one - let alone five - weddings in one year in probably 10 years. And in that decade or so, life has gotten more complicated and less carefree. So when an opportunity to celebrate comes along, we don’t take
it for granted and appreciate every chance we get to be with dear friends in
sharing their joy.
From posh hotels, modern art museums, outdoor venues
(including one with longhorn cattle) and being on the banks of the Mississippi
in far west Illinois, each wedding was as unique as the couples getting
married. We had a wedding with an after-party that included a pizza truck (how the
bride/groom met), another where we were honored to be the Padrinos de Arras and the infectious joy of the dozens of
cousins, aunts, uncles and immediate family attending rubbed off on all of us.
Another wedding was more intimate but the bride’s parents let loose and danced
the night away. Which is exactly what we did in Illinois (20,000 steps on my
Fitbit) but under a tent with hard rain muffling the sound of the music. Finally, this past weekend we were at a semi-working ranch with a groom who is my husband’s brother from another mother and a bride who glowed to the
point that she was illuminating the dance floor. The exclamation point on an incredible weekend of celebration was the informal jam session with the groom on guitar and other talented musicians from around the country.
As different as the wedding were, there was one common denominator - other
than open bar –amazing food that connected them with their traditions, family,
tastes and heritage.
Seeing the
wedding favors at the art museum wedding put the biggest smile on my face. I
secretly went around to other tables as guests left for the evening in case they didn’t grab
these delicious treats. Sadly, everyone did.
You see,
Marie Guthrie’s Peanut Butter Balls are addictive bite-size bursts of rich,
creamy indulgences that are usually only given at Christmas. So, when they
showed up as the wedding favor, with the recipe attached, I thought I hit the jackpot.
The recipe is from the bride’s late grandmother, Marie, who used to make hundreds of
them every year to be handed out as Christmas presents to friends and
colleagues. Aimee (the bride) said “Grandmother
used to let us help her, until we would start making them too big; she liked
them to be the size of a nickel, and always made all of hers evenly.
Because it's kind of tedious work, we would start making the peanut butter balls
bigger and bigger until she kicked us out of the kitchen for messing them up.”
Marie was giving up a lot of help since there were 3 kiddos “helping” her in
the kitchen although I suspect they were stuffing their mouths the entire time,
too. Kind of like Lucy and Ethel at the chocolate factory.
Marie Keene Guthrie’s Peanut Butter Balls
Ingredients:
- 2 sticks margarine, softened (I believe you can use butter,too)
- 1 ½ cups peanut butter
- 5 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 12-ounce package chocolate chips
- ½ bar paraffin, shredded.
What to do:
- Mix margarine and peanut butter well.
- Add powdered sugar.
- Knead well, then form into small balls (approximate diameter of a nickel.) Refrigerate.
- Melt chocolate chips and shredded paraffin in a double boiler (do not let water boil).
- Dip balls into chocolate using two forks, one to dip and the other to scrape excess chocolate.
- Let cool and harden on wax paper.
- Makes approximately 100.
Sizzling
Garlic Shrimp (gambas al Ajillo)
From The New
Spanish Table
Ingredients:
- 1 ¼ lbs small shrimp, peeled and deveined (get fresh from your seafood counter)
- Coarse salt
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 6 large garlic cloves, finely chopped (I always throw in extra)
- ½ small dry red chile, such as arbol, crumbled
- 2-3 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley
What to do:
- Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels, then sprinkle with salt.
- I like to soak the whole cloves of garlic in the olive oil prior to mincing the garlic. It starts to flavor the olive oil while I’m prepping the shrimp.
- Place the olive oil and garlic in a 10-11 inch earthenware cazuela. If you don’t have one of these, a non-stick frying pan works great. Heat over medium-low heat until the oil shimmers and the garlic begins to sizzle gently.
- Cook until the garlic is very fragrant but not colored, 2 – 3 minutes, reducing the heat if necessary.
- Add the chile and stir for a few seconds.
- Add the shrimp and cook, stirring, until they just being to turn pink, about 3 minutes
- Season with salt to taste, stir in the parsley, and cook for a few second longer.
- Serve the shrimp in the cazuela (or bowl) with a crusty bread alongside.
About two
months later was their wedding and Rebecca (the bride) chose a signature
cocktail for the bar – the Paloma. Signature cocktails are brilliant because as
the night goes on, you don’t have to give any thought to what you’re going to
drink. And, this was the perfect cocktail for their wedding because it paired
wonderfully with the food (including the late night Whataburger wedding snacks) and atmosphere. Besides, tequila is perfect for any occasion!
Ingredients:
- Kosher salt
- ¼ cup fresh grapefruit juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ¼ cup tequila
- ¼ cup club soda
What to do:
- Pour some kosher salt on a plate. Rub half of rim of highball glass with grapefruit wedge; dip rim of glass in salt.
- Combine ¼ cup fresh grapefruit juice, 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, and 1 teaspoon sugar in glass. Stir until sugar is dissolved.
- Stir in ¼ cup tequila, add ice, and top off with ¼ cup club soda.
- Garnish with grapefruit wedge.
Finally, at
the wedding this past weekend the dish that made the biggest impression on me
was probably the simplest. Avocado’s presented in a large, rustic dark wooden
bowl that were cut in half and pits removed while you stood there. Once the pit
is removed, it’s the perfect vessel for morsels of indulgent fillings. They served
it with Mexican Crema (like sour cream), caviar, lime and more. It would be
easy to do this at home by getting avocados, cutting them for your guests, removing the pit and having ramekins filled with different fillings. The options on fillings are endless but here are a few possible options:
- 1/2 a lime, Dash of olive oil, Cilantro, A pinch of chile powder
- An ounce of smoked salmon chopped, Mexican Crema, Diced mango, Chopped and seeded jalapeno
- 1/2 lime, Chopped peanuts, Chopped mint, Dash of sesame oil
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