Recipe Test #3 - Corn and Bell Pepper Slaw

This dish is a slaw, so it's more of a side/garnish than a salad. The portions people eat will probably be relatively small. This recipe was super easy and fast.

We liked this one at first, but it was missing a little something. Then we added crumbled feta, and the extra creaminess and salt made the whole thing just right.

Ingredients:
- Cabbage, julienned

- Bell pepper (I used orange), julienned

- Fresh corn
- crumbled feta
- dressing: lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, honey, garlic, cilantro, chipotle pepper, salt

Recipe Test #2 - Jicama and Clementine Salad

This salad was easy to make, and it's beautiful to look at. It was also delicious. I used minneolas instead of clementines just because they were the best looking/cheapest option at the market, and I'm pretty sure just about any kind of seedless orange citrus would work equally well. I also removed the cheese from the original recipe (on the menu I posted earlier, this salad had queso fresca) because it really doesn't need it.

Salad:

Jicama, peeled and julienned
Minneola, peeled, halved and sliced
Red onion, frenched
Pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

Dressing:

garlic
lime juice
olive oil
sugar
salt
fresh cilantro

The vegetables and dressing can be prepared well in advance. Then when it's time to eat, we can dress the salad and sprinkle the pepitas on top.

Avocado Salsa Verde (recipe test #1)

I did a test of the salsa verde recipe, and excuse me for saying so, but it came out fucking delicious.

Since I don't own a food processor, it was a lot of work to finely dice all of this stuff. But with a handy robot helper, this recipe should be super easy. No cooking involved at all.

We haven't given it a chance to sit and marinate yet... it was too tasty to just let it sit there. Zach is sitting on the couch going "crunch crunch crunch crunch, mmmm... crunch crunch crunch...mmm..." But I'm pretty sure it will be even better and juicier after a few hours in the fridge.

Total cost of this batch: $1.52
Estimated cost for 60 people: $12.16
Edit: I've decided that it would be prudent to make twice as much, since Zach and I have devoured the entire 8-serving recipe. So let's budget $25.

The recipe (8 servings):

1 small onion

1 jalapeno, seeds removed
1 garlic clove
4 medium tomatillos
1/2 avocado
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

Directions:
Put the onion, jalapeno, and garlic in a food processor and finely chop. Add the tomatillos, avocado, and salt and pulse until chopped but still chunky. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the cilantro. 

Recipe Tests - Part One

Here's the easy part... shopping at Monterey Market. They had everything I needed for $15.99... and 6.99 of that was the wine :)

Wine, orange pepper, jicama, spiced pumpkin seeds, red onion, avocado, granny smith apple, yellow corn, pink grapefruit, minneolas, lemons, limes, tomatillos, jalapeno, cilantro, cabbage. At Monterey Market in Berkeley, my favorite grocery store ever.

Cookie Favors

Yesterday I tested the cookie favor idea. I went to all the neighborhood bakeries to source Mexican wedding cookies and ended up buying 3 different kinds. I wrapped them up in parchment paper and tissue, and this is what they ended up looking like. Then we did a taste test. The best-looking cookies were also the tastiest, they came from an Italian bakery on Mission st. These favors will cost about $1.25 per person if we decide to do them. I'm putting this project on the back burner for now, because I'm not sure how necessary these are since we're doing the survival kit favors (for which I've already bought most of the stuff). Still, if budget and time permits, I think these would be a sweet addition.

By the way, Zach is volunteering as the graphic designer for the wedding. He'll be designing the favor packaging and the menu signs for the catering table and bar. He was also planning to design the stamp for these cookies, but that's on hold since I think these are a likely cut. Let me know if you want them!

Options for the Groom

All from Banana Republic.

Bar Menu

MIXED
Classic Top Shelf Margarita
    Hornitos reposado, fresh-squeezed lime and lemon, triple sec, syrup, rocks
Pink Grapefruit Margarita
    Hornitos reposado, fresh-squeezed grapefruit and lime, triple sec, syrup, rocks
Rose Sangria
    rose, strawberries, apple and orange slices, sparkling water, syrup

BEER
Corona
Negra Modelo

NON-ALCOHOLIC
Coke
Diet Coke
Ginger Ale
Coffee
Hot Tea
Bottled Water

Dinner Menu

SNACKS

Corn Chips
Mild tomato salsa
    tomato, mild peppers, onion, garlic, fresh herbs
Avocado Salsa Verde
    tomatillo, avocado, jalapeno, fresh herbs

SALADS

Jicama and Clementine Salad
    jicama, sliced clementine and red onion in a garlic-lime vinaigrette, topped with crumbled queso
    fresco and pepitas
Corn and Bell Pepper Slaw
    fresh corn, bell pepper and cabbage in a spiced lemon dressing

MAINS

Chicken Enchiladas
Vegetable and Steak Fajitas
    grilled marinated steak, onion and bell pepper, topped with lettuce

SIDES

Rice & Beans
Sliced Jalapenos

Groom's Attire

At Banana Republic - White slim stretch shirt (sleeves rolled to elbow), beige chino, textured silk tie and edged leather belt. Clark's desert boot.

Does Anyone Have a Chafing Dish?

We need a bunch of chafing dishes for the party. Does anyone have one they can loan?

Angela and Art's Outdoor Wedding Survival Kit

Here's my best idea for a personalized party favor: miniature survival kits for each guest. It's the manliest thing I could think of.  I can decorate little 3" favor boxes in the theme colors (currently coral and green) to say "Angela and Art's Outdoor Wedding Survival Kit." Then inside would be a piece of paper listing the contents:

1 - packet of biodegradable confetti, for showering the happy couple
1 - packet of tissues, for your tears of joy
2 - wooden toothpicks, for after dinner
1 - breath mint, for freshening up
1 - band-aid, in case your shoes aren't so comfortable
1 - dose of ibuprofen, to follow that last margarita
1 - book of matches, for lighting a flame of your own

Thanks for using the new blog!

Hi Everyone! Thanks for visiting the blog and posting your comments, this seems to be working really well.  I wanted to let you know that I've made it easier to add comments, so now you don't need to have any kind of account to comment on posts.  If you're not using an account though, it would be great if you could still sign your name so we know who's talking!

Cheers,
Sarah

Favor Ideas

For favors, I've been thinking about things that remind me of the couple - things related to the outdoors, the garden, fitness, fruit, candy, chocolate... or also things that relate to Cinco de Mayo or the party itself.

- Mexican cookies - I saw a cute idea for how to package 2 together as a bonbon for favors
- Outdoorsy stuff - maybe some nice romantic survival gear?? Mini survival kits? Matches?
- Small plants or plant starters
- Seasonal fruit
- If we want to personalize things, we can order a personalized stamp online for about $15 including shipping. I've used simonstamp.com before and was really happy with them.

Centerpiece Candles

Ikea sells these small candles in several colors, including a nice green. They are 2-1/4 inches, so bigger than a tealight, and have a 7 hour burn life. I like them because of their size and because they have a clear container, so they'll stay in one piece better than a normal candle but look much nicer than a metal tealight.


Ikea VÄGHULT candles.

Confetti??

Do we want to throw things in the air after the ceremony? I think it might be fun to have something to throw as we cheer. Art suggested that we throw grass seed, which I honestly think is a great idea! It is actually pretty similar to rice. Or we could use some kind of flower seeds. There is also this stuff called ecofetti, which comes in lots of colors and dissolves in water (I think it's made of the same stuff as those biodegradable packing peanuts).  That way it wouldn't leave any kind of mess in the yard after the party, it would just dissolve the next time you water the lawn.

Dress - Ann Taylor

at Ann Taylor

Dress- J. Crew

at J. Crew

Dress - Adrianna Papell

at Macy's

Color Palettes - coral pink, gold, green

Angela & Art's Wedding Planning Blog!

Hi Mom!

I created this blog so there is a place where I can easily share ideas with pictures and links. On the blog, they will stay organized and you will always be able to find them. You can post your comments to each idea whenever you want or whenever you have time. You can also share the blog with your friends so they can do the same! Best of all, the blog will be a good way to contain the planning process, so you're not constantly barraged by e-mails asking for your opinion on every little detail. Just visit the blog when you're in the wedding planning mood, and you can see everything that I'm up to.

xo,
Sarah