Gratuitious Wedding Food Porn

Planning our wedding was stressful. And exciting. And maddening. And fun. And frustrating. Some things I could just not get motivated to take care of. I didn’t care a lot about what some would consider “traditional” wedding decisions. Where people would sit. What type of guest book to get.   So I dragged my feet and hemmed and hawed about certain decisions–but when it came to wedding food, I knew exactly what I wanted and how I wanted it done.

First things first: Wedding cake. Does anybody even like that crap anyway? Does any person legitimately enjoy eating cake? And wedding cake is the worst of it–75% frosting, 25% frills and fondant. I couldn’t see myself paying a couple hundred dollars for something I wouldn’t eat anyway. Our solution? Wedding pie. We ended up ordering them from Barb’s Pies in Ferndale, Washington, and they turned out perfect. My father in law made a tiered stand for them and the whole set up was better than I could have imagined.  I got that cute pie sign from the World Market last February, right around the time we decided on pies and it was totally meant to be at our wedding.

Photos by Angela Noelle Photography

After I had the pie idea nailed down, I moved onto dinner. It was an outdoor wedding at gorgeous Vartanyan Estate Winery and so I knew I wanted something outdoor friendly–but also elevated. Kabobs was the first thing that came to mind. Thanks to my lovely mother in law, we were able to pull off the food like a well oiled machine. She had a whole brigade of friends show up to man the grill and serve everyone.

We had beef and chicken kabob marinated in easy, but assertive marinades. The chicken was dusted in Emerill Lagasse’s “essence” and smoked before being grilled the next day. The chicken was marinated in lemon juice, dijon mustard, fresh rosemary, garlic, and salt and pepper.

My only regret that day was not getting to eat more of the spread. I think I had a bit of cheesecake and a bite of salad. It was nice to see everyone else chowing down, though.

Obligatory apology for long absence

Half of the reason it’s so hard to get back into blogging after a long hiatus is the explanation I have to give as to why I was absent, and how I vow to turn over a new leaf and boy you guys, get ready for this new chapter in my life. I cringe to think how many times I have done that little song and dance since starting this blog.

So, I am not doing that. Instead, I am going to tell you that I have been ruminating about blogging and I think I am finally ready to stick my toe back into the vast ocean of information we call blogging. 

Well, since I am foregoing the apology, I’ll just jump right in.  I got married last month. Here are the highlights.

 

 

You can see we had wedding pie, an ominous, stormy backdrop to the ceremony, and lots of dancing. It was a whirlwind, kind of soggy, very emotional, fun, and perfect. After the wedding, we spent a few days at Yosemite.  That consisted of lots of driving, terrible California drivers, triple digit temperatures, hiking, arguing, having conversations with the GPS, and long train rides.  Highlights: Yosemite Rose Bed and Breakfast, sushi with family and friends, swimming, and listening to A Song of Ice and Fire on the train and in the jacuzzi tub. And the whole being married part was pretty cool, too. 🙂

We came back to a messy apartment, family drama, and an intimidating “to do” list. Then Henry sliced his toe off (well, not off, but nearly off). So now we are sitting around, waiting for it to heal. He’s not even supposed to be walking around. The long and short of this rambling exposition is that summer has been an adventure so far and we have quite a bit of summer left.

The sitting around the apartment has had its benefits. One of them being I stumbled upon two recipes that I am scheming to make.  The first is okonomiyaki. I have never had this dish before–and I have never spoken with anyone who has eaten it or made it. I’m just intrigued. I went to the Asian grocery store yesterday and got kewpie mayo, pickled ginger, and okonomi sauce. The rest of the ingredients are fresh and I’ll be able to get them from Winco.

The next recipe is for gingersnaps made with…bacon grease instead of butter. I plan on using bacon in the okonomiyaki and reserving the fat for the cookies. Ridiculous? But of course! Stay tuned…