My goal for deciding on a menu was to provide enough snacks and appetizers for everyone without ruining their dinner, since it was an afternoon shower. I chose dishes that were mainly finger foods and could be served buffet style.
Here's what was served:
Crab and Shrimp Dip
Bruschetta
Dill Dip
Fresh Fruit Salad
Sparkling Lemonade
Sugar Heart Cookies with Turquoise Icing
The crab/shrimp dip is a recipe that I got from my friend Marilyn. It is a version of her mother's crab dip. I changed her recipe a little bit just by sauteing the onions for a few minutes, because I found that without doing so gives a very strong onion flavor.
For the bruschetta, I decided to serve the toast and the topping separately because I didn't know how fast it would go or how long it would be sitting out. Serving it separately allowed the guests to serve themselves without the toast getting soggy. Also, the guests could decide for themselves how much topping they wanted. I saw this done at a work tea party and it seemed to work out really well so I wanted to try it.
My touch on the lemonade was 1) make it sparkling and 2) serve frozen lemon slices to act as ice. I love sparkling beverages (in fact, it's more of an addiction and should probably cut back) and I love sweet and tart lemonade. So, I found a good recipe on allrecipes.com for a basic lemonade and substituted club soda for some of the water. In my opinion, I could have added more club soda than I had included in the recipe below, but that's how I made it for the party. The second idea was one that just popped into my head and purely experimental. It worked out great in the beginning, but Jennifer's uncle mentioned that the lemonade was getting too tart as the lemons were melting so we added more club soda. It might have worked out better if there was a combination of frozen lemon slices and plain old ice. I'll have to test it out next time!
For the party favors, I made small heart shaped sugar cookies with turquoise (the bride's wedding color) icing. I've had problems with sugar cookie recipes that spread out too much and lose the shape of the cookie cutter. I found a recipe on allrecipes.com that seemed popular and wouldn't give me this problem. I made a batch of Christmas cookies that really turned out great. Paired with the icing recipe, they looked pretty pro, if you ask me.
I put two cookies into a clear baggy along with some personalized M&M's (each M&M had either Jennifer or Jeffrey on it, and candies came in either aqua or white) and tied them up with white ribbons. Check out mymms.com to personalize your own bag. I wish I had pictures of the favors. Something I need to be better about in the future, but Sunday was pretty hectic.
Crab and Shrimp Salad/Dip
1 16 oz can of crab meat
1/2 lb baby shrimp
2 stalks of celery - diced
6 eggs - boiled and diced
1 onion - diced
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste
breadcrumbs
paprika for garnish
Saute the onions and let cool. Combine crab meat, shrimp celery, eggs, onions, sour cream and mayo in large mixing bowl. Add salt and pepper to desired taste. Pour mixture into casserole or baking dish. Sprinkle breadcrumbs and paprika on top. Serve cold as a salad or warm in the oven for 20-25 minutes and serve as a dip with crackers or toasted bread.
Bruschetta
Topping:
8 plum tomatoes seeded and diced
5 basil leaves, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
a pinch of dried oregano
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in medium mixing bowl. Allow to sit 10 to 15 minutes to allow flavors to mix.
Toast:
1 baguette
olive oil
cloves of garlic
Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Cut the baguette into half inch slices. Spread the slices out onto a baking sheet. Brush a small amount of olive oil onto each slice. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown and toasted. Take the sheet out and rub garlic clove on each slice.
For the party, I served the bruschetta topping separate from the toast so that the toast doesn't get soggy sitting out. For smaller parties, or if serving right away, spoon the topping onto each slice of toast and serve.
Dill Dip
1 cup Mayo
1 cup sour cream
1 tbsp. dill weed
1 tbsp. Beau Monde seasoning
Mix all together and chill. Serve with cracker or carrots and celery.
Fresh Fruit Salad
Half of a cantaloupe, cut into cubes
Quarter of a watermelon, cut into cubes
1 cup of strawberries, cleaned, stemmed and cut in half
2 kiwis, peeled and sliced
2 mangoes, peeled and cubed
Combine all fruits in a large mixing bowl.
Sparkling Lemonade
2 lemons
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups of lemon juice
4 cups of water
4 cups club soda
Slice lemons about a quarter inch thick. Place on a tray in one layer. Put the tray in the freezer for about 30 minutes to allow the lemon slices to freeze and harden.
In a small saucepan, pour sugar and cover with 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil and stir to dissolve the sugar until clear. Allow the syrup to cool to room temperature and chill.
Combine lemon juice, remaining 3 cups of water and club soda in a pitcher. Add frozen lemon slices to keep chilled. If left out, remember to check on the taste of the lemonade because it may become more tart as the lemons melt. Add more club soda if too tart.
Sugar Heart Cookies with Icing
Cookies:
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.
Icing:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
assorted food coloring
In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.
Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush.
Phew! That was a long post!
Fresh Fruit Salad
Half of a cantaloupe, cut into cubes
Quarter of a watermelon, cut into cubes
1 cup of strawberries, cleaned, stemmed and cut in half
2 kiwis, peeled and sliced
2 mangoes, peeled and cubed
Combine all fruits in a large mixing bowl.
Sparkling Lemonade
2 lemons
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups of lemon juice
4 cups of water
4 cups club soda
Slice lemons about a quarter inch thick. Place on a tray in one layer. Put the tray in the freezer for about 30 minutes to allow the lemon slices to freeze and harden.
In a small saucepan, pour sugar and cover with 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil and stir to dissolve the sugar until clear. Allow the syrup to cool to room temperature and chill.
Combine lemon juice, remaining 3 cups of water and club soda in a pitcher. Add frozen lemon slices to keep chilled. If left out, remember to check on the taste of the lemonade because it may become more tart as the lemons melt. Add more club soda if too tart.
Sugar Heart Cookies with Icing
Cookies:
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.
Icing:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
assorted food coloring
In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.
Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush.
Phew! That was a long post!
