the triple seven wedding

stbx.jpgWhen I don’t blog for a bit, you can pretty much guess that I am: a) out of the country, b) on a cruise, c) shopping at Nordstrom, d) sunning at the beach or e) catering a wedding. Well… I will surprise you: this time it was not A-D. ~wink~

So, the day of the wedding we’d been planning for finally arrived — and what an honour it was to be asked to cater the reception. This wedding was for our daughter-in-law’s sister. It was important to me to be as careful as I could be in the selection of foods, preparation, presentation and service. I suppose it always is, but somehow, I was overly concerned for this wedding as it meant so much to so many I love. Well, it was a very lovely and though there were some tense moments (would the roasts be done on time? would the chicken be cooked through and yet tender – would everyone like it? would there be plenty for everyone and yet not too much overage?), but there were no problems, no glitches… so, all in all, the wedding went off without a hitch – well, except one… Dave and Tatijana got hitched. ~smile~

They’ve been planning this wedding for nearly a year… just so they could have the triple seven wedding date. Many in our area did so! In fact at the Belle Chapel in Snohomish, the first wedding on 07-07-07 was held at midnight! Wow… isn’t that amazing!!?? The wedding we catered was at the Rose Crest Farm in Snohomish – and whew! it wasn’t held at midnight!! What a blessing to have had the whole day to prep and cook for the 7pm wedding reception. Now, that’s not to say we weren’t totally scrambling at the end – right before “showtime,” but it’s always like that… it’s sort of a hurry up and wait and then scramble! I’m ever grateful to Wes for his expertise and to the children for not only their help but enthusiasm to serve. I’ll share a few pics – the very few I have, and a couple of recipes. You’ll think the recipe for the chicken is really strange – but it was tasty! I would never have made it had the mother of the bride not chosen it… you’ll see from the ingredients… a very strange combination.

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Chicken Marabella

9 lb Chicken (we used chickenbreasts cut in half)
1 Garlic; entire head peeled and minced (we used 3 tablespoons)
1/4 Cup Oregano; dried
Salt and pepper; to taste
1/2 Cup Red wine vinegar
1/2 Cup Olive oil
1 Cup Prunes; pitted
1/2 Cup Spanish olives
1/2 Cup Capers
6 Bay leaves

1 c Brown sugar
1 c White wine
1/4 c Parsley; finely chopped – for garnish

1. In large bowl combine all the ingredients EXCEPT brown sugar, wine and parsley. Cover and let marinate in the fridge overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange chicken in single layer in shallow baking pans. Spoon marinade over chicken. Sprinkle chicken pieces with brown sugar. Pour white wine over chicken. Bake for 50 min to 1 hour at 350º –basting frequently with pan juices. Serve with rice (or, as we did: with garlic mashed potatoes). Sprinkle with parsley.

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For the garlic mashed potatoes, I boiled the 50 pounds (washed and quartered) baby red potatoes in the 22 quart pot and the roaster until the potatoes were just fork tender and poured off the salted water… wow… this was very hot and very heavy! Then I divided them into the 4 extra deep chafing pans; and for each pan I poured over the potatoes 2 cups butter, 2 cups cream, 2 cups sour cream and 1/4 cup minced garlic and 2 tablespoons of salt and white pepper – about a teaspoon or two and then lightly mashed them while mixing in the butter and creams. Topped with a bit of fresh parsley, they were delicious.

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0 thoughts on “the triple seven wedding

  1. I am going to have to try your recipes, they look wonderful. I am not sure how my family will take to prunes in their chicken, but it won’t hurt to try. The garlic mashed potatoes sound great. The tables looked beautiful, as did the cook. It sounds like you had a wonderful time.

    Lanita

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