Any Ideas for a Valentine's Day Wedding Luncheon?!
Any Ideas for a Valentine's Day Wedding Luncheon?
** i'm posting this again to see if i can get more input**
I'm getting married Feb 14th, yup, Valentine's Day. It's just going to be a small ceremony of close family members and friends, about 25 - 30 people. I'm trying to get ideas for a luncehon menu to be served buffet style at my apartment. I already figured a deli tray would be reccomended, and i have a strawberry champagne punch recipe. but otherwise, i have no idea as for salads? soups? otherwise. I have one friend who is vegan, so i want to make sure something is available for her, but also something that other people won't frown their noses upon. i have little desserts planned...chocolate tuxedo strawberries, chocolate oreo truffles, and of course wedding cake, so i'm good on that. but i would greatly appreciate some help. Remember, it's Valentine's Day...and yes my wedding day...so be creative!!! thanks in advance!!
Answers:
Here are some great links for you.Congratulations!
http://www.cyber-kitchen.com/holidays/va...
Another Link
http://www.rexanne.com/vday-food.html...
Chicken Pepperoni
1/2 pound of your favorite pasta
1/2 stick pepperoni*
1/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground oregano (or 2 teaspoons fresh)
1/2 teaspoon crushed basil (or 2 teaspoons fresh)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
olive oil (optional)
16 ounce tomato sauce
1 six-ounce can tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or more, to taste)
* I used quartered low-fat pepperoni slices without sacrificing the taste. While I needed to use olive oil to make up for the missing rendered fat, I did save considerably on cholesterol.
Cook pasta according to package directions.
Dice pepperoni into 1/4" cubes. Cook in frying pan over medium heat, allowing the fat from it to render out. Remove from pan and set aside.
Season flour with salt, pepper, oregano, basil, garlic powder and onion powder.
Cut chicken into bite-sized chunks. Dredge chicken pieces in seasoned flour until coated. Shake off excess flour and brown in the rendered pepperoni fat (and olive oil, if needed) until the chicken is almost cooked. Remove from pan and set aside.
Whisk tomato sauce, tomato paste, crushed red pepper flakes and 1/2 cup water together in pan until smooth. Return chicken and pepperoni to pan. Bring to simmer and cook, stirring, for 5 to 7 minutes.
Serve over a bed of pasta.
Serves 4.You will need to triple this recipe or more.
Wedding Chicken
I modified this recipe from the B H & G cookbook for a friend's wedding. This recipe is really flavorful and the sauce is awesome! I would make some extra sauce on top of the stove because everyone will want more. The usual Chicken Saltimbocca recipes call for tomato inside, but my friends wouldn't hear of that, and no one really missed it. Baking the chicken instead of doing the whole thing on the stovetop gets the flavor of the sauce into the meat like you wouldn't believe! You could add some white wine to the sauce; just add extra flour for thickening. A little shredded cheese on top of the chicken before baking would be tasty, too. Word of advice - do not try to cater a wedding for 70 people from a 1 bedroom apartment. Also, it is really funny watching 5 people pound chicken on the living room floor (ON CUTTING BOARDS! EWWWW! No carpet fuzz in the recipe!) (Prep time/cook time is approximate - I made this for 70 people so it took me a couple of days to get all the steps done and I pre-cooked the chicken before I served it.)
by Amy - Ellie's Mommie
4 servings 50 min 20 min prep
Change to: servings US Metric
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, pounded 1/8 inch thin
4 slices prosciutto or other cured ham
4 slices swiss cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
12 toothpicks
FOR THE SAUCE
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup sliced button mushrooms, very clean and white
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small white onion, minced
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
salt and pepper
hot noodles or rice
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
First, buy your chicken pre-pounded.
Pay the extra.
It is worth it.
If you decide to pound your own chicken, place the chicken breast smooth side facing you on a piece of plastic wrap.
Fold the sides of the SAME PIECE of plastic wrap around the chicken and pound with the smooth side of a meat mallet, a rolling pin or a cookbook.
If you use a separate piece of plastic wrap, you run the risk of tiny little chicken guts all over you and your kitchen.
Gross!
Stomping on it will not work.
Pound until 1/8" thin.
Place pounded chicken smooth side down on the cutting board.
Lay a piece of prosciutto on each piece of chicken.
Lay a piece of cheese on each piece of chicken.
Fold in the long sides of the chicken breast about 1/4" (just enough to keep the whole package together), then roll from the short end of the chicken breast like a cigar.
Hold packet together with toothpicks.
In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat until it sizzles, but is not smoking.
Place chicken packets in pan FOLDED SIDE DOWN.
Brown chicken packets on all sides evenly.
Remove from pan and place in a baking dish.
In the same pan, melt the butter over med-low heat.
Add onions and garlic and cook until soft.
Add mushrooms and cook until soft and slightly browned and tender.
Remove from heat.
In a small bowl, mix cream, sour cream, flour and spices.
Add to mushroom mixture in saute pan.
Return pan to low heat.
Stir over low heat until smooth and thick.
Pour sauce over chicken.
Put chicken and sauce into 400 degree oven and bake for 25 minutes, or until chicken is not longer pink (depending on how done it got during the browning stage).
Serve with wide egg noodles and extra sauce.
Here is a link with 120 Wedding Buffet Ideas..have fun
http://www.recipezaar.com/recipes.php?q=...
Source(s):
recipezaar
http://www.recipezaar.com/recipes.php?q=...
You could have napkins with hearts on them.You could have utensil's be pink and red.
You should have a big heart cake! Candy hearts would be an idea.
Italian wedding soup is my all time favorite!! You could also do a mini salad bar with grilled chicken and salmon as a couple of toppings. That way everyone can fix theirs just they way they like it. Don't forget a good assortment of homemade rolls and breads to go with......
A simple idea which would fit your theme are fresh, sliced strawberries marinated with a bit of sugar, then drizzled with a good balsalmic vinegar, topped with fresh mint leaves. It's classic, easy, romantic and is absolutely delicious for any course. Yum.
Pasta salad with italian dressing pepperoni & chz chunks, few small tomatos & cucmber slices is real good tri color pasta works the best.
beef burgundy (look for beef burgundy 2 recipe on allrecipes.com)
serve that over small noodles or white rice
red wine, a burdundy one to go with the beef
red velvet cake
cake balls- like chocolate bon bons but they have cake in the middle (1 box chocolate cake mix + 1 box chocolate frosting, cook cake, mix the cake and frosting in a bowl, form into bowls, freeze, dip in white chocolate)
cheese platter
chicken cordon bleu
green beans with almonds
salad with walnuts, vinagrette, greens, cherry tomatoes, blue cheese crumbles
think french- french is the language of love.... appropriate with the valentine's day theme
Use heart shaped cookie cutters to make finger sandwiches then sprinkle them with just a little bit of paprika. Makes an easy finger food and will look pretty too.