I was struck down by a cold 10 days ago which hampered my possibilities to DIY somewhat, but not entirely. The pre-cooking is slowly progressing and the coming week the gumbo base will be all ready. I'm halfway through the tortilla making and today I made the first pavlova base, the meringue on which the whipped cream and fruit will be.
I also discovered that I have calculated the fan bunting all wrong so I had to convert them in to long gathered flag buntings instead. Not a big deal and actually less work.
The tin cans that will become lanterns are in the freezer with water/ice. It has turned to ice but I'm going to wait another day just to make sure they're really frozen. Later this week I'll start making patterns on them with a hammer and a nail.
The one big thing left is the clothes. They lie in the storage room watching me every time I go in there. Once I'm dealing with that I'll be done in two days (giving some time for error here) so I shouldn't be bothered but I am, for some reason.
Yesterday I got myself a fake fringe for next to nothing which I'm hopefully will get tomorrow. The 40's roll fringe will happen, so now I'm officially a rockabilly bride! I'm silly exited about that, because the hair have been a huge issue for me. I wanted to do something different but it's a bit difficult with such a fixed hairstyle as dreads, but with the fringe I'll be able to keep my hair in place and have a great look, all going well with the style of the clothes. Now all I need is a bandana, and that may be more difficult than anticipated. I don't want to pay a ridiculous p&p for one bandana, but it may be a bit tricky to get hold of one in my home town since it's not exactly hip to be wearing bandanas right now.
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
11 Jul 2011
15 Jun 2011
I've really started
I have decided to make sugar skulls as cake toppers, but I'm not making it easy for myself. There are no moulds to be found on this side of the Atlantic and we don't have meringue powder either. While trying to figure out just what meringue powder is I stumbled over some sites (selling products naturally) stating using caps lock, YOU CANNOT MAKE SUGAR SKULLS WITHOUT MERINGUE POWDER. Fine, I get it, you need something to bind the sugar.
However, there are other things you can use to bind sugar so meringue powder isn't necessary. It's one thing to want to do it the way they're made in Mexico, and another thing to make a sugar paste so you can make a sugar skull. The key is the sugar and the skull shape, the rest is just... superficial. I'm going to make a sugar paste the way we make it here in this nook of the world and use it to make the skulls. No one's going to eat them or notice the difference anyway. It's going to be interesting.
I've started the cooking as well. The gumbo can be pre-made and kept in the freezer for up to three months, so it's time to start. I'm going to cook another 5 batches the coming weeks and then I'm done with the gumbo. Next thing is the tortilla bread. In July I'm going to make the meringue for the Pavlova cakes we're having and freeze them. The rest is going to be cooked the day before the wedding. It's not that much cooking to be honest, but a lot of dicing, cutting and mashing. In the morning on the wedding day cream will be whipped up for the Pavlova and we're also be making the drinks for the day.
I'm contemplating getting large plastic containers to keep the drinks in until it's supposed to be poured in to the dispensers. They are easier to store that way until it's time to drink them.
Well, it's slowly coming together with two months to go.
However, there are other things you can use to bind sugar so meringue powder isn't necessary. It's one thing to want to do it the way they're made in Mexico, and another thing to make a sugar paste so you can make a sugar skull. The key is the sugar and the skull shape, the rest is just... superficial. I'm going to make a sugar paste the way we make it here in this nook of the world and use it to make the skulls. No one's going to eat them or notice the difference anyway. It's going to be interesting.
I've started the cooking as well. The gumbo can be pre-made and kept in the freezer for up to three months, so it's time to start. I'm going to cook another 5 batches the coming weeks and then I'm done with the gumbo. Next thing is the tortilla bread. In July I'm going to make the meringue for the Pavlova cakes we're having and freeze them. The rest is going to be cooked the day before the wedding. It's not that much cooking to be honest, but a lot of dicing, cutting and mashing. In the morning on the wedding day cream will be whipped up for the Pavlova and we're also be making the drinks for the day.
I'm contemplating getting large plastic containers to keep the drinks in until it's supposed to be poured in to the dispensers. They are easier to store that way until it's time to drink them.
Well, it's slowly coming together with two months to go.
14 Feb 2011
A very important part of a party: food
From the start we had decided on beer, but it's so much trouble with beer. You need so much and somewhere to cool it and it turned out both expensive and difficult to store cold during a party. Wine is easier that way. We're having one simple red and one white, both in bag-in-boxes. Right after the ceremony we're having a jug drink with white sweet sparkling, cranberry juice and Cointreau. It's a lovely raspberry red drink with a cosmopolitan feeling to it, albeit more laid back.
There will be drinks for those who don't drink alcohol. After the ceremony I thought a fitting substitute would be sprite, cranberry juice and some lemon. As for dinner drinks, I'm not sure. We really should have Coca Cola considering the theme, but I suspect Darling won't approve. We'll see. Water must be available at all times of course. You shouldn't have to drink alcohol or soft drinks to quell thirst.
3 Feb 2011
Back to the food
I have worked on the menu some and cooked one course. I found a vegetable gumbo with rice that sounded tasty and tried that one. After tweaking the recipe some I must say that it's a winner. Problem though is that okra isn't easy to get hold of here. They're not spectacular in any way and I don't need it to thicken the gumbo so I could leave it out. The thing that gives it the gumbo taste is the roux after all. IMO anyway. We'll see what I end up doing.
We're still having the corn cobs and the corndogs, though I haven't made a trial of those yet. I've caught a cold and cooking isn't a high priority right now. The rocky road is still on. However, I kind of want something more for variation. American food is generally not very vegetarian oriented, it's basically all about meat, meat, meat and some seafood every now and then. However, it's a different story south of the Rio Grande. Burritos? I think so. It's something people eat all over the South too, though it's imported from Mexico.
Tortillas are again easy to make and keep in the freezer. They cost very little when you make them yourself too. Fried potatoes with a chilli sauce, tomato and onion salsa, guacamole, cucumber sticks and kidney bean salsa were the things I was thinking about having to fill the tortilla bread with. In the gumbo we have black beans so I'm trying to vary the bean assortment here. The one thing that has to be made the same day is the fried potatoes, but that something anyone could do. The other things even get better if they're kept cold over night. Well, the cucumber is best cut up the same day too. I think this will have to do actually.
Original gumbo recipe can be found at Meatlessmonday.com
We're still having the corn cobs and the corndogs, though I haven't made a trial of those yet. I've caught a cold and cooking isn't a high priority right now. The rocky road is still on. However, I kind of want something more for variation. American food is generally not very vegetarian oriented, it's basically all about meat, meat, meat and some seafood every now and then. However, it's a different story south of the Rio Grande. Burritos? I think so. It's something people eat all over the South too, though it's imported from Mexico.
Tortillas are again easy to make and keep in the freezer. They cost very little when you make them yourself too. Fried potatoes with a chilli sauce, tomato and onion salsa, guacamole, cucumber sticks and kidney bean salsa were the things I was thinking about having to fill the tortilla bread with. In the gumbo we have black beans so I'm trying to vary the bean assortment here. The one thing that has to be made the same day is the fried potatoes, but that something anyone could do. The other things even get better if they're kept cold over night. Well, the cucumber is best cut up the same day too. I think this will have to do actually.
14 Jan 2011
Plates
So renting plates is actually rather expensive and you've got to pick them up and return them. If you add what you spend on driving those 75 miles we'd have to drive back and forth it's definitely a no no.
We're having a bean stew which needs a bowl of come sort and something that will hold the add ons. It can't be large. I think it's better to have people rise and go for seconds (and thirds) and be able to mingle and stay and talk to other guests. After checking just how much various kinds of bowls actually holds I made the startling discovery that my toddler's colourful plastic bowls from IKEA holds the same volume as my fancy stoneware bowls. They look bigger but they don't hold more.
After that discovery I went on an excursion to try and find something plate-like. In one of the cheap warehouse stores in town I found the perfect item. Add the bowl and you get something like this:
Easy to carry around and you don't have to worry about dropping things. It doesn't look large when you hold it in your hands, but the look is deceiving because this solution holds just as much as a traditional bowl on a traditional plate would. However, you couldn't mingle with that. You can with this solution.
We're having a bean stew which needs a bowl of come sort and something that will hold the add ons. It can't be large. I think it's better to have people rise and go for seconds (and thirds) and be able to mingle and stay and talk to other guests. After checking just how much various kinds of bowls actually holds I made the startling discovery that my toddler's colourful plastic bowls from IKEA holds the same volume as my fancy stoneware bowls. They look bigger but they don't hold more.
After that discovery I went on an excursion to try and find something plate-like. In one of the cheap warehouse stores in town I found the perfect item. Add the bowl and you get something like this:
Easy to carry around and you don't have to worry about dropping things. It doesn't look large when you hold it in your hands, but the look is deceiving because this solution holds just as much as a traditional bowl on a traditional plate would. However, you couldn't mingle with that. You can with this solution.
7 Jan 2011
Food
Eating is a huge part of any party of this kind. Of course we're self catering. Again, planning is everything. I know that for a proper sit down dinner you need, even if you've got some serious mice en place and simple courses, at least one (1) in a kitchen. Preferably a kitchen with plenty of counter space and a large hot air oven. You also need at least two (2) carrying plates, and this is if they're skilled. Having teens wanting to earn some extra cash and you need four (4) for this to not capsize. It's not going to happen. Sit down dinners also tend to be more formal and stiff, and I'm not having that. So some kind of buffet style kind of food it is.
Many are vegetarians among our friends so to make it easier, having vegetarian with meat add ons for those who wish, is what seems to be the most practical thing to do. Some kind of bean stew as the main attraction is simple and easy to prepare and cook. I think corn cob is tasty (well we all do) and it's that time of the year as well, so we'll have that too. Bread naturally. The meat? I'd really want to try and make corndogs and see if that's ok. It's not exactly fancy food, but neither is a bean stew, so I think they'd compliment each other well. And if anything, those are all southern foods, so we're sticking to the theme here. My main goal is for people to be full when they leave the table and I think they will be with this kind of food.
Cake? Nope. Cupcakes? Never. Too much work and difficult to deal with if we get the typical hot August weather. No, I want rocky road. Plain and simple. Easy to make, easy to keep in the freezer and whip out and let them thaw in a cool place the day before and cut them up and put on trays. This anyone can do. And it is possible to have a topper on a mountain of rocky road too, though I haven't decided if we should have one.
This pretty picture comes from Nigella Lawson's Christmas cookbook and it illustrates just how cute rocky road can be. Though I'd not have deer and spruce trees of course.
Many are vegetarians among our friends so to make it easier, having vegetarian with meat add ons for those who wish, is what seems to be the most practical thing to do. Some kind of bean stew as the main attraction is simple and easy to prepare and cook. I think corn cob is tasty (well we all do) and it's that time of the year as well, so we'll have that too. Bread naturally. The meat? I'd really want to try and make corndogs and see if that's ok. It's not exactly fancy food, but neither is a bean stew, so I think they'd compliment each other well. And if anything, those are all southern foods, so we're sticking to the theme here. My main goal is for people to be full when they leave the table and I think they will be with this kind of food.
Cake? Nope. Cupcakes? Never. Too much work and difficult to deal with if we get the typical hot August weather. No, I want rocky road. Plain and simple. Easy to make, easy to keep in the freezer and whip out and let them thaw in a cool place the day before and cut them up and put on trays. This anyone can do. And it is possible to have a topper on a mountain of rocky road too, though I haven't decided if we should have one.
This pretty picture comes from Nigella Lawson's Christmas cookbook and it illustrates just how cute rocky road can be. Though I'd not have deer and spruce trees of course.
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