Bridal OR Anniversary Party Food Ideas

[cat lover]

This is really a pretty dish and always goes well at "special" functions



3/4 cup unsweetened white grape juice
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp grated orange rind
4 (3") sticks cinnamon

2 cups fresh strawberries, halved & divided
3 medium ripe nectarines, sliced
1 cup seedless green grapes
1 cup seedless red grapes
3 kiwifruit, peeled and thinly sliced

1/2 cup champagne, chilled.

Combine first 4 ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Remove and discard cinnamon sticks. Cover and chill thoroughly. Place 1 cup strawberries in a large glass bowl. Layer nectarines and grapes over strawberries; top with remaining 1 cup strawberries and kiwifruit. Cover and chill thoroughly. To serve, stir champagne into chilled grape juice mixture; pour over fruit. 12 ( 1/2 cup) servings.

[cat lover]

This is a wonderful soup for a sit down anniversary party dinner!


6 tbsp butter
2 leeks, white part only, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 cups pumpkin puree (recipe follows)
6 cups chicken bouillon
1 cup heavy cream
Ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup Bourbon

Saute leeks, celery, and onion in butter till limp,about 8 minutes. Stir in pumpkin puree. Add chicken bouillon. Cover pan and simmer about 30 minutes. Stir in cream and season with pepper. Add bourbon and bring to a boil. Serve immediately.


PUMPKIN PUREE
A 4 pound pumpkin will give you about 4 cups of puree

1 4-lb. pumpkins
aluminum foil
peelers
food processors
kitchen knives
casserole dish
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel, seed and cut the pumpkin into 2" cubes. Put the pumpkin in a 5 qt. casserole and add 1/4" water, cover with foil and bake till tender, about 20 minutes. Remove pumpkin from oven and pour off any water and excess moisture. Puree the pumpkin in a food processor fitted with metal chopping blade.




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[Coll]

When we went to an anniversary party we had appetizers, fried chicken, potato salad, pasta salads, cookies, cake. I think it depends on the budget, time of year, location.

Coll

[DeBora4BobbyL]

I usually make Party Mints (http://www.momsmenu.com/forums/showthread.php?t=228). You can make them in any color and any shape using molds. They can also be made ahead of time.

[cat lover]

When we went to an anniversary party we had appetizers, fried chicken, potato salad, pasta salads, cookies, cake. I think it depends on the budget, time of year, location.

Coll


Do you have any recipes for some goodies that you would care to share here? We would love to have them!

[cat lover]

Luncheon Pasta Salad

This makes a good anniversary or just a "special" luncheon salad

1 ( 8oz) pkg. elbow macaroni
2 cups chopped chicken or ham
1 ( 11oz) can mandarin oranges, drained
1/2 cup celery
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
1/4 cup creamy blue cheese salad dressing
lettuce cleaves

Cook macaroni according to pkg. directions; drain. Rinse with cold water and drain. Combine macaroni and next 7 ingredients, toss lightly and chill. Serve on lettuce leaves. Makes 4 to 6 servings

[cat lover]

Seafood Salad

3 pounds cooked scallops
2 pounds cooked crabmeat
3 pounds cooked shrimp pieces
2 pounds celery, diced
1 1/2 cups pickle relish
2 cups mayonnaise
4 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
1 tbsp seafood seasoning

Mix the seafood, celery, relish and mayonnaise together. Add the lemon juice, salt, pepper and seafood seasoning. Mix well and chill till serving time. Serves 40

[DeBora4BobbyL]

I LOVE these! It's been awhile since I have made these, but I am craving them. LOL

Wedding Cookies

2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup butter
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups finely chopped pecans
1 cup milk chocolate chips
2 teaspoons vanilla
Powdered sugar for coating cookies


Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
Cream butter and 1 1/4 cups sugar in a large bowl with a pastry blender. Add 2tsp. Vanilla and Pecans. Fold in flour with pastry blender till evenly mixed. Dough will be crumbly. Mold into small balls no bigger than the size of a walnut. Roll through powdered sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake in oven for 12 to 15 minutes. Once cookies are cooled, take off cookie sheets and roll in powdered sugar. Store in a cool, dry place. Makes 2-3 dozen cookies.

[cat lover]

Oh, those are sooooo good! I haven't had them in awhile either, but a good cup of hot coffee and a plate of those cookies sure sound good!

[DeBora4BobbyL]

Now I'm hungry for these cookies AND coffee! LOL

[cat lover]

Let's see.. you bake the cookies and I'll bring the coffee! LOL

[DeBora4BobbyL]

Sounds good to me.

[cat lover]

This is a very easy dessert that is really pretty, but you have a little "plan ahead" on this one.


Rainbow Meringue Torte

Meringue

6 egg whites
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups sugar

Filling

2 cups chocolate ice cream
2 cups green mint ice cream
2 cups strawberry ice cream
1/2 cup cool whip, thawed

Toasted slivered almonds for garnish


Meringue Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Have egg whites at room temperature, add vanilla, cream of tartar, and salt. Beat till frothy. Gradually add sugar, a small amount at a time beating till very stiff peaks form and sugar is dissolved. Cover 2 large cookie sheets with plain ungreased paper. Using a 8" round cake pan as a guide, draw 4 circles on the paper. Spoon equal amounts of meringue onto circles and spread evenlt within the circles. Bake at 275 degrees 1 hour. Turn heat off and let dry in oven with the door closed at least 1 hour.

To Fill Torte Let ice cream soften just slightly. Place a meringue layer on a serving plate and quickly spoon chocolate ice cream on top and spread quickly and place in freezer. Spread second meringue with mint ice cream and set on top of first layer in the freezer. Spread the third layer with the strawberry ice cream and set it on top of the other layers. Frost remaining meringuw with cook whip and add on top of others. Freeze till ice cream is firm about 5 hours or overnight.

To Serve Remove torte from freezer and let stand at room temperature 20 to 30 minutes and sprinkle with almonds. Cut into slices with a sharp knife. Makes 16 servings

[cat lover]

For a Garden Bridal Shower

Seafood Rice Salad
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Cake

Seafood Rice Salad

2 pounds scallops, cooked
1 pound medium shrimp, cleaned and cooked
2 pkgs, ( 6oz each) frozen crabmeat, thawed, drained and cartilage removed
4 cups cold cooked rice
3 cups broccoli florets, blanched

Lemon Vinaigrette

Mix all ingredients except the venaigrette in a large bowl. Pour lemon vinaigrette over the salad and toss. Cover and refrigerate 1 or 2 hours or till chilled

Lemon Vinaigrette

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp chopped fresh chives
1 tbsp grated lemon peel
1 tsp dijoin mustard
1 tsp sugar

Mix all ingredients.

Mini Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 ctn (6 oz) lemon low fat yogurt (2/3 cup)
1 egg
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp poppy seeds
1 tbsp grated lemon peel
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Lemon Glaze

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease bottoms only of 24 mini muffin tins. Beat milk, oil, yogurt and egg in a bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients except lemon glaze just till flour is moistened. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups (cups will be almost full) and bake 10 to 12 minutes or till golden. Immediately remove from pan and drizzle lemon glaze over warm muffins. Lemon Glaze

1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 to 3 tsp lemon juice

Mix all ingredients together til smooth.

[cat lover]

This makes a good filling for celery, sugar snap peas or even to spread on crackers

Horseradish Chive Cream Cheese

1 cup chilled whipped cream cheese
2 tbsp well drained bottled horseradish
2 tbsp well drained borttled pickled ginger, finely chopped
4 tbsp finely chopped fresh chives

Whick together all ingredients except the chives and add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in chopped chives. Spoon into a decorator tube with a tip and pipe cream cheese mixture into celery or blanched sugar snap peas or on top of crackers. Put on a serving plate. You can also just spoon into a pretty bowl and serve with crackers on the side.

[rhi]

I foud a beautiful molded recipe at the following link http://www.recipezaar.com/125152 And it shows a picture of what it is too! Looks yummy and refreshing.

[rhi]

I think Quiche would be good for those types of parties in the early spring, because you can serve it hot or cold. This recipe is one of my favorites and really easy. I've used other cheeses as well and added a package of defrosted and squeezed of liquid chopped spinach.

Zucchini Quiche

2 cups zucchini (http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=316), sliced thin 1 cup onions (http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=148), sliced 3 tablespoons olive oil (http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=495) 1 garlic clove (http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=165), crushed 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=359) 4 beaten eggs (http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=142), beaten 1 cup milk (http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=360) 1 cup heavy cream (http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=361) 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese (http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=746), shredded 1 (10 inch) pie crusts


Saute zucchini,onion and garlic in olive oil until tender.
Season with salt.
Cover bottom of pie crust with this mixture.
Combine remaining ingredients and pour into pie shell.
Bake in preheated oven at 375 for 30-35 minutes until custard is set.
Serve hot or cold.
I have had this hot and cold and is good either way!

[DeBora4BobbyL]

Rhi, this sounds pretty good. I like anything that has heavy cream, eggs, or zucchini in it.

[cat lover]

I foud a beautiful molded recipe at the following link http://www.recipezaar.com/125152 And it shows a picture of what it is too! Looks yummy and refreshing.


Oh that is a pretty dish! Dh could eat it ,so I might just save t for a really hot day and fix it for us; thanks for sharing!

[cat lover]

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Chicken

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
12 pieces bacon
1 package cream cheese, softened
black pepper



Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Put a piece of chicken between 2 pieces of waxed paper. With ameat tenderizer, flatten the chicken a little.Put a layer of cream cheese on one side of the chicken. Roll chicken from one end and put joining side down. Sprinkle with pepper.Wrap each chicken with at least 2 pieces of bacon. This keeps chicken rolled.Place in a baking dish and bake for 1 hour. 6 servings

[cat lover]

Wine Glass Dessert

Very simple dessert that makes alight dessert at the end of a sit down celebration


3/4 cup boiling water
3 oz pkg sugar free gelatin, your favorite flavor
1/2 cup cold water
ice cubes
1/2 cup thawed fat free Cool Whip whipped topping

Pour boiling water into blender. Add gelatin. Cover and blend at low speed tilldissolved, about 30 seconds. Combine cold water and ice cubes to make 1 1/4 cup. Add to gelatin and stir until ice is almost melted.Add whipped topping; blend at top speed for 30 seconds. Pour into tall stemmed glasses or tall and narrow glass bowl. Chill for 30 minutes. Layers begin to show up as dessert chills.

[cat lover]

Champagne Punch

2 cups sugar
2 cups fresh lemon juice
1 bottle dry white wine
1 bottle champagne
2 large bottles soda water
1/4 cup orange liqueur
1/4 cup pineapple juice
4 slices pineapple

Combine the sugar and the liquid ingredients in a large punch bowl. Mix, and add a large ice block to the punch. Garnish with the pineapple slices. Allow the punch to chill, then serve in small glasses. 20 servings

[cat lover]

Strawberry Margarita Sorbet

This makes a nice "adult" dessert for a sit down luncheon or dinner

2 cups water
1 cup sugar
4 cups fresh strawberries, hulled or 1 bag (20 oz.) frozen whole strawberries, thawed
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/3 cup tequila
1/4 cup Triple Sec (orange flavored liqueur)
Fresh mint sprigs, for garnish

Bring water and sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat cook stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and cool completely. Puree strawberries in a blender or food processor until smooth. Stir in lime juice, tequila, orange liqueur, and sugar syrup. Refrigerate until cold. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. (Or pour mixture into a 13 x 9" pan and freeze till almost solid, 5 hours, stirring with a whisk every 1 1/2 hours. Refreeze.) Makes 6 cups.

Recipe from Ladies' Home Journal

[cat lover]

Maine Lobster Benedict

Makes 8 pieces - serving size is 2 pieces



For Hollandaise Sauce:

1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 egg yolks
1 tbsp lemon juice
dash of cayenne pepper
sea salt

For the Benedict:

4 English muffins, split in half and toasted
12 asparagus spears, steamed till just tender
1 pound cooked Maine lobster
1 tbsp butter
8 eggs, poached



Hollandaise Sauce:

Melt the butter in a double-boiler on top of the stove. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper. When the butter has melted, whisk the egg mixture into the melted butter, stirring constantly and cooking until the sauce starts to thicken. Season to taste with sea salt. Remove the double boiler from the heat and keep the sauce warm over the hot water.

To assemble Maine Lobster Benedict:

Toast the English muffins and place 2 halves on a plate. Cut the steamed asparagus spears in half, and place 3 half-pieces on each English muffin half. Sauté the Maine lobster in 1 tablespoon of butter until it is heated, and portion on top of the English muffins. Top each muffin half with a poached egg, and dollop the Hollandaise Sauce on top.

[cat lover]

Cinnamon Fruit Salad
This makes a nice change of pace for a salad for that special occasion
Recipe from Taste of Home



1 medium navel orange, peeled, sectioned and halved
1 kiwifruit, peeled, sliced and quartered
1 medium ripe banana, sliced
1 medium apple, sliced
6 seedless grapes, halved
2 tbsp sunflower kernels
1/4 cup fat free orange yogurt
Artificial sweetener equivalent to 4 teaspoons sugar
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

In a large bowl, combine fruit and sunflower kernels. In a small bowl, combine yogurt, sweetener and cinnamon and mix well. Pour over fruit and toss to coat. Serve immediately. 8 servings.

[cat lover]

Brides Lunch Punch
Yield: 172 Servings

6 boxes (3 oz each) lemon gelatin powder
6 cups hot water
12 quarts water
24 quarts pineapple juice
3 quarts lemon juice
12 quarts gingerale
12 cups sugar


Melt lemon jello in hot water.Mix all ingredients except ginger ale and chill. Add ginger ale before serving

[cat lover]

This is a good chicken salad and if you put it on croissant rolls it makes a great ladies luncheon main dish

Chicken Salad

8 boneless skinless chicken breat, cooked & cubed
2 cups seedless red grapes, halved
2 cups salted cashews, cut up
2 ribs celery, diced

DRESSING

3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tbsp white wine vinegar

Combine first four ingredients and then combine dressing ingredients and then toss them all together.