Weddings and Galas and Buffets, oh my!

Yes, my big brother got married this weekend.  But what's really exciting is all the good food I got to eat!

Thursday night:
Rehearsal dinner at Jensen's Supper Club.  Delicious supper club-y type food including popovers, chicken in a creamy bacon sauce and chocolate cake.  Pretty much everything I didn't want to eat the night before I squeeze myself into a bridesmaid dress, but well worth it.

Friday night:
The wedding! Buca catered and it was amazing.  Penne pasta with chicken breast, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes and peas tossed in a white wine cream sauce, prosciutto stuffed chicken in a pesto cream sauce, garlic mashed potatoes, green beans and an Italian salad.  It was a dangerous buffet but I managed to keep it to one trip.  We ate amongst family, friends and candlelight and listened as Katie Gearty and the Tanner Taylor Trio provided the music.  The music was beautiful and the food was a definite hit amongst the crowd.  The food was comforting, familiar, yet sophisticated enough for a wedding reception.

The cake went along with the fall theme of the wedding.  It was apple spice with cream cheese frosting and absolutely delicious.  I love a dessert that is savory and sweet and the spiced apples were perfect with the frosting.

 Each table was sprinkled with Hershey chocolates that had fall themed flavors like caramel apple and pumpkin spice.  The bottom of the kisses had phrases from the poem that was read during the ceremony "I carry your heart" by ee cummings.  They also said "Mr. and Mrs. Jansen" and the date of the wedding.  It was a very cute and original idea and the guests loved to try the different flavors.

Saturday night:

40th anniversary of Jazz 88, KBEM.  A wonderful reason to celebrate and a wonderful reason for delicious food.  The event was held at the International Market Square and was catered by the in-house catering company, D'Amico catering.  I happened to have worked for D'Amico and at IMS many a times and was honored to be a guest.  I got to get dressed up and actually enjoy the event and the food, rather than spilling it all over me and quickly stuffing it in my face behind the scenes.  Ever wonder why a server walks out with a plate full of h'orderves and one is missing?  Yeah, I didn't think you did. I ate on my own terms and enjoyed each of the buffets that displayed eats of various D'Amico restaurants.  3 Tiers Cakes provided the cake and cupcakes including a surprisingly delicious bacon/banana/honey Elvis inspired cupcake.

International Market Square

 

Spicy fried calamari with aioli, beef short ribs and bruschetta

Taco with chicken in chipotle sauce

3 Tiers chocolate cupcake and Elvis cupcake with bacon

Karrin Allyson and the Wolverines Big Band

Overlooking the wedding crowd at the James J. Hill Library

It was an exhausting, overwhelming, emotional, wonderfully delicious, busy weekend to say the least but had to be one of the best weekends of my life.  I got to spend a lot of time with family and eat a lot of delicious food.  What more could a girl want?