Nov 10, 2015 | Recipes
- 1 pound 21-25 Shrimp
- 8 oz. Cream Cheese
- 2-3 pieces of Cooked and Crumbled Bacon
- 2-4 oz. of Cheese Stumps from your Fridge
- 1 tsp Garden Seasoning
- Dash of Worchestershire Sauce
Make your own mousse in a food processor using room temperature cream cheese, bacon a dash of garden seasoning, worchestershire and your favorite cheese stumps. Remember to use caution with particularly fragrant or pungent cheeses as they will overpower the flavor profile quickly. Pulse until well blended and season with a bit of salt or pepper if needed.
Season cleaned prawns with pepper, a bit of old bay, fresh herbs, or lemon pepper. Grill or pan sauté the prawns until just done. High heat will produce some nice color on the shrimp.
Pipe or spoon the whipped mousse onto pretzel crackers, crostini’s or flatbreads and serve with the prawn standing up.
Serve warm or cold. If serving warm, grill the shrimp just before serving!
Be sure to bring the mousse back to room temperature if you make it in advance as it needs to be soft enough to pipe as well as to hold the prawns.
Prep time: 20 minutes
In the “foodie” community, we’re long been respected for our creativity and our ability to entertain without making it look too terribly difficult. Well the holidays are fast approaching and here are a few tasty yet fairly easy holiday hors d’Oeuvres that you can “wow” your guests with this season.
We used some basic measurements, but feel free to use your imagination with the flavor profiles and make it your own! As with any recipe, these are just good guides.
While of course we’d love it if you wanted your party catered, some people do like to do things on their own and we certainly understand that. You can order a single item or an entire full- service party and anything in between – as long as you don’t wait until the last minute to do so!
Our signature bedazzling bonbons are available in almost any color you can imaging and make a great addition to any wedding, holiday party or special event!
Happy Hosting!
Nov 3, 2015 | Recipes
- 1 cup dry polenta
- 1 pound of short rib
- 1 cup Demi Glaze
- Herb Garnish
Make Polenta in your favorite way (cheesy, spicy, plain, whatever) and pour it into a pan to firm up – remembering not to make fully cooked creamy polenta or it won’t harden!
When chilled and firm, cut the polenta in 1” x 2” strips.
Using your own short rib or a bought product, create a tasty demi and warm the rib in the demi before serving.
Lightly deep fry the polenta and place the rib on top in bite sized pieces. Serve garnished with fresh herbs as an hors d’Oeuvre or a tapas dish.
Serving Option: Make creamy polenta and serve as a tapas only.
Prep time: 30-40 minutes plus refrigeration time
In the “foodie” community, we’re long been respected for our creativity and our ability to entertain without making it look too terribly difficult. Well the holidays are fast approaching and here are a few tasty yet fairly easy holiday hors d’Oeuvres that you can “wow” your guests with this season.
We used some basic measurements, but feel free to use your imagination with the flavor profiles and make it your own! As with any recipe, these are just good guides.
While of course we’d love it if you wanted your party catered, some people do like to do things on their own and we certainly understand that. You can order a single item or an entire full- service party and anything in between – as long as you don’t wait until the last minute to do so!
Our signature bedazzling bonbons are available in almost any color you can imaging and make a great addition to any wedding, holiday party or special event!
Happy Hosting!
Oct 19, 2015 | Planning
With some of the most popular times for engagement proposals coming up at Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and Valentine’s Day, it is time to start thinking wedding planning. Brides that come to us don’t always know where to start when it comes to planning and design. We try to help make the process easier by asking some questions about the concept, approximate budget, venue choice, time of year and any design ideas you might have in mind for your reception.
Some couples choose to go with a country club, banquet hall or hotel ballroom where additional rentals are considered an upgrade where as some couples choose an outdoor space where everything needs to be brought in. Depending on your event space, different recommendations can be made to help you achieve the most “WOW” for your money – this is where we can help! Rental needs are truly based on your venue. Common rental items are tenting, tables, chairs, linens, tablewares, dance floors, lighting, climate control, just to name a few. There are basics as well as options and upgrades to every one of these selections.
When booking your wedding at a hotel, country club, or any other venue where a majority of the necessities are onsite, you may only be interested in upgrading a few items. Most of the time, the tables and chairs are already provided. In this case, you may choose to upgrade to a timeless silver, gold or clear chiavari chair or a rustic-style countryside chair. Perhaps changing from the standard white or ivory polyester linen to a different color, texture or fabric may suit your style better. There are so many fabric, texture and color options that finding the perfect complement for your wedding should be a breeze if you start with a clear vision! A tasteful runner can also enhance a tabletop design and usually proves to be an inexpensive layer of your design. For the most part the tableware that a venue includes in their package is just fine. Tableware including your guest place settings such as the plates, flatware, and glassware can all be upgraded to newer shapes and more interesting and creative presentations. Flatware can also be gold or silver plated to go along with your theme. Another nice enhancement would be chargers where you can rent a lacquer version or glass and they come in many colors. The more layers of design created on the table top, the more polished it will appear to your guests. That same polish can be established with a rustic wedding as well by using burlap, tree slices, drift wood, grasses, cat tails and other natural accents, with or without the typical ball mason jars! So much can be utilized from seasonal growths to accent the tables and to give the table a “fresh from the garden or just picked” look that costs very little in the end.
Of course, there are other items that can be added to any venue including a dance floor. Some venues include a basic floor, but there are many options to choose from. You can go with a checkered, a seamless, or even lighted floor. Upgrading options don’t stop there, you will most likely consider lighting to enhance the overall look of the space. This can be provided by your
rental company or it may be included in a package from your entertainment provider. If you are serving alcohol at your wedding, bar space needs to be established as well. Most venues will have a designated space, this is something you should confirm, otherwise renting one may be necessary. Many rental companies today offer LED lighted bars that can be turned to a variety of colors at the flip of a switch
Now if you are working with a blank canvas, or bare grounds, everything will need to be brought in. Planning an event on a blank canvas isn’t inexpensive, but lends itself to becoming memorable, unique and all yours – because nothing is cookie cutter! You will then take all the considerations from above, plus the different options that are available, and add additional items to that list. This isn’t intended to overwhelm you, but fully educate you on what is needed when using a unique space. The more you know, the better prepared you can be during the planning process. In a situation where you are using an outdoor and open space, your first question could be, will we need to be covered or not? Various tent styles allow for different lighting options with several options being poles vs. no poles, clearspan and so much more. Some tent varieties have far greater impact on budgets than others. Next, you will need to consider climate control options. Is it a particularly warm, summer day or a chilly evening? You may decide you need fans or heaters, respectively.
Another aspect that often goes unnoticed is the needs of the caterer. These requirements can change depending if food is being brought in finished or being finished onsite. The necessities can range from needing chaffing dishes to requiring a refrigerator, grills, stove or oven. It is important to know what your caterer needs if you are planning a wedding on a private property. It should also be determined if serving equipment will be needed and how food will be served and temperature maintained. Will it be a buffet or a plated dinner? Both have different needs in terms of serving. Another commonly overlooked item is power. If power is not supplied by the venue, temporary power will need to be brought in. It is important to speak with venue coordinator to ensure adequate power is being supplied. No one wants a shortage in the middle of the wedding! Another tasteful upgrade item to consider for your big day is lounge or period furniture. This is nice-to-have and it does create a fun and relaxed atmosphere for your guests. These pieces can be customized to the style of your event.
Often a caterer will not only help establish a list of what they need, but will also be helpful in assisting you in procuring the rest of the rental items like linens, tables, chairs, etc. that will be needed. The caterer does this many times a month and is accustom to the needs of specific venues and can save you the trouble of figuring out the learning curve on your own. Take their advice if it’s offered, it’s often well founded!
Some of the most popular upgrades today include the ever popular photo booth, lighting, linen
choices and unusual invitations.
This is a pretty good start to venue differences in terms of rentals and some of the upgrades that need to be considered. Regardless where your wedding is taking place, there will are always upgrade options to enhance the quality of your finished presentation. Your vision can be very complete when you consider the layers in design that you will need to achieve that look!
May 20, 2015 | Catering, Planning
Selecting the Right Caterer for your wedding
Doesn’t sound easy, does it? Often an initial phone call is enough to decide whether or not to meet someone. Ultimately meeting tells you more about the specific abilities of the caterer you are interviewing – but you need to know what the right questions to ask are!
Most caterers are divided into three different categories – full service (usually capable of more formal events), BBQ (more casual service) and just a drop off. Even within these categories there can be a lot of differences in what each company can offer. Knowing what you want is key and reading the caterer you are interviewing will often tell you how comfortable they are with what you are looking for.
Arguably every company has its specialties. What they are comfortable and capable of doing well will make your wedding either a smashing success or a potential disaster with plenty of headaches for you and yours in the coming months of planning and preparing. Never hesitate to ask what the company you are interviewing thinks they are good at. If you are looking for a served sit-down dinner and they are most comfortable with cocktail receptions or a buffet, you need to move on as asking someone to do something that they are not comfortable with tends to lead to disappointment and undo stress.
When meeting with a potential caterer about your wedding planning you should first consider asking some or all of the following questions…
The Basics
- Do you have my date open?
- How many weddings do you do per year, and how long have you been in business?
- Have you done events at my location? TIP: If you haven’t chosen your location yet, ask the caterer if they can help you select one.
- Are you licensed by the state of Pennsylvania? Are you licensed to serve alcohol?
- Will I need any permits for my event? If so, will you handle obtaining them?
- Will you provide a banquet manager to coordinate the meal service or an on-site coordinator who will run the entire event?
- Can you assist with other aspects of the wedding like selecting other vendors, event design (e.g.
- specialty lighting, elaborate décor, theme events, etc.)?
Food & Presentation
- Given my budget, guest count and event style, what food choices would you recommend? Do you specialize in certain cuisines?
- Do we have to work off a preset menu or can you create a custom menu for our event? If I have a special dish I’d like served, would you accommodate that?
- Do you offer event packages or is everything à la carte? What exactly do your packages include?
- Do you use all fresh produce, meat, fish, etc.? Can you source organic or sustainably farmed ingredients if we are interested in that?
- Can you accommodate dietary restrictions, such as kosher, vegan, gluten free, etc.?
- What décor do you provide for appetizer stations or buffet tables?
- Do you offer package upgrades such as chocolate fountains, ice sculptures, cappuccino machines or specialty displays?
- Can you do theme menus (e.g. barbecue, luau, etc.)? Would you also provide the décor?
- What’s the difference in cost between passed appetizers and appetizer stations? What’s the price difference between a buffet and a sit-down meal? If we have a buffet, are there any stations that cost extra, like a carving station? NOTE: Don’t automatically assume that a buffet is going to be the less expensive option. Ask your caterer which type of service is more affordable for you, given the menu you’re planning.
- How much do you charge for children’s meals?
- How much do you charge for vendor meals?
- Do you do wedding cakes? If so, is this included in the per-person meal price or is it extra?
- Can you show me photos of cakes you’ve done in the past?
- If I decide not to serve cake, can you provide a dessert display instead?
- If we use an outside cake designer, do you charge a cake-cutting fee?
- Do you do food tastings and is there an extra charge for this?
- Do you handle rental equipment such as tables, chairs, etc.?
- What types of linens, glassware, plates and flatware do you provide? NOTE: Some low-budget caterers have basic packages that use disposable dinnerware instead of the real thing, so make sure you know exactly what you’ll be getting.
- Can you provide presentation upgrades such as chair covers, lounge furniture, Chiavari chairs, etc.? What would be the additional fees?
- What is your policy on cleanup? TIP: Be very clear about what “cleanup” means and who’s responsible for handling it—and be sure to get it in writing. We’ve heard many tales about caterers that left dirty dishes, trash and uneaten food behind. In most cases, when you rent a location it will be YOUR responsibility to leave the place in acceptable condition. You want to spend your wedding night with your honey, not picking up empty bottles from the lawn!
- If there is leftover food from my event, can we have it wrapped up for us to take home or have it delivered to a local shelter?
Drink
- Do you provide alcoholic beverages and bartenders? Can you accommodate specialty cocktails?
- Can we provide the alcohol and do you provide the bar labor?
- Do you charge a corkage fee if we provide our own wine or champagne?
- How do you charge for alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages? Per consumption or per person? Which is more cost-effective?
- Is the champagne toast after the ceremony included in your meal packages or is it extra?
- Will your staff serve the wine with dinner?
- How long will alcohol be served?
- Is coffee and tea service included with the per-person meal charge? What brands of each do you offer and do they include decaf and herbal tea options?
Business Matters
- What is the ratio of servers to guests?
- How will the servers be dressed?
- How is your pricing broken down (e.g. food, bar, cake-cutting, tax, gratuity)? NOTE: Usually tax and a service charge are tacked on to your final cost. The service charge, which can range 18–23%, is used to tip the staff. And in many states, the service charge itself is taxable.
- How much time do you require for setting up and breaking down my event, and are there extra fees for this?
- If my event runs longer than contracted, what are your overtime fees?
- What is the last date by which I can give you a final guaranteed guest count?
- What is your payment policy? Do you accept credit cards?
- How much of a deposit is required to hold my date? When is the final payment due?
- Are there any fees that won’t be included in the proposal that we should be aware of?
- Once we book with you, how quickly can we expect a contract? And if we make changes to menu choices or other items, will you update us with a revised estimate and contract?
- What is your refund or cancellation policy?
- Can you provide a list of recent references?
