Liz's June Wedding

Midway through June was cousin Liz's wedding in Cleveland. The twenty-something cousins had already predicted who would be married first within our bunch, and Liz was not the first we had guessed. But at times the best thing about families is the "who knows?" unpredictability. The extended family converged for the affair, starting the Thursday before with a food party for the soon-to-be newlyweds. All guests brought a dish and recipe to share = tables of food. We met a lot of new people through their food. Groom Jason's grandma was my favorite - the way she simply, yet exquisitely described a two-ingredient sloppy joe and waldorf salad made me wish she had a cooking show I could watch every day.

So food is the great social integrator at weddings.

At the food party, my sister and I ran a smoothie station and blended a few original fruity creations. Teresa capitalized on her smoothie-making skills gained during her famous college-years stint at the Orange Julius in the mall. Especially popular at the party was the Magic Mojito (and it was good even without the rum!)- all recipes can be found below.


The Sunday after the wedding, Liz and Jason were already on their cruise ship ready to sail out into the Caribbean and our family was playing croquet and prepping for an after-party and Father's Day picnic in Auntie MJ's and Uncle Don's backyard.

Family picnics are great casual affairs where lounging, eating and talking are the primary activities. We got stuffed on Italian sausages in toasted rolls that were topped with roasted red peppers, onions and spicy mustard. Auntie MB's rosemary potato salad had me swooning under the fragrance, and we grilled some corn smothered in chili-lime butter for twenty people, all on a little hibatchi.




Following were some s'mores and Liz's homemade birthday cake for Teresa and Anthony. The bride even took time to bake her cousin a birthday cake - amazing. It was a fluffy white cake with a mysterious lump of chocolate in the middle - delicious! Still full, though wanting more family fun and food, Dad took me to the airport so I could get back to NYC in time to catch my flight to Mexico, thus setting us up for the next food episode.

Sister Smoothies*

Magic Mango & Mint Mojito
1/2 can of Limeade concentrate
1 cup of Seltzer
1 sliced Mango
1-2 sprigs of Fresh Mint
1 1/2 cup Ice
Blend!

Love Monkey
1 1/2 cups of Chocolate Soymilk
2 sliced Bananas
1-2 teaspoons of Honey
1 cup of Ice
Blend!

Smooth Sailin'
1/2 cup of Sliced Strawberries
1/2 cup of Sliced Pineapple
1 1/2 cups of Orange Juice
1-2 teaspoons of Honey
1 1/2 cups of Ice
Blend!

*Adjust proportions of ingrediants to your liking.*

*Rum can be added to any of these if you need to feel extra smooth.*



Grilled Corn with Chili-Lime Butter

If done right, this corn will take you to new heights in flavor. The trick is to do an initial smother of the mixture, grill it, then spread on some more with an extra squeeze of fresh lime juice.

Fresh corn (husked)
1-2 Sticks of butter
1-2 Limes
Chili Powder

Directions:
1. Soften butter in microwave. In bowl with butter, squeeze in the juice of one lime. Sprinkle in chili powder to your taste. Blend.

2. Spread on corn ears. Grill and turn until golden brown.

3. Spread another layer of chili-lime butter on corn and squeeze on a little more fresh lime juice.