WEDDINGS: PLAN A WEDDING IN ONE WEEK? YES, I DID!

When a lifelong friend and longtime bachelor calls you on April Fool’s Day and says… “I got engaged yesterday and I want to get married THIS coming Saturday AND we want you to plan the wedding”… the normal reaction is to bust out laughing. Which I did. But when he says he’s serious, it is time to jump on the planning ASAP. Here’s how I pulled together a beautiful, sentimental family wedding in only one week. And here are the photos to prove it.

When you have less than a week to pull together a wedding, you don’t have time to procrastinate and stress about the decisions you are making. You have to make decisions and move on… and that’s what we did. No time to sweat the little things! Trusting your planner is essential:)

I was the vendor for just about everything. I was the planner, the chef, the florist, and even rental delivery… just about everything. What I could not make, I purchased. The one vendor I did hire was the photographer, Mo Davis from Arden Photography. Mo is a rock star, capturing every moment and every detail. Advice to brides: don’t skimp on the photos. The pictures and the memories last a lifetime. AND I must thank my sweet friends Jared and Corey from The Sonnet House in Leeds, Alabama. Corey made the lovely bridal bouquet and boutonnieres… aren’t they beautiful!

For the decor, the couple wanted a rustic theme to fit the farm setting so we used bales of pine straw, pots of spring flowers, branches, burlap, moss, Mason jars, rustic lanterns, and lots of candles. The pine straw along with the flats and pots of spring flowers were used at the front gate and also for the ceremony site. The couple has already planted those in their yard to enjoy all summer long. We also did not want to have to worry with rental china so we opted for this eco-friendly recycled paper and bamboo place settings which were recycled again after the event!

We continued the rustic theme throughout the decor and for the food service. Wooden serving trays, cutting boards, bowls were all used. Charcuterie of cured meats, cheeses, and sausages plus grilled lamb pops were waiting for guests after the ceremony. For the main course, we kept it down on the farm with smoked pulled pork over organic grits and collard greens. For dessert, the two-tiered wedding cake was vanilla butter cream and filled with layers of homemade lemon curd and raspberry preserves. Since there was going to be a fire in the fire pit after dark, I made my signature s’mores with Nutella instead of a groom’s cake and also made plenty as favors for guests to take home.

Wishing a lifetime of happiness to my sweet friends… thank you for letting me be a part of your day! Thanks to my assistant Caroline, my grill master Brad, Lauren, Kristal, and Sohaila along with Mo and Jared and Corey from the Sonnet House in Leeds. You made this easy!

RECIPE: STRAWBERRY MASCARPONE NUTELLA STUFFED FRENCH TOAST

Years ago, I went to Toast in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood for a business meeting with my good friend and wedding planning guru, Lori Stephenson of Lola Event Productions. Lori ordered this decadent looking Mascarpone Strawberry Stuffed French Toast… I didn’t get it but thought about it forever until the next time I had a chance to go back and order it. I don’t live in Chicago anymore, so I've had to create my own version. It is just as good as I remember and doesn’t require a plane ticket or the hassle of parking in Lincoln Park. When I don’t have mascarpone, I just leave it out and use a bit of whipped cream on top. Equally decadent and delicious.

Strawberry Marscapone Nutella French Toast. Decadent breakfast or easy dessert? You decide!

STRAWBERRY MARSCAPONE NUTELLA STUFFED FRENCH TOAST

Prep Time: 15 minutes  Cook Time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 ½ cups fresh strawberries, sliced

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

5 large eggs

¾ cup heavy cream

¼ cup orange juice

½ teaspoon orange zest

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

10 slices Challah, Brioche or soft loaf bread

4 ounces Mascarpone cheese, room temperature

8 tablespoons Nutella

2 tablespoons butter

½ cup Confectioners sugar, for dusting

2 cups maple syrup

DIRECTIONS:

Hull and slice the strawberries. Sprinkle with the sugar. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl whisk together the eggs, cream, juice, zest, cinnamon, vanilla and salt.

Spread five slices of bread with the Mascarpone cheese. Spread five slices with Nutella.

Drain the strawberries. Put slices over the Nutella and put the slices together to form 5 sandwiches. Working 1 at a time, dip the sandwich in the egg mixture, letting it sit about 1 minute per side to soak up the egg mixture. Set aside. Repeat.

Preheat a large nonstick skillet or griddle. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter. When the butter has melted, add 2 of the sandwiches and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Repeat. Use a serrated knife to carefully slice in half. Dust with Confectioner’s sugar. Serve with warm maple syrup and a little orange zest.

RECIPE: SOUTHERN PECAN DIVINITY

One holiday tradition I grew up with is Pecan Divinity. I can remember standing on a kitchen chair at the counter, two teaspoons in hand, waiting for the moment my mom said “go” and I’d start dropping those little puffs of sugar onto the wax paper in front of me. It was something we did every year from as far back as I can remember… and we’d often package up the treats to swap with family and friends.

Pecan Divinity is a classic Southern holiday item... we only have it at Christmas. That's probably because it does not turn out well when it is humid outside.

Divinity is nothing but sugar and egg whites… it is hard to imagine that something so simple can be that delicious but there are a few tricks to getting it just right. If you notice in the photo, the ones on top are smooth and pretty- the ones on the bottom are more craggy. That is because I let the mixture cool too much before dropping the candy. You have to work quickly to get the pretty, silky looking texture. Here are my secrets to making it look and taste just right:

1. Cook divinity on a day with no rain and no humidity. Let dry completely before storing. At least one hour.
2. Make sure you have an accurate candy thermometer. It is important to get it to exactly 260 degrees (hard ball stage) before you mix the sugar into the egg whites.
3. Work quickly. The candy looks best (somewhat shiny, not craggy) if you drop them while still hot. Once the candy cools off, it doesn’t hold the shape as well and looks rough, not smooth on the exterior. It still tastes good, just doesn’t look as pretty.

 SOUTHERN PECAN DIVINITY RECIPE

*You will need a candy thermometer for this recipe and wax or parchment paper. 

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup white Karo or light corn syrup

1/2 cup water

2 egg whites

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

DIRECTIONS

Prepare two baking sheets with wax or parchment paper.

Toast pecans on a baking sheet in the oven just for a few minutes. Allow to cool completely. Set aside.

Add sugar, salt, syrup and water to a large heavy 2 quart saucepan.  Stir. Attach candy thermometer to the side of the pan but don’t let it touch the bottom. Over medium high heat, cook the sugar mixture to the hard ball stage or 260 degrees. Don’t stir it but you can swirl the pan around until the sugar dissolves, then just leave it alone. Watch the sugar carefully. It will take about 15 minutes to get to 260 degrees. While you are waiting, use a mixer to beat the egg whites to stiff peaks, beating constantly on high speed, about 4-5 minutes.

When the mixture reaches 260 degrees, remove it from the heat. With the mixer on the lowest setting, very slowly stream the hot sugar mixture into the egg whites. Add vanilla. Then turn up the speed to high and beat constantly until the mixture holds its shape, about 5-6 minutes. Quickly fold in the pecans. Work rapidly and drop the candy by teaspoon onto the prepared baking sheet.

Let cool and dry at least one hour before storing the candy in an airtight container.