Homemade Iced Tea

August 29, 2010 | Author: Leslie, Backyard Weddings, Reception, Receptions

You can’t go wrong with some iced tea for your wedding reception beverage, especially served on a nice and warm summer afternoon.  Here’s a recipe for lemon iced tea that I found on www.healthy-temple.com that you might enjoy. This recipe yields four servings but you can easily adjust the quantity on the number of people you are serving it to.

I added some honey to mine to make it a bit sweeter instead of sugar but if you don’t have honey, sugar is perfectly fine.

Ingredients
4 lemon-flavored herbal tea bags
2 cups water
4 teaspoons sugar
4 cups ice cubes
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
4 slices lemon
4 mint sprigs

Cooking Instructions
1. Bring the water to a boil and remove from heat.
2. Place the tea bags in a large tea pot and pour the hot water over them. Cover and steep for 3 minutes.
3. Uncover the pot and remove the tea bags. Add the sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves.
4. Add the ice cubes to the tea and let cool. When the tea has cooled to room temperature, add the lemon juice. Transfer the tea to a pitcher, cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
5. When ready to serve, fill 4 tall glasses with ice. Fill the glasses with tea and garnish with a lemon slices and mint sprigs.

What’s On Your Playlist?

August 25, 2010 | Author: Leslie, Backyard Weddings, Reception, Receptions

Have you thought of the songs you’d like playing during your wedding celebration? You and your partner should also schedule a sit down for this as well so that your wedding playlist will be a combination of all the songs you both like and want to hear. After that, you can just download all the songs into your music player and let it play throughout the event.

Personally, I’m not into overly mushy love songs unless they have a special meaning or important memory attached to them and although hilarious, I know that some couples are not up to doing the chicken dance on their own wedding day. For receptions, I’d recommend some light and bouncy music to out everyone in a light and fun mood while they are talking and eating. You can save some romantic love songs for the dancing later, if you have that on the program.  If you and your partner have your “theme song,” there is no question about its inclusion, maybe for your first dance as a married couple.

If you’re looking for suggestions to add more to your playlist, here’s my two cent’s worth. Frank Sinatra songs are very popular choices and if you like his songs, you might also want to check out Michael Bublé. I personally like his song “Everything” and I think it’s perfect for a wedding celebration, a man describing what his partner is to him. Very romantic in a cool and upbeat tune. For those who like a more country feel for their playlists, Keith Urban is worth listening to. He has a wonderful combination of both slow and uptempo love songs that you can easily dance to. I even work out to some of his songs because they put me in such a good mood as I listen to them.

Easy Lemonade Recipe

August 20, 2010 | Author: Leslie, Backyard Weddings, Reception, Receptions

Another beverage suggestion for your backyard wedding reception. This very easy lemonade recipe is from allrecipes.

Decorating Chairs for Outdoor Weddings

August 10, 2010 | Author: Leslie, Backyard Weddings, Reception, Receptions

We’ve mentioned decorating chairs for your outdoor wedding celebration. Here is a video on youtube that demonstrates how it’s done so that you get a clearer idea on how to do the decorating yourself or maybe add some twists and styles of your own.

Just click on the link below to watch the video.

Decorating Chairs for Outdoor Wedding

Potluck Recipe – Baked Potato Salad

August 9, 2010 | Author: Leslie, Backyard Weddings, Reception, Receptions

Baked Potato Salad Recipe

For guests and soon to be wed alike, I found this great and very tasty recipe at www.tasteofhome.com.

This would go really well with potluck celebrations, especially if the reception has a barbecue theme. The recipe yields 16 to 20 servings.

Ingredients

• 4-1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 envelopes Italian salad dressing mix
• 1 medium green pepper, chopped
• 1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 4 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
• 5 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
• 1-1/2 cups mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions

• In a large bowl, toss the potatoes with oil and dressing mixes. Place in two greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dishes. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 45 minutes or until tender. Cool. Transfer to a large bowl; add peppers, onions, tomatoes, eggs and bacon. Toss gently.
• In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Pour over salad and stir gently. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Backyard Barbeque Recipe

August 4, 2010 | Author: Leslie, Backyard Weddings, Reception, Receptions

For those planning a backyard barbeque theme, here is a wonderful recipe from the Food Network Magazine called Chili-Glazed Pork Ribs. Cooking time is three hours and this recipe serves six to eight people.

Ingredients:

• 2 racks pork spareribs (about 6 pounds)
• Kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
• 3 tablespoons ancho chili powder
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3 cups apple cider
• 3 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Procedure:

Make shallow cuts between the ribs on the bone side with a sharp knife, piercing just the membrane.

Mix 1 tablespoon salt, the brown sugar, garlic, thyme, chili powder, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and the cayenne in a bowl. Rub the spice mixture evenly over the ribs. Place the ribs on a rack in a roasting pan, loosely cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

Meanwhile, combine the cider, ketchup, mustard and Worcestershire sauce in a saucepan over medium heat and simmer until reduced to about 2 cups, about 30 minutes. Cover and set aside.

Preheat a grill to low heat on one side. Cook the ribs bone-side down on the cooler side of the grill, covered, until tender, about 2 hours 30 minutes. (If using a charcoal grill, add more charcoal as needed to maintain the temperature.) Continue to cook, uncovering every 10 minutes to baste with the sauce, until the ribs are glazed, about 40 more minutes. Remove from the grill and cut into pieces.