Lynch Wedding Reception ~ Farm to Table Style

We've had a lot of work and a little drama going on the past several days preparing and working and prepping and cooking and cleaning... and the list goes on! The first drama/horror was a stove that didn't work. The microwave worked long enough for my son to heat up a hot dog Friday afternoon. There was no hot water and the breakers kept tripping! (BTW... try cleaning up with no hot water! LOL) The people that we were doing this for were VERY understanding! You do what you can do and that's ALL you can do! Thank you Rick and Faris!!! 

In the spirit of the recent Farm to Table movement, I wanted to create an event for the bride using a lot of local resources/farms. She told me she really loves using local fresh ingredients and farm products. In the picture below the, the hubby and I are setting up the buffet server that had Cheese Logs on the side that I'm working on. I used a Fromage Blanc from my farm friends Alice and Earle at Middle Sparrow Ranch in Sardis, SC to make those! I also had two more fromage spreads: Rosemary and Black Olive & Honey and Cranberry!

Fromage Spreads from Middle Sparrow Ranch

My beautiful Buffet Server with Ham Biscuits,

Chicken Salad and Cheese Ball/Logs

I put my step-son, Cory, in charge of making my very tasty and elegant Shrimp-n-Grits! We used Stone Ground Grits I ordered from Carolina Plantaion in Darlington, SC, which have a nice and creamy texture. The longer you cook them, the creamer they become! Cooked in chicken broth, they become rich and savory which is perfect for my shrimp and sausage gravy. Thanks Cory! Awesome job! I really lucked out with a two-fer in this dish! I just happened to find some sausage from my farm friend, Russell at Sunny Cedars Farm in Sumter, SC in my freezer, which put this dish over the top!

The bride requested a Taco Bar, which I have never done for a wedding, but I did have fun playing with all the options! We had all the typical Mexican Rice, Charro Beans, Lettuce and Tomato, Guacamole, Sour Cream and Cheese, Cheese, Cheese! I did, however, throw in a TWIST! (Pun intended!) I had Pulled Pork and a couple of toppings from my friend Bobby at Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen. I made her Cilantro Lime Crema and Grilled Pineapple Salsa. These made AWESOME tacos!

We also had three varieties of wings:

Buffalo Wings!

Memphis~Style Sweet Heat Wings!

Teriyaki Wings!

Of course, no party is complete without trays/bowls of gorgeous fruit and the popular vegetable tray complete with yummy ranch dip!

My foodie friend Chef Christopher Hill over at the Bachelor Kitchen, shared his recipe for Bourbon BBQ Sauce because I had a request to sauce the cocktail wieners with a bourbon BBQ sauce! I had to try the sauce on a chicken tender! Yummy!

Because I forgot my camera, and I can't find anyone yet that has pictures of the dessert table or the Coffee Bar, (I will find them and add them soon! I didn't want it to delay the post any longer.) I'm ending with the Spinach Dip, Pimento Cheese Sandwiches (The hubby mixed it up, but my daughter-in-law Jamie made the pretty sandwiches! Thanks Jamie for all your hard work!) and Sausage Quiche! 

A special thanks to my son Elliott who handled the Coffee Bar and much, much more, and to Autumn who handled her first catering job with style and grace! She was right there ready to take on the next task and executed her tasks perfectly! Thanks y'all! Thanks to all y'all! 

...and finally

Congratulations Tricia and Chris!!!

Spinach Dip

1 box (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, cooked, cooled and squeezed dry*
1 container (16 oz.) sour cream
1 cup Mayonnaise
1 pkg Knorr Vegetable Mix

1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp Onion Powder

Dash of Cayenne Pepper

Combine all ingredients and chill about 2 hours. Serve with your favorite dippers. I use club crackers and scoops corn chips!

* When I make this for a crowd I use 5 pkgs of chopped spinach and multiply all the other ingredients by 4. It comes out great that way!

Sausage and Cheese Mini Quiche

1 lb Mild Sausage
1/3 cup Onion, chopped
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1/4 cup Italian Bread Crumbs
5 Eggs
3 tsp Dijon Mustard
1/2 tsp Sweet Basil, dried
2 cups Mozzarella Cheese
½ cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
Salt & Black Pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook sausage, onion and garlic in a heavy skillet over medium heat until meat is brown; drain. In a large bowl, combine bread crumbs, meat mixture, egg, 3 tsp mustard, parsley, cheeses, salt and pepper. Spoon meat mixture into mini muffin pans. Baked for about 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.

Note: Serve with your favorite hot mustard or horseradish…

Pimento Cheese

Pretty much everyone in the South has an aunt or grandmother that has a pimento cheese recipe. I combined the ideas from several recipes and came up with this one. I made it for a wedding reception this weekend, and it was a smash hit. I had several people tell me that it was the best they ever had! I love it! Yay! Even the bartender (my step-son took him some sandwiches) said that the pimento cheese is awesome!

1 lb Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated
1 8oz package Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup diced Pimento
1 cup Mayonnaise
2 tablespoons onion, grated
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and Cayenne Pepper, to taste

Combine all the ingredients, mixing well. Refrigerate 2 to 3 hours for flavors to mix. (Overnight is best.)

The Potato House Fries

If you are from my area and have been to the Sumter County Fair, you know exactly what I'm talking about when I mention the Potato House! Many people wait every year for the fair to come to town around the end of September, beginning of October, so they can sample all the fair foods! My favorite was always the french fries at the Potato House. Long, straight, square cut, deep fried potatoes that are perfectly salted and served with your choice of condiments. Whether you are a purist and like them oh natural, or you like malted vinegar or ketchup, it's up to you! Just step up and get your cone of fries and move on to the fixin's table!

These potatoes are deep fried in a large batch and fried for about 4-5 minutes or until floating and golden brown. There is not time to fry them at a low temperature and then re-fry them at another temperature! Drop 'em. Drain 'em. Wrap 'em and serve 'em! That's how they roll!


4 large Russet potatoes, peeled
Vegetable oil
Kosher salt

Cut the potatoes lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices, then cut each slice lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick fries. Put the fries in a large bowl of cold water.

Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed medium pot over medium heat, or in a tabletop deep fryer, to 375° F. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and set aside.

Drain the potatoes and fry them, in batches, turning frequently, until golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon or spider skimmer and drain on clean paper towels. Season immediately with salt and serve hot. The pictured potatoes are also sprinkled with fresh Parmesan Cheese!

Easter Eggs... Boiling the perfect Egg!

Deviled Eggs

The best way to insure beautiful, boiled eggs (without that ugly green film on the yolk) is to start off with the eggs in cold water. Bring the water to a boil, and boil for 3 minutes. Then, turn the heat off, cover the pot and let them sit for ten minutes. After ten minutes, put them in an ice bath to cool. 

To dye the boiled eggs, use small juice glasses or coffee cups. I like the glasses because you/the kids can see the egg. Add water and a tablespoon of vinegar to the glasses. (about halfway full) Then add a few drops of food coloring. Let the eggs sit for a minute.* Remove the eggs and let them drain and dry on paper towels. Don't try to wipe them dry.

* Tip... The longer you let the egg sit in the dye, the darker it will get.

 Easter Eggs ready to hide! :-)

I like to make deviled eggs, potato salad, chicken salad, tuna salad and egg salad with my left-over Easter Eggs! These have bacon added to them!

Deviled Eggs

6 eggs, hard cooked and peeled

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon yellow mustard

1 teaspoon sweet pickle relish (optional)**

pinch of salt 

fresh ground black pepper

Cut eggs in half. Arrange egg whites cut side up on a serving plate and put the yolks in a small mixing bowl. Mash yolks with fork then stir in mayonnaise, mustard, pickle and salt and pepper. Mash and stir all ingredients together well. 

* I insert a plastic bag into a cup or plastic container...

 Seal the bag releasing all the air...

Clip a corner of the bag with scissors and squeeze to fill each egg.

Bunches of eggs... on a mission! 

*If you are doing a small batch, just spoon a little bit of the mixture into each egg white half. Sprinkle eggs with red pepper or paprika, if desired. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

** Tip of the day... If you have someone that doesn't like the pickle chunks, or kids that just don't like green stuff. Use pickle juice instead of the pickle relish. I do it all the time and no one ever notices! They even comment that they like mine because there aren't any pickles in it! You can do the same thing with onion!

Pull Pork for Sandwiches

Whole Boston Butt
1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Garlic Powder

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Pour about 1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar over the pork, and then coat with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Bake  the Boston Butt at 250 degrees for about 6-8 hours uncovered... until the bone slides out easily and clean. I picked the fat off, and it actually fell apart easily... no fork shredding necessary! Then I added Daddy's BBQ Sauce to it.

This time I used a Hamilton Beach Automatic Roasting Oven that my step-mother, Pixie gave me. I put the pork in it on 225 degrees at 12 midnight, and the Hubby cut it off when he left for work.

Remove the bones. They should slide out clean. Take two forks and "pull" the meat apart or shred it. Add "Daddy's BBQ Sauce" to taste!

If you don't have any sauce you can order some here...

Daddy's BBQ Sauce for Pulled pork
A Box set of 2 pint Jars