Wedding Blog

I promised recipes for the citrus shower going on this weekend, but the truth is that there aren’t many to report. My co-host is from out of town, and we’ll only have a few hours in the morning to really put everything together. So, rather than stress over cooking, I’m trying to do as much ahead of time, use frozen foods, and set aside tomorrow for only reheats and minor prep. Because a mini-foods theme is so easy (especially if you don’t have a lot of seating around your house!) and don’t require guests to use utensils of any kind, I wanted to share with you how the food is all coming together.

The menu:

• Mini cheeseburgers
• Mini BLTs
• Mac ’n’ cheese in crispy prosciutto cups
• Sweet potato fries
• Mini hot dogs
• Brownies and milk shots

Mini Cheeseburgers:

Because dinner rolls are a bit big for mini cheeseburgers, I’m using frozen bread dough and forming my own mini-buns.

After this dough is finished rising, I’ll divide each loaf into 20 pieces, and bake the buns today. You can even sprinkle sesame seeds on top before baking, if you like! I’ll opt for a little brush of butter and no seeds. Tomorrow I’ll fry mini burger patties on a large skillet, and top with cheese, lettuce, and tomato.

Mini BLTs:

Baking the bacon in the oven is the way to go! I followed the instructions on the package and baked a whole package of bacon in less than 20 mins.

I left the bacon a bit undercooked, cut it into strips (6 per bacon slice; each BLT will get 2 small slices, or 1/3 piece of bacon) and am storing the almost finished bacon in the refrigerator. Tomorrow I’ll just finish the bacon off in a pan before placing them between mayo slathered baguette slices, along with small tomato slices and romaine lettuce. Mmmmmayoooo. (Mayo’s key here to keep your sandwiches from getting soggy from the tomatoes - if you hate mayo consider a light brush of olive oil as your tomato-bread barrier.)

Mac ’n’ Cheese in Prosciutto Cups:

I’m baking the prosciutto in mini-muffin tins today. To do this, slice prosciutto slices in half, line them in mini-muffin tins, and bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes (check them often! As soon as the fat begins to brown, you can take them out).

Drain upside-down on paper towels, and store them in an airtight container.

Tomorrow I’ll bake the mac ’n’ cheese (a cheat: I’m using Stouffer’s) and spoon them into the cups right before serving.

Sweet Potato Fries:

Cheat. Buy pre-made, serve in individual paper cones.

My setup includes cones standing in dried peas (yellow and green).

Mini Hot Dogs:

Cheat.

Brownies and Milk Shots:

Cheat(ish). Bake boxed brownies and cut them out in your desired shape.

I threw them back in the oven again for 8 minutes after cutting them out, to make sure they retain their shape when served on the milk shots. Then I stored them in a Ziploc, and will serve them atop 1% milk shots for the party tomorrow.

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I’ve done all I can do today, but tomorrow (the morning of the shower) will be filled with mostly baking or skillet frying. I think it should be a pretty painless setup, considering how much I was able to do today.

If you’re considering a shower like this, here’s a grocery list. I’ll leave it up to you to determine how much of what you need!

Mini cheeseburgers

• ground beef
• cheddar cheese slices
• frozen bread dough
• romaine lettuce
• small tomatoes

Mini BLTs

• thin baguette
• mayo
• bacon
• romaine lettuce
• small tomatoes

Mac ’n’ cheese in crispy prosciutto cups

• deli prosciutto
• mini muffin baker
• macaroni and cheese

Sweet potato fries

• sweet potatoes, salt, pepper (or, buy pre-made)

Mini hot dogs

• buy pre-made

Brownies and milk shots

• brownie mix and ingredients (eggs, vegetable oil)
• milk
• small disposable shot glasses