Recipe(tried): Winter Wedding Reception Ideas and Recipes (5)

Donna,

First of all, congrats - sounds like a fun event to plan. I will quickly brainstorm and hopefully give good ideas.

Italian Wedding Soup (seemed appropriate)

1 can beef broth
1 pkg frozen chopped spinach
6 cans chicken broth
1 c. pastina
1 lb. lean ground beef
grated parmesan/romano to taste
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Form ground beef into tiny meatballs - max 2 tsp. each. Cook them in the olive oil, garlic and onion powder in a frying pan until cooked then pour off the drippings and turn up the heat briefly to brown well for flavor. Set aside.

Put all broth in large stock pot and add thawed spinach. Mix well. Add the meatballs to the mixture. Next add the pastina and any remaining seasonings to taste. Simmer until pasta is tender and soup is well mixed. Can let sit for several hours if need be (I usually do this on Halloween for my cul-de-sac which is why it's my first thought - too hot in FL this time though).

Poppyseed Ham and Cheese Rolls

2 pkg party rolls (24 ea. usually in bread aisle and come in a foil tray)
1 (8 oz.) pkg sliced ham (rectangular)
1 (8 oz.) pkg sliced swiss
2 sticks margarine
2 Tbsp. worcestershire
2 Tbsp. poppy seeds
4 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. prepared mustard

Melt margine in a sauce pan. Add worcestershire, poppy seeds, mustard and brown sugar. Mix and bring to a boil. Set aside.

Cut rolls across entire package at once (carefully!) with a serated knife to make to large slices. Layer ham then cheese and then another layer of ham. Place top layer of rolls on this. Cut large sandwich rectangle into 21-24 smaller sandwiches and place in a 9x13 pan (should hold both trays of rolls). Spoon the sauce over the rolls being careful to cover each roll. Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight.

Bring to room temp and heat at 350 until cheese melts and rolls are heated (appx 30 min). Separate with a knife so they may be picked up easily.

This recipe serves 15-20 as an appetizer.

Italian Shrimp

As an entree I would do this differently but for a reception would adapt as such:

1 lb. jumbo shrimp
white pepper
Good Seasons zesty italian dressing mix prepared w/ an added 1 tsp. of minced garlic
1 bunch chopped scallions
cayenne pepper to taste
paprika to taste
3/4" butter per serving

For a reception, I would put 3-4 shrimp on a small skewer and bake in a 9 x 13 pan in the sauce mixture w/ the sauce on the side to spoon on. It's a great alternative to scampi and really good w/ a hearty bread to dip in the sauce as well.

Caesar Romaine Pasta Salad

Always a huge hit - one of the owners of Outback raved on this one at a party I brought it to.

1 (16 oz.) box penne pasta
1/2 head romaine lettuce, cut in thin slices
1 red onion, cut into bite size pieces
3 hard boiled eggs, sliced
2 tomatoes, cut into bite size pieces
1 bottle of your fave caesar dressing (oil based preferably)

Cook pasta and combine w/ all other ingredients except for lettuce. Dress w/ 1/2 bottle of salad dressing. When ready to serve, add romaine and remainder of dressing.

Italian Wedding Salad Kabobs

A slice of hard salami, folded into a triangle
A slice of deli pepperoni, folded into a triangle
A cube of provolone
Black and green olives
Pieces of tomato (or you can use cherry but they don't absorb the dressing so I don't recommend)
Red onion slice
Two pieces of tortellini or other durable pasta

Dressing:
1/2 cup Olive Oil
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
1 tbsp. Basil
1 tbsp. Oregano
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

I put the skewers in a large tupperware container and pour the dressing over them and let them marinade overnight or at least for several hours, shaking them up often and sometimes I drizzle a little vinegar before serving depending upon how much dressing was absorbed.

Hope this gets you going at least - have fun!

Jen