SUMMER WEDDINGS CONTINUE

Pulled off another big reception last night in Dallas, at the Texas Discovery Gardens in Fair Park, where a fellow chef and friend, Jim Camp, married Allison Bearden. After all the rain we have had this summer, the outdoor ceremony went off without a drop and the gardens made a magnificent backdrop of lush green that complimented the corals and ivory we used at the reception.

CATERING CRAZY

I know...I know...it's pretty bad when I write an article on blogging, in the current issue of Living Ellis County, www.living-magazine.com/entertaining.htm and yet I haven't posted since April....sorry. We have had the busiest catering season in Dove's Nest history. The last two weekends have been double headers. I normally never take two large events on the same day, but the past two Saturdays it just worked out that we catered a 65th wedding anniversary at the civic center for 400 people and a wedding reception for 300 out on a ranch the same day. Then last night we had 160 in a loft overlooking Waxahachie's town square, at the same time we fed 185 in the Texas Discovery Gardens at Fair Park in Dallas.....whew....I'm tired.

Colors this season have been full of corals and oranges mixed with turquoise or chocolate brown. It's been fun working with such happy shades and getting away from the traditional pink wedding.

These are pictures from the reception for Brooke Nelson and Bart Crow. They were married in Mexico the week before, and wanted the reception to reflect the Carribbean colors they had there. I used loads of tropical fruits and served smoked chicken quesadillas, pulled jerked beef with taco fixings, mango pico de gallo, smoked salmon, jicama lime slaw and mango margaritas.