Bagel Botox
Let’s give bagels a face lift and see what happens. The traditional way of serving bagels is to present them in a pretty basket with nice linens. Typically you’d see whipped butters and preserves along with flavored cream cheeses. To take this staple food to the next level, I’d suggest the following;
Take (3) 48-Inch Tables and lay them out into a Mickey Mouse fashion (the head in the center flanked by the two “ear” tables on the top portion of the center table).
Make each one it’s own little tapas station.
The first one would have whole-wheat bagels with small bowls of guacamole, diced radishes and a cruet of lemon infused olive oil.
The second table could have egg bagels with small bowls of sliced tomatoes, fresh Swiss cheese, slivered pastrami, home made sauerkraut, and Thousand Island dressing.
A Black Russian Bagel takes the stage on the third table with sides of whipped cream cheese, lavender honey, granny smith apples and honey -roasted walnuts.
Of course, you can still have a side table of traditional offering for those who just don’t like to change it up, but that’s up to you!
The Best Wedding Gift Ever- Jerome Hershey
No, Jerome isn’t for sale. He’s a happily married man who happens to be my favorite artist these days. He and his lovely wife Shelley are great supporters of the arts in the Lancaster Community, not only in the visual arts arena, but with the Lancaster Symphony as well. Check out Jerome’s website to see his technique using single words or phrases in a very unique way. Jerome’s work is addicting, especially if you have a passion for color!
Copyright Jerome Hershey
Start your own gift registry of sorts by asking Jerome to paint your favorite word or phrase that best describes your love for each other. Ask your guests to call in with the amounts they want to contribute toward your painting and Jerome will make the masterpiece come to life. This is a gift that’s so out of the ordinary! Jerome also sells note cards showcasing his works, which make a great favor for your guests.
Be sure to visit Jerome’s studio the next time you’re in Lancaster!
34 ½ North Queen Street Lancaster, PA 17603
717.397.6355
Happy Wedding Wednesday!
Exciting New LED Product for Events
image courtesy of sculptwareonline.com
Our partners at Sculptware have come up with a great new way to up light stand up cocktail tables! Always known for their innovation, this is no exception.
The new product is a wireless, undermount LED light designed specifically for stand up cocktail tables. These are different from other wireless lights out there. They clamp on to the top of the table pole, which means the light shines from the top downward. The advantage is an even lighting process with no more pole shadows and no more hot spots!
You can create whatever mood you desire using the different settings and colors. Color transitions, soft glows, or dramatic effects are all achievable.
I’m so excited to be able to offer the latest and greatest innovation and technology to my clients! 
New Herbs for the Planter Boxes at Accomac Inn
This past weekend, we had the pleasure of attending the Pennsylvania Herb & Garden Festival at The York Expo Center. We made our way around the crowed room, which was stocked full of fresh, locally-grown herbs of every kind. Our goal was to purchase edible plants for the planter boxes at the Accomac Inn and that we did! Here are the yummy varieties we picked up:
Pineapple Mint
Sage
Pineapple Sage with edible flowers
Society Garlic with edible flowers
Chive
Rosemary
Chocolate Mint (This will be perfect with Zak’s new chocolate cocktail rimmers)
Orange Mint
Mojito Mint
Purple Basil
Green and Purple Basil
Society Garlic was an interesting find! The flowers and leaves are both edible. The story is this: Society Garlic comes from Capetown, South Africa. Legend has it that Cupid shot an arrow into the air and it went through a violet and landed in the globe of the garlic. The flower is really a violet that tastes like garlic. The leaves can be used as a chive, but it is mainly the flower portion that is used for salads, pastas and vegetable dishes. As soon as you eat the blossoms, another will appear.
Society Garlic Flowers (image courtesy of iloveherbs.net)
Stay tuned for more herb info as we head toward the summer season!
Organized Wedding Planning
Planning a wedding can be wonderful and stressful all at the same time. Today’s Wedding Wednesday post is a tip for organization! If you are about to loose your mind with all the details you’re trying to keep track of, try MindNode for Mac. It’s probably the most exciting way to organize your thoughts on a project. The program takes on the look of a subway route as it connects notes or lists and suggestions via a network of colored lines called a “mind map”. Once you’re acclimated to it, this program is easier than you can imagine and makes a world of difference in terms of organizing!
Read more about MindNode Here.
Example "mind map" via mindnode.com
Have a happy *organized* Wedding Wednesday!
Turn up the Heat on Your Hors D’oeuvres
With summer quickly approaching, I start to think about all of the intense flavors at our disposal. For some reason I’m drawn to spicy food in the summer time and I find myself looking for ways to introduce Southwestern flavors to my guests without knocking them over with heat. Here are a few suggestions:
*Quesadillas topped with Duck Confit and Apricots topped with hot pepper cheese
*Mesquite smoked salmon with chipotle citrus glaze topped with fresh Mango
*If you’re going for a stations menu for your event, pick a nice corn salad tossed in a Chile lime dressing and topped with pico de gallo.
*For dessert, serve up some cinnamon & sugar churros served with cayenne chocolate sauce and a side of raspberry sorbet.
Cork Re-Harvesting
We’re excited to be joining Whole Foods in a cork re-harvesting program! Between Accomac Inn and Accomac Catering we go through a lot of wine. With all of this wine comes a lot of corks! You may not realize that cork is a recyclable and renewable material. We want to make the best of our wastes and hopefully make a difference through this project.
About a year ago, Whole Foods and Cork Reharvest collaborated on a project to make it simple for wine lovers, like us, to dispose of all old and used wine corks. There is an incredible impact that this simple task could have on both the environment as well as many different area farming economies.
To read more about Whole Foods and Cork Reharvest visit:
Design Your Wedding Tables Online
For today’s Wedding Wednesday post I wanted to share this really cool online resource! BBJ Linen, a company out of Skokie, IL., offers a virtual table design center on their website. You can choose from an extensive selection of linens, runners, chair covers, napkins etc. It’s fun to play around with and is rather addicting!
BBJ Linen offers this fun and helpful online resource for designing a table!
Check it out:
http://www.bbjlinen.com/DesignYourParty.aspx
Have fun and happy Wedding Wednesday!
Looking Ahead to Warm Weather Cocktails
image courtesy of hiphostess.com
Zak is mixing up some fun cocktail creations at the Accomac Bar! Currently, he is busy making a cracked black pepper infused Vodka, and he’s working with Chef Andre on a carrot puree for a summer vegetable cocktail yet to be unveiled. We’re also looking forward to our own cucumber infused Vodka this summer. If you’re not up to infusing your own, try “Effen” Cucumber Vodka or “Pearl” Cucumber Vodka.
Zak is also working on a few “Skinny” cocktails for summer that will utilize more fresh juices and low calorie sweeteners, so go ahead and indulge!
Be sure to check out the new “Skyy Infusions” including Blood Orange and
Skyy Vodka introduces Blood Orange & Dragon Fruit flavors
Dragon Fruit for your next cocktail at home. For a unique experience from the packaging to the taste, try “Ultimat” Vodka made from wheat, rye and potato. While we’re on the subject of Vodka, did you know that Absolut Vodka makes up 22% of the top imported Vodka in the States followed by Grey Goose at 17% and Svedka at 16%?
Here’s a recipe for you to enjoy:
Cactus Berry Cocktail:
1 .5 Ounces Merlot
1.5 Ounces Tequila
¾ Ounce Cointreau
½ Ounce Fresh Lime Juice
1 Lime Slice
Fill a cocktail shaker with Ice, add ingredients. Shake well and strain. Garnish with slice of Lime.
New Take on Spuds
image courtesy of Ordinary Recipes Made Gourmet
We have Organic Norland Red Potatoes, Organic Kennebec Potatoes, and Organic Yukon Gold Potatoes slated for the garden this year. Take a few new twists into consideration the next time you have spuds on your plate. Aside from wonderful light salads for the summer, mashed potatoes will always be a standard favorite. Wasabi kicks them up a bit, or try Kimchi Mash as a new item on your dinner plate.
Make your own potato chips this year with bacon infused aioli, or fresh chive and sour cream dipper.
The next time you’re hungry for fries covered in gravy, replace the gravy with Elk ragout or duck confit.
The new spud look for baked potatoes this summer is refreshing and easy on the calorie intake too. Try toppings like artichokes, lemon zest and kalamata olives or low fat ricotta cheese with capers and roasted tomatoes, or fresh picked arugula, turkey bacon and fat free sour cream.
