Foodhoe's Foraging

We traveled to Minnesota earlier in the month to attend Mr. K’s niece’s wedding, which was held in a bright red pavillion at Gale Woods Farm, about an hours drive from Minneapolis.  It was supposed to be an outdoor garden affair, but the weather didn’t cooperate and I had fun watching the wedding party posing for pictures under bright green umbrellas.  They looked adorable… the umbrellas added a bit of charm I thought.  Btw the girl fiddling with the umbrella, third from the left is niece Miss M, of the shut up duck post…

The wedding was quite poignant as Mr. K’s youngest sister presided over the ceremony as the marriage officiate, his older sister read a touching passage from the children’s tale, the Velveteen Rabbit, along with many heart warming speeches and toasts by close friends and family members.  A solitary fiddler/solo violinist provided spirited musical accompaniment.

Gale Woods Farm is in  a very picturesque area with dramatic and moody skies from the rain, tranquil sheep grazing in the nearby field and lovely shimmering Whaletale Lake  in the background.

I was out taking pictures of the sheep when I saw this truck come driving up the lane.  It certainly caught my eye, especially when they opened up the bbq trailer.

awwww, look the happy couple’s name is marked on the back…

There was quite a crew that worked to get the two buffet lines ready to go

and there was also a band of ravenous merrymakers waiting for their plate of porcine delights.

We were served crisp Caesar Salad with garlicky croutons and a delightfully zesty dressing at our tables.

And here’s the spread we were treated to at the buffet:  Green Bean Almondine

Soft fluffy buns to fill as you like

There were two choices, pulled pork or roasted turkey.  The pork was tender, succulent and very divine.

Another salad, coleslaw to go with the bbq sammies

A very cheesey and delicious pan of Potatoes au Gratin side dish

Ahhhh… my delicious looking plate.  The menu was well chosen as the dishes all seemed to improve with age as they rested on the steam baths.

The zesty barbecue sauce helped balance the richness of the meat.

Rather than cake, the bride chose to offer a variety of cupcakes, which were topped with swirls of white frosting and embellished with gold dipped almonds and silver dragees.

You could choose between lemon, red velvet and carrot.  They were very large and had sweet flowers made of fondant nestled in the swirls of cream cheese frosting.

As the evening progressed, the sunset was magnificent, the grounds became magical with a carpet of ghostly fog suspended above the grass and the skies lit on fire.

The festivities continued on through the night with dancing inside and a lovely bonfire to cool off by a short walk down towards the lake.  I enjoyed a blissfully delicious s’more sitting on a log by the fire.  Mr. K roasted the marshmallow and some other kind soul put it together for me and it was a fine fine way to end the evenings feasting.  In fact, when the late night pizzas arrived, I was too stuffed to care…