Jolene Madison Wedding & Event Consulting

Your wedding & weight loss

One of my favorite lines from a movie is “You don’t alter Vera to fit you, you alter yourself to fit Vera!” said by Kate Hudson’s character in Bride Wars.  It is a great movie and I think highlights exactly what wedding planning can be like.  And even though I think that line is hysterical I fear for what it can make brides think.

Most brides think that they have to lose a lot of weight before their wedding day.  It makes sense, it’s the most important day of your life, your family and friends don’t take their eyes off of you and you want to look your best.  However, stressing about weight loss and even dramatic weight loss is completely unnecessary.  I remember thinking about how badly I wanted to lose 10 lbs before my wedding.  Finally I reached this point where I said it doesn’t matter how much weight I lose because my fiance is marrying me for me and I just want to be happy.

If you are overweight or uncomfortable with your body then start a healthy lifestyle.  DO eat better, exercise and cut alcohol out.  Incorporate more vegetables, lean protein and whole grains into your diet and try to exercise for at least 20 minutes a day.  And do it for yourself, not for your wedding.  Don’t stop eating 2 months before your wedding in hopes of dropping 20 lbs.  It’s just not healthy, especially with the included stress of the wedding planning.

At the end of the day it’s not worth it to extreme diet before your wedding.  It could cause serious health problems.  Just remember, your fiance loves you for you and that’s all that matters.  And don’t forget to enjoy your wedding day NO MATTER WHAT!!

This blog was inspired by an article from The West Australian:

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/lifestyle/a/-/lifestyle/10429900/wedding-weightloss-pressure-for-brides/

Social media and mobile tech for weddings

I consider my wedding style to be somewhat traditionalist.  I still love weddings in a church, you really shouldn’t see the groom until you’re walking down the aisle and yes I think your father or a father figure should give you away. 

However, just like everything else in our current world, social media is taking over weddings.  Which isn’t really a bad thing.  This is the way the world is moving and people need to accept and embrace the change or you will be “left in the dust”.

There are many websites and apps that I believe are a great asset to a couple planning their wedding.  They make organizing and planning much easier.  Some sights can even get the guests involved which will make their experience of your wedding even greater.  As the article below mentions, do be aware of the people attending your wedding that are NOT tech savvy.  You may need to find other ways to get information to them.

The one thing in the article I do not agree with is a computer or iPad marrying you.  I still think there should be a human being standing before you with a book in his or her hand and hopefully that will still be the case many years from now. 

For the social media crazy, I love the idea of having live tweets from your wedding using a hashtag (for example #smithwedding) and letting your guests know ahead of time.  One couple in the article actually wanted to sway away from using too much social media for their wedding.  They thought it might be “bragging” and would hurt the feelings of some co-workers and friends so they disabled their Facebook accounts before their engagement and their wedding.  This is a great idea if you are concerned about hurting some feelings.

Whether you agree or disagree with how social media and apps are evolving the wedding business (or any business) it is still going to happen.  For wedding vendors, being up to date on the most recent technology, websites and apps is crucial to their business.

Brides, read the article below for some great ideas to help you plan your wedding…

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gZErPNYyiMqEVujCNbhhpEIWA5FQ?docId=4673c0f6b8e34c32a642d7ca42d99e22

Newport WineFest 2011

My sister Samantha and I went to the Session III Grand Tasting of the Newport WineFest yesterday…Here are some of the things we saw and tasted…

Wine Caddies

These are pretty cool however none of my friends or family could keep a bottle of wine long enough to put one of these “caddies” around it.  Also, I really wish they had one of a golf caddy because I think that would be hysterical!

Mark West Pinot Noir

This was actuallly one of the better pinot noirs there.  It was fruity in the beginning with a finish that was a bit of oak and spice.  Not my favorite pinot noir but as I said, it was one of the better ones at the show.

Finger Lakes Wine Tent

We avoided this tent like the plague.

Woodchuck Hard Cider

This was my first time trying Woodchuck and I was pleasantly surprised.  It tastes delicious!

Woodchuck Booth with Sam in Front of It

She makes that booth look good!

Chef Cooking Class

We learned how to make quail.  Loved the mirror on top so you could see what he was doing in the saute pans.

Carmenere

I believe this was my first time tasting the Carmenere grape.  This grape was first planted in the Bordeaux region but is not more commonly grown in South America.  It was one of the last wines I tasted so the only thing I can remember is that it was good!

Carla’s Pasta

Delicious frozen pasta entrees.  Look out Bertolli, you’ve got some competition!

Chardonnay or Merlot!

No one was at this booth so Sam and I felt bad.  We go over there and she (literally) yells at us “Chardonnay or Merlot!”  So by default, I tried the Chardonnay and it was warm and just gross.  I was bummed because I thought this would be decent wine.  But I understood after all that why no one was at this booth.

Two Louis Latour Wines I’ve Never Tried Before

Macon-Lugny “Les Genievres” and Domaine de Valmoissine.  Both were very nice.  I will be suggesting them to our F&B Director at Jupiter Hills Club for the wine list.

The Oyster Cup Challenge!

Go Matunuck Oyster Bar!  (The boy in the blue Tshirt)

Matunuck wins second place.  The creepy guy in the black shirt won first place (not sure where he is from).

Well we had a fabulous day!  There was so much to see and do.  We tasted many more wines some delicious, some not so much.  They had Artesa Pinot Noir there which was the BEST pinot noir we tasted and we also tasted Septima Malbec which was also nice.  One of the not so nice things was Desiderio Jeio Prosecco, I thought it lacked a bit of flavor and crispness that you want to find in a prosecco.  But overall it was a great WineFest!

I’m so glad that we got to attend.  I will definitely have to go back next summer.  Now I can’t wait for Newport’s Oktoberfest!!

Sibling Rivalry, Boston, MA

I LOVE RESTAURANT WEEK!

This week is Restaurant Week in Boston, MA.  It is a foodie’s heaven.  Some of the best places that are usually too expensive to dine at become affordable.  A few weeks ago I started researching which restaurant would be the best to eat at.  Yes, that’s right a few weeks ago!  After narrowing my choices down to about five I asked some friends what they thought.  I was told that Pigalle, Toro and Sibling Rivalry were all great places. 

Now there are restaurants in Boston that I really wanted to attend but their restaurant week menus weren’t that great.  I’ve dined at Chiara before and I must say that is one of the best restaurants EVER.  I’m saving that one for a seriously special occasion (not sure what that is yet!)  I also really want to dine at Blue Ginger one night because I’ve heard wonderful things about Chef Ming Tsai.  That’s another one that I’m keeping in my back pocket for now.

So I decided on Sibling Rivalry for one reason and one reason only, Veal Sweetbreads.  It was the only restaurant with Sweetbreads on the menu and I knew that I had to have either Sweetbreads or Foie Gras.  I had also heard great things about this restaurant.

The concept of this restaurant is quite cool.  Two brothers are the chefs/owners, David and Bob Kinkead.  They take a common ingredient and each create a dish for it and then as the diner you chose Chef David or Chef Bob’s dish.  What I love about this concept is you have more options to chose from, which can be good or bad depending on how you like to dine out.  Me, I like to have many options so I canchose the best option possible, like it’s a contest that I have to win.  Everything is a contest in my world and the “competition” between the two chef’s makes the dining experience even more interesting for me.

We arrived at the restaurant at 8:15pm and our reservation was for 8:45pm.  The place was rocking!  The hostesses told that they were incredibly busy but they would let us know when our table was ready, so we headed to the bar.  Considering how crazy this place was, the staff was extremely friendly.  At the bar we ordered a bottle of Malbec.  It was a great wine with nice balance of tannins and fruit, it was easy to drink but was also great with our dinner.

We had to wait a long time for our table.  I think we sat down around 9:45pm, an hour after our reservation time.  Normally this would be unacceptable at a restaurant but the only time that it’s “OK” is when the food experience outways the wait.  Well they did not disappoint, the food was great!

The server brought small slices of french bread and butter, which was from Vermont Creamery.  This was my first time having butter this good.  It was awesome and I don’t think I’ll be able to go back to regular butter. 

I ordered the Crispy Sweetbreads over Ditalini Pasta with Creamy Leeks and Sun-dried Tomatoes for my appetizer and Seared Jumbo Cape Scallops with Anaheim Chili Relleno, Chorizo, Black Beans, Tomatillo Relish and Salsa Fresca for my entree. 

If you ever get the opportunity to try sweetbreads I really suggest you do so.  Steve, who can be a slightly picky eater, tried my appetizer and he loved it.  The sweetbreads are crispy and rich and the flavors of the dish were incredible.  I really can’t describe to you how good this dish was, the only way I could is not appropriate for the blog world (if you know what I mean!)

The scallops were incredible.  They were perfectly cooked.  The dish was wonderful however notice that bare spot to the top right of the plate?  The ONE thing this restaurant could improve on is their plating design.  Anyways, back to my scallops, the relleno with salsa and black beans was delicious and complimented the scallops nicely.  I was afraid the flavors may over power the scallops but when each component of the dish was on your fork and into your mouth it made for an incredible flavor explosure.

Joining Steve and me was our friend James Petrino.  He ordered the Morrocan Style Lamb Brik with Cumin, Soft Poached Egg, Curried Lamb Jus and Cool Cucumber Salad. 

This dish was very yummy but again I go back to the poor plating, or perhaps it’s a play on words and they wanted the Lamb Brik to look like a brick!  Jim ordered the Crispy Long Island Duck Breast with Parsnip Puree and Grilled Peaches.  He said it was amazing and just wished there was more of it to enjoy.

I disagreed with Jim on portion size.  I thought the portions were fine, so many restaurants’ portion sizes are usually too big.

Steve ordered Fresh Pappardelle Pasta with Fennel Sausage, Porcini, Madeira Cream Sauce and Shaved Parmesan.  He said it was amazing.  In fact, he never lifted his head while eating it.  In FACT, he never offered me some, no matter what he says, he did not offer me a bite!  It looked so good though, I guess I don’t blame him.

For an entree Steve ordered the Ancho-Chili Rubbed Skirt Steak with Grilled Corn and Red Onion Relish and Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes.  He said that he really enjoyed his meal.  He may have offered me a bite but at this point I refused because I was so immensely enjoying my own dish.

Because we had waited so long for our reservation the Chef sent over some extra sides.  He hooked us up with Garlic Braised Spinach and Chickpea Fries.  The Chickpea Fries are awesome.  I would go back for these alone!

Desserts were actually the only part of the dinner that didn’t knock our socks off, unfortunately.  I ordered Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Granola and Almonds.  It was pretty good, the granola added a much needed texture and the panna cotta was light and creamy.  Steve ordered Blueberry Bread Pudding with Creme Anglaise which was not visually appealing and lacked in texture but the flavor was nice.  Jim ordered the only dessert I though was worth writing home about.  It was a Chocolate Tart with Caramel Sauce and Toasted Sliced Almonds.  It was rich and creamy and crunchy.  I loved it!

Sibling Rivalry is a wonderful restaurant experience and if you consider yourself a “foodie” then I highly suggest that you try it out.  The food was delicious and the service was exceptional.  And even if it’s not restaurant week the prices are actually reasonable.  The appetizers range from $10-$14 and the entrees range from $22-$32 and desserts are $7.  If you’re in Boston, MA check this place out, you won’t be sorry!

I know this is a long blog and I really appreciate those of you that consistently reading my blog so I thank you for that.  Hopefully I will have a new restaurant to review soon!

Roasted Venison Loin

Some of my favorite memories are sitting at the dinner table with my family.  The best nights were the ones when Dad would cook us venison.  My father is a serious hunter.  He goes on hunting trips all over the country.  From moose, to elk deer to buffalo, he hunts it all!  My parents have an enourmous freezer in their basement filled with all kinds of great meat.  I am now obsessed with cooking it.

I marinated the venison with red wine, olive oil, garlic, thyme and allspice overnight.  This will help the venison to be moist. 

Take the venison out of the marinade and pat the loin dry.  Brown the meat in a saute pan (2 minutes on each side) at medium heat.  Now this is where things get tricky.  I throw the saute pan in the oven to finish off the meat.  450 degrees for 8 minutes will bring the loin to a perfect medium rare or 130 degrees internal temperature.  Now the reason this is tricky is because when you take the pan out of the oven it will be HOT!  It is important, from this point on, to remember to use an oven mitt whenever you touch the pan.  The handle will be hot!

Let the meat rest for at least 10 minutes so the juices stay in the meat making it super moist.  

         Resting…Resting…Resting…

Now slice that bad boy and enjoy!

The meat is tender, moist and delicious.  It doesn’t taste “gamey” at all so for those of you who think that you dislike venison I would really suggest trying it this way.  The marinade brings out the flavor of the meat and really enhances the venison.  I hope Steve will try it!