Heavenly Homemakers

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Wedding Rehearsal Dinner Ideas

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Need some Wedding Rehearsal Dinner ideas? I had the honor of preparing my first one this summer. I get to make another this summer! Here are some of the ideas we considered and the ones we landed on!

Some things to consider when planning your Wedding Rehearsal Dinner:

  • Do I have oven space to work with or do I need to rely more on crockpots or offer a cold meal?
  • Will I have time or desire to cook the day before the wedding, or should I plan a meal that can be made ahead of time?
  • Do the bride and groom want a fancy meal or a casual one?
  • Will I have much refrigerator space to work with?
  • Will I have people to help me prepare and serve this meal?

When my oldest son, his fiance, and I were planning their rehearsal dinner, we were originally thinking that Lasagna would work well. But then we took a peek at the kitchen for the wedding venue and realized that with just one oven, we couldn’t make that work.

So we changed course to consider ideas that would utilize crock pots instead. We ended up having a fun and delicious Burrito Bar. This worked perfectly because everyone could build Burritos or Burrito Bowls just the way they liked! As a perk, the friends who joined us for the meal who needed to eat Gluten Free were able to eat this meal without any trouble! (They just skipped the tortillas.)

Here are some great and easy ideas for your Wedding Rehearsal Dinner:

1. Burrito Bar

Prepare meats and rice ahead of time and rewarm them in crock pots before serving. Pick up (or make) a wide variety of add-ins for people to choose from. Set everything out in buffet-style form and let everyone build a Burrito Bowl or Burritos!

  • Shredded Salsa Chicken
  • Shredded Salsa Beef
  • Stick of Butter Rice
  • Black Beans
  • Sliced Olives
  • Shredded Cheese
  • Diced Tomatoes
  • Shredded Lettuce
  • White Queso
  • Guacomole
  • Corn
  • Cilantro
  • Salsa
  • Tortilla Chips
  • Tortillas

Extras:

  • Plates
  • Forks
  • Bowls
  • Napkins
  • Cups
  • Drinks

2. Lasagna

This meal is always a hit with most people. And it’s one of my favorites for feeding a crowd because I can make it ahead of time, freeze it, then pull it out to bake for the meal. The work is done!

Extras:

  • Plates
  • Forks
  • Bowls (for salad)
  • Napkins
  • Cups
  • Drinks

3. Sub Sandwich Bar

This is an informal idea if you want to have fun and keep things simple. Let everyone build their sub to their liking, and at the end of the day, all you have to do is brush away a few crumbs!

  • Hoagie Rolls
  • Variety of Deli Meat (Ham, Turkey, Roast Beef, Salami)
  • Variety of Sliced Cheeses
  • Lettuce
  • Tomato Slices
  • Pickle Slices
  • Banana Peppers
  • Onion Slices
  • Mayonaisse
  • Mustard
  • Honey Mustard
  • Individual Chip Bags
  • Fresh Fruit like Watermelon, Strawberries, and Grapes
  • Veggie Tray with Ranch Dip

Extras:

  • Plates
  • Knives (for condiments)
  • Forks (for fruit)
  • Napkins
  • Cups
  • Drinks

4. Simple Grilled Chicken

This is incredibly delicious and wonderful for a summer wedding rehearsal dinner. Grill or smoke chicken thighs ahead of time and keep them warm in a roasting pan. Serve with summery sides – so easy and good!

  • Simple Grilled Chicken
  • Sauces for Chicken (like Bbq, Teriyaki, Sweet and Sour)
  • Potato Salad
  • Pasta Salad
  • Baked Beans
  • Watermelon
  • Strawberries
  • Grapes
  • Rolls with Butter
  • Veggies with Ranch

Extras:

  • Plates
  • Forks
  • Napkins
  • Cups
  • Drinks

5. Easy Enchiladas

Make this Layered Cheesy Salsa Enchiladas casserole ahead of time and freeze it. Pull it out and bake it for an easy way to serve a crowd! Everyone loves this casserole!

Extras:

  • Plates
  • Forks
  • Bowls (for fruit, for salad, or for salsa or queso)
  • Napkins
  • Cups
  • Drinks

6. Grilled Burgers and Brats

If your rehearsal dinner is at a park or another location where there is access to a grill, it can be fun to have a cook-out!

  • Good quality Hotdogs and/or Brats
  • Hamburgers
  • Hotdog and Hamburger Buns
  • Sliced Cheese
  • Sliced Onion, Pickles, Lettuce, and Tomatoes
  • Ketchup
  • Mustard
  • Mayonaisse
  • Sweet Pickle Relish
  • Baked Beans
  • Potato Salad
  • Chips
  • Veggie Tray with Ranch Dip
  • Watermelon
  • Grapes

Extras:

  • Plates
  • Forks
  • Knives
  • Napkins
  • Cups
  • Drinks

Wedding Rehearsal Dinner Dessert Ideas

Special occasions like this call for special desserts! Here are a few ideas:

  • Build a Brownie Sundae Bar
  • Cheesecake
  • Variety of Pies
  • Selection of Cookies on trays
  • Angel Food Cake with Strawberries and Whipped Cream

Bonus Idea: Set up an Iced Coffee Bar for your guests!

Our second son and his fiance (getting married his summer!) loved the lasagna idea and it works in their setting. So lasagna it is!

Have you made a wedding rehearsal meal before? What did you make?

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The Easiest Pulled Pork

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Need a meal to feed a crowd? Make the Easiest Pulled Pork!

You know I’m not a gourmet cook. I’m not even super eager to try new spices in my recipes, simply because I like to stick with basics that I always have on hand. It’s just easier for me this way and saves brain energy and effort.

The food is still delicious!

One of the first times I made this Easiest Pulled Pork and fed it to our YC soccer teams, one of the coaches told Matt, “I don’t know what your wife does to season that meat, but it is so good!”

Truth: Matt’s wife barely does anything to season the meat. But shh. Don’t tell!

I just find that food can really taste great without going to a lot of trouble and taking a lot of time. Since it was a hit last year, I made pulled pork again for the teams this year. I made 20 pounds of pork, and I’m pretty sure it only took 5 minutes of prep.

How I make pulled porkYum

  1. Put the pork butt in the slow cooker (when I make huge amounts, I use a large roaster instead of a crockpot).
  2. Sprinkle on salt and garlic powder.
  3. Peel a few onions if I have time. Cut them and throw them in with the meat.
  4. Cover and walk away.
  5. Well yeah, plug it in and turn it on low first. Then cover and walk away.

The meat slow cooks for hours then falls apart at the end of the day. It practically shreds itself. Then it can be served on buns with barbecue sauce and that’s that!

Now, those of you with smokers can surely turn out much better-tasting pulled pork than I! But this is a method that any of us can do if we have a slow cooker of some kind. And pulled pork is an inexpensive and easy way to feed a crowd!

The Easiest Pulled Pork

The Easiest Pulled Pork
 
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Author:
Serves: 24 servings
Ingredients
  • 6-8 pound pork butt
  • sea salt
  • garlic powder
  • 2-3 onions (optional)
Instructions
  1. Place the pork in a slow cooker.
  2. Sprinkle on seasonings liberally.
  3. Peel onions and chop them on top of the meat.
  4. Cook on low for 10 hours.
  5. Use a knife and fork to shred the meat, which pulls apart quite easily after the meat has cooked slow and low!

Don’t need to feed a crowd, just your family? You can still make this easy meal and then freeze the shredded meat in meal-sized portions to pull out and rewarm as needed. SO EASY!

Feeding a crowd and want to get ahead? Make this meat days or weeks ahead. Put the shredded, cooled meat into freezer bags to save in the freezer until you need it. Then thaw and reheat as needed.

Great Sides to Serve with Your Pulled Pork

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How to Serve a Special Breakfast without Breaking the Bank

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Want to serve a special breakfast without breaking the bank? Here’s how!

Yum

How to serve a special breakfast without breaking the bank

In short, the answer is pancakes.

And crepes.

With pretty fruit.

And whipped cream.

See, here’s how I came to learn about this special breakfast. I mean, I already knew about it. But I guess I didn’t realize how amazing it really was. I thought I was just feeding college kids while simultaneously cleaning out my fridge (shh, don’t tell!).

As it turns out, I was giving them a feast that made them think I had gone to a lot of trouble and expense. They were amazed and grateful and overjoyed when they saw our buffet. Which was?

A tower of pancakes and whatever fruit I could find in my house.

We already know that pancakes are cheap to make in bulk. And we already know that most people love pancakes. So this is a great meal to feed a larger group of people.

So as I flipped the cakes, I kept pulling out whatever I could find to go with them. Matt sliced some bananas. I whipped some cream. Then I got out frozen fruit stuffed and forgotten in the back of my freezer and turned it into syrup.

We got out half empty full jars of applesauce. We pulled out a few fresh berries. We set out homemade peanut butter.

The buffet ended up looking so pretty and fun! The college students (who this time happened to be a bunch of soccer athletes who can EAT and who also have a soft spot for our Boy Babes – oh my heart) were simply thrilled with the food options.

We fed about 10 extras that night for just a few dollars. But seeing their faces beam and their plates fill and their hearts soften as they loved on our littles – it was entirely priceless.

For the record, I did decide to save money and make “syrup” by heating and stirring together brown sugar and water in a saucepan. Again, they all thought it was fancy since I’d made it myself. I was kinda feeling stingy about such a large group dousing their pancakes in our hard-to-come by and pretty pricy real maple syrup. So that was my money-saving solution to that. :)

So that’s that.

If you need to feed a crowd and you want to do it on the cheap, make a pile of pancakes and clean the frozen fruit out of the back of your freezer. Make your own “syrup” (I’ll post the details soon!) and put a big smile on your face. Offer this meal for breakfast, lunch, or dinner – it is a winner any time of day!

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!