Hangout Music Fest 2013: Martie's SUPER VIP Party Menu

The Hangout Music Fest has turned into one of the biggest music events in the world and it is all built on the sand in Gulf Shores, Alabama. We just returned from hosting a party within the party for the Super VIP's and Big Kahuna ticket holders.

We created a menu for the weekend that revolved around fresh local ingredients and quality products from around the state of Alabama from some of my favorite companies: Earthborn Pottery from Leeds, AL, Lighthouse Bakery from Dauphin Island, AL, Belle Chevrefrom Elkmont, AL, Fieldstone Hamsfrom Oneonta, AL, Alabama Gulf Seafood, Sweet Olive Bakery, Chasing Fresh, Local Appetite, Craine Creek Farm, all from Fairhope, Alabama.

My menus were all designed aound a specific theme to offer lots of variety for the hundreds of guests we were serving each day. I also offered one of my signature cocktails each day.

FRIDAY LUNCH: ALABAMA PICNIC TABLE WITH TRUE ICEBOX FRIED CHICKEN & MY PICKLED SHRIMP

FRIDAY DINNER:ITALIAN COASTAL FISH FEAST WITH WHOLE GULF AMBERJACK PLUS RACK OF LAMB

SATURDAY LUNCH: BIG, BAD SANDWICH BAR WITH LOBSTER, SHRIMP, STEAK & FRIED OYSTERS

SATURDAY DINNER:CUBAN CHRISTMAS WITH WHOLE PIG ROAST, TENDERLOIN WITH CHIMICHURRI

SUNDAY BRUNCH: FRITTATA, PRIME RIB, BIG PORK PLATTERS, SALADS AND BLOODY MARY BAR

SUNDAY DINNER: CRAB AND LOBSTER TOWER, WHOLE RED SNAPPER, CITRUS FISH IN PARCHMENT 

 

I want to thank my team for their hard work in producing such delicious food; it was the talk of the festival! Our weekend warriors included Chef Wesley True of True Midtown Kitchen, Mobile, Alabama Governor's Mansion Executive Chef Jim Smith, Chef Will Hughes, Chef Cassie Powers, Chef Wes Shepherd, BBQ Brad O'Rear, Kim Asbury Wilson, Nicole Hutto, Meaghan Hutto, Amanda Bell, Shannon Bell, Devon Williamson, Brittany Curran, Kalin Brunell, and my amazing assistants Lauren Scoggan and the always incredible Caroline Sayre. Caroline's husband Tyler even chipped in to help when we needed it. Remarkable dedication and remarkable execution. Thank you all!

 

Eco-Friendly Party Ideas for Weddings, Mother's Day, Birthdays, or Just Because!

I am getting more and more requests for Eco-Friendly ideas and concepts for weddings, parties, birthdays, etc. If you want to be eco-friendly, think about using items you can either reuse, recycle, or re-purpose. An old wine box becomes a cheese board. Flats of flowers are pretty for decorations and go on to have new life in the garden. There are lots of pretty new bio-degradable paper products you can find now and when you use fruits, veggies and other food items for decorations, you can EAT them after the party! Here are some simple and fun suggestions for your next get-together, just in time for Earth Day, Arbor Day, Mother's Day, and Spring planting season!

Here are some tips and favorite images from over the years...

Use plants, trees, herbs, pots or flats of flowers, mini-shrubs, or mini-evergreens like lemon cypress. Wrap in burlap, put in a tin can, put them in market baskets, etc. They look pretty and you can use them in the yard after the party. 

You can find lots of eco-friendly serving pieces, plates, etc these days. Melamine is awesome; you can reuse it over and over again. There is also lots of new bio-degradable products that look beautiful  instead of institutional. You can find these at any party store.

 

Use wood... rugged, rustic and it lasts forever. We cut wood rounds from a fallen tree to use for trivets, stacking and candle holders for a wedding 3 years ago and have used them many times since.

Use fruit and veggies that compliment your menu for decorations... and eat them after. Yum.

You will be shocked at what you can reuse, repurpose or recycle. I used the top of a wooden wine box for this cheese board presentation! Lightly sand it and wash it thoroughly before using it.

Grass flats make everything look fresh and Spring and are the perfect palate to work from for decorating for just about any occasion. If you use wheat grass, you can even juice it and drink it afterward. Yuck.

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Plan a Wedding in a Week? Yes, I Did!

When a lifelong friend and longtime bachelor calls you on April Fool's Day and says... "I got engaged yesterday and I want to get married THIS coming Saturday"... the normal reaction is to bust out laughing. Which I did. But when he says he's serious, it is time to jump on the planning ASAP. Here's how I pulled together a beautiful, sentimental family wedding for 30 people in only one week. And here are the photos to prove it.

When you have less than a week to pull together a wedding, you don't have time to procrastinate and stress about the decisions you are making. You have to make decisions and move on... and that's what we did. No time to sweat the little things! Trusting your planner is essential:)

I 

   

I was the ovendor for just about everything. I was the planner, the chef, the florist, and even rental delivery... just about everything. What I could not make, I purchased. The one vendor I did hire was the photographer, Mo Davis from Arden Photography. Mo is a rock star, capturing every moment and every detail. Advice to brides: don't skimp on the photos. The pictures and the memories last a lifetime. AND I must thank my sweet friends Jared and Corey from The Sonnet House in Leeds, Alabama. Corey made the lovely bridal bouquet and boutonnieres... aren't they beautiful!

 

There was nothing but a bathhouse and a gorgeous lake on the remote property so we had to create everything, including a makeshift kitchen for the food service.

For the decor, the couple wanted a rustic theme to fit the farm setting so we used bales of pine straw, pots of spring flowers, branches, burlap, moss, Mason jars, rustic lanterns, and lots of candles. The pine straw along with the flats and pots of spring flowers were used at the front gate and also for the ceremony site. The couple has already planted those in their yard to enjoy all summer long.

 

We continued the rustic theme throughout the decor and for the food service. Wooden serving trays, cutting boards, bowls were all used. Charcuterie of cured meats, cheeses, and sausages plus grilled lamb pops were waiting for guests after the ceremony. For the main course, we kept it down on the farm with smoked pulled pork over organic grits and collard greens. For dessert, the two-tiered wedding cake was vanilla butter cream and filled with layers of homemade lemon curd and raspberry preserves. Since there was going to be a fire in the fire pit after dark, I made my signature s'mores with Nutella instead of a groom's cake and also made plenty as favors for guests to take home.

 

   

A lifetime of happiness to my sweet friends... thank you for letting me be a part of your day! Thanks to my assistant Caroline, my grill master Brad, Lauren, Kristal, and Sohaila along with Mo and Jared and Corey from the Sonnet House in Leeds! You made this easy!

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Martie's Easter Ideas: Speckled Egg Dye Techniques, Easter Menus, Deviled Egg Bar and more!

    

Easter is early this year and if you are just beginning to think about what to do next weekend with your children, family and friends, here are some easy ideas for Easter recipes, Easter egg dying techniques, and Easter egg hunt party ideas.... you get bonus points if you can convince a friend to dress up in a big bunny suit! 

 EASTER EGG DECORATING PARTY AND EGG HUNT

Want to have some fun with the kids and make memories that will last a lifetime? An Easter Egg Hunt that includes egg decorating along with a craft station is interactive and creative... much more fun than simply stuffing plastic eggs with candy and throwing them around the yard.

Set up a table with lots of decorating supplies... the dollar store is a good source. I usually dye the eggs in advance since that is the messy part and simply let kids decorate their own. Think Fabrege eggs... the kids use paint, glitter, felt, fabric scraps and beads to create their little jeweled masterpieces.

Use items you have or can easily get for decorating. I used bunnies, birdhouses and nests and a few daffodils in colorful little pails to tie the theme together.

 

Hide a few eggs and other inexpensive prizes and let the kids hunt for them afterwards. I also love to get those wind up bunnies and let the kids race them.

One fun tradition is to have the budding author in your group write an Easter story and read it to the kids. My niece even illustrated her story and I made copies of her "book" for the other children to take home. She even did a book signing for the kids. I still have my copy, of course.

EASTER EGG DYING TECHNIQUES: SPECKLED EASTER EGGS

Speckled eggs give your decorating an organic appeal... these eggs colored in a rich blue and speckled using tea are to dye for! For Easter Sunday, these natural looking speckled Easter eggs make a lovely table decoration and you can eat them! Bonus! The French often have a bowl or wheel of hard-boiled eggs on the table as a starter to a meal. One of my favorite French bistros always has a wheel of hard-boiled eggs at the bar. Guests are invited to simply crack them open and season with a little salt, pepper and perhaps a dollop of Dijon mustard.... yum! Here's how to make speckled Easter eggs: Read more...

Always have trouble getting your hard-boiled eggs just right? Click here to see how!

If you don't feel like dying eggs, try this virtual egg dye app from Heinz PAAS Easter's website! No muss, no fuss, and a lot of fun! Best of all, the Make-a-Wish Foundation will receive $1 from each decorated egg you make and share using this app! Get started now, it's free and for a great cause. heinzpaaseaster.com

EASTER MENU IDEAS

One of my favorite things to do for Easter Sunday is to have a deviled egg bar where guests can dress up their eggs in a very different way... by topping deviled eggs with with all sorts of favorite flavors and condiments. Here's how to do it...

Another Easter favorite is my Bourbon Baked Ham. Once you've tried it, this one will become an instant classic on your holiday menus. Get the recipe...

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Martie Duncan's Easy St. Patrick's Day Food to Feed a Crowd: Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's Pie is a great, inexpensive recipe for St. Patrick's Day or any time you need something comforting to feed a big crowd. Ground meat, potatoes, onions.... the ingredients are simple, the prep time is minimal and you can bake it off right before guests arrive. With the ground beef and potatoes, your picky eaters will never notice the carrots or peas hiding in the filling. I normally use the ground beef for this recipe but made it once with the traditional ground lamb and it was fantastic.

TRADITONAL SHEPHERD'S PIE

Makes 4-6 small ramekins or 1 medium casserole

1/2 T. olive oil

1 1/2 pounds ground beef (or use ground lamb if you prefer- or a combination of both)

1 t. kosher salt

1/2 t. black pepper

1 small yellow onion, diced small (about 1 1/4 cup)

2 carrots, diced very small

2 cloves garlic, finely grated

2 T. Worcestershire sauce

3 T. tomato paste

1/2 cup red wine

1 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup frozen English peas

1 t. fresh Thyme leaves, minced fine

1 t. fresh rosemary leaves, minced fine

For the mashed potato topping:

2-3 large potatoes, peeled and diced small

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided n half

1 egg yolk

1/3 cup whole milk

1/2 t. kosher salt

1/4 t. black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350

Dice the potatoes. Rinse in some cool water. Fill a pot with water. Add the potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are just fork tender. Drain well. Use a fork to mash the potatoes while they are hot and allow to cool slightly. Add the milk, salt, and pepper. Using a hand mixer or any method you prefer, whip the potatoes until they are fluffy. Add the egg yolk and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan. Reserve.

In a large skillet or pan, heat up the olive oil. Add the ground beef and brown. Add the onion and carrots. Brown until they are softened, about 3-4 minutes. Drain off excess fat if there is any. Add the tomato paste and brown for about 2 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce and cook that for about 1 minute. Add the red wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up any bits of flavor on the bottom of your pan. Add the thyme and the parsley. Cook until the wine is mostly evaporated. Stir in the chicken stock. Cook 3-4 minutes more. The mixture should be quite thick and paste like. If it is not, cook and stir until most of the liquid is cooked out. Check the seasoning- you may need a bit more salt and pepper at this point. I often put a dash of Tabasco or a pinch of cayenne pepper into mine also...

Spray your ramekin or casserole dish with non-stick spray if you want a shortcut. I prefer to lightly brush the ramekin with a little olive oil and then dust it with some of the grated Parmesan cheese. Fill the ramekin 2/3 full with the meat mixture. Top with the potatoes. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.  Use a fork to pierce the top so the juice will bubble up through the potatoes. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly hot.

Irish Beer Cheese FondueMORE ST. PATRICK'S DAY RECIPES FROM MARTIE KNOWS PARTIES:

HOW TO MAKE GREEN BEER

EASY RECIPES FOR COLCANNON AND IRISH SODA BREAD

IRISH WHISKEY LEMONADE

IRISH COFFEE

IRISH BEER CHEESE FONDUE

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