Ina at the gym

If you know me, you know that I'm a huge Ina Garten fan.  Her and Anthony Bourdain are amazing, talented people.  Because I don't have TV here at home, the only times I get to indulge in Ina/Tony is at the gym--yes, when I'm working out.  I usually head to the gym after class, so most days, I'm there before Ina and Tony are on (1pm PST), which just means I'm reading, watching something else, or trying not to think about how  much longer I should workout for.  Well, today was one of those lucky days when I got to get on a machine, sweat like a pig, and switch between the Travel Channel and Food Network.

Today, Ina was making finger food for a friend's party, which gave me so many ideas for our rehearsal dinner menu.  We're "self catering" our rehearsal dinner because it will be out in the middle of nowhere (the place we're getting married), cheaper, more laid back, and most of all, because we want to show our closest friends and family our appreciation for them and their support.  Three of the recipes from Ina really stood out to me, though.  We are planning on doing a BBQ, but I was thinking that adding some finger foods from Ina's show today would be an awesome way to add a little something special to the dinner.  Here's what she made, with links to the recipes:

Tuna Tartare:  I dont know about you, but this looked simple to make, and has gotten rave reviews...plus, it's TUNA!

Smoked Salmon Tea Sandwiches:  I love tea sandwiches--they're easy to make, delicious, and can be made ahead of time!  Besides...if you think herbed butter doesnt sound amazing, then you're probably just crazy.

Flower Cupcakes:  These are just simple cupcakes--vanilla with cream cheese frosting.  They're simple and beautiful, and I love the idea of putting cute little pansies on top!  This would be perfect for our natural, outdoorsy wedding theme!  One of the reviewers of this recipe even suggested filling these cute cupcakes with lemon curd, which I thought would be a brilliant way to make this a light, summery dessert.

I know most people wouldn't consider making a meal for 40-50 people, but I'm really excited about it.  I know it will be a challenge with all the other stressful things going on, but I think this has the potential to be one of the most rewarding aspects of the entire weekend.  Keeping on budget and finding the time to prepare everything will definitely be my biggest challenges.