Bridal Shower

My very good friend, Kelly, is getting married this weekend.  After many years of separation, she is marrying her high school sweetheart...I know!  Incredibly sweet.  A couple weeks ago, I threw her a bridal shower.  Since her soon-to-be hubby is Italian and the girl LOVES Italian food, I had my theme. 


The spread!



 The favors were bottles of olive oil with fresh rosemary (to my helper Kelly - another friend Kelly - sorry for making a mess of your coffee table with my not-so-graceful pouring).


 And yes, those are custom tags...And yes, I am THAT corny that I put "Olive You".  It's cute! 

Then there was the food.  I had antipasto, the recipe is so simple!  Marinate chopped veggies in olive oil, salt pepper, oregano, and lemon. The grill up! Refrigerate and serve cold.

There was the Insalata di Rucola, or Arugula Salad, with wedge tomatoes, sprinkled with Romano Parmesan. I had two dressings, one a simple balsamic vinaigrette and the other was a creamy dressing. 

There was the Pane alle Erbe (Herb Bread, recipe is also in a previous post).  Perfect for dipping in the three different types of olive oils...truffle, rosemary, and a peppery olive oil.  Yum!

For munching, there was also the caprese salad with fresh basil, tomatoes, and mozzarella from the farmers market the day before.

For one of the main dishes, I made a dish that my father made us growing up all the time.  Very simple.  Traditionally, my father did this over the stove top in a large pot.  I put it in a couple of crock pots.  Slice the bell peppers and onions and place in the bottom of the crock pot.  Then crumble up sweet Italian sausage (take out of the casing) and put it in the pot.  Pour in one container of tomato sauce.  Add a pinch of salt and pepper, as well as a dash of oregano.  Cook on low for about 5 hours. Food of my childhood!