Tag: cookie table

Peach Cookies Practice Run

These fancy peach cookies, which are more like a full scale dessert item, were created by Rebecca. She’s going to be in her friend’s wedding and she’ll be baking six dozen peach cookies for the big day.

I met Rebecca while I was taking a Sunflower Granny Square Crochet Class, taught by Sarah at Yarns by Design in Oakmont. Rebecca brought a dozen of these peach cookies to share with the Knitters and crocheters. A trial baking run. The verdict was unanimous-excellent job, Rebecca! Delicious.

There are many steps to making these. Baking, hollowing out center to make room for cream. Peach Schnapps is involved. Big sparkly sugar, pastry cream, maraschino cherry for the center. She’ll add a tiny green stem and leaf to the ones she makes for the wedding.

 

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Pittsburgh Wedding Cookie Table Benefit

Western Pennsylvania is noted for the wonderful wedding cookie tables.  Some regions of the country have never heard of a wedding cookie table let alone experience and devour the cookies.  Today my good friends and I drove in the teeming rain, alongside swollen and rising creeks, over hill and dale on winding roads, to get to this lovely event. We are so happy we did!

THE PITTSBURGH WEDDING COOKIE TABLE BOOK BENEFIT
Sunday, September 9
1—3 PM Connoquenessing Country Club

We went to taste the varieties of dozens of cookies to help in the “creation of a cookie table book in this benefit for VOICE (Butler’s Victim Outreach Intervention Center), Young Writers of the Western Pennsylvania Writing Project and Animal Friends.”
The three hosts were  “cookbook author Suzanne Martinson, of “The Fallingwater Cookbook” and retired food editor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette”( who graciously answered many questions and who has initiated many cookie tables in other states) “portrait photographer Linda Mitzel of Linda Mitzel Photography and journalist/WPWP teacher consultant Jane Miller of The RUFF Writers of New Sun Rising, a new family/school/ neighborhood writing project.”

We had a wonderful afternoon sampling cookies and sipping tea and coffee or lemonade.  Someone baked adorable doggy cookies in the shapes of bones and doghouses, using pumpkin and peanut butter. Now dog cookies aren’t the usual offering at a wedding but appreciated as a welcome home treat for Fido. There were white bakery boxes to fill with cookies to take home. (Thanks Deb)

Thanks to Suzanne, Linda and Jane, for hosting a wedding cookie table afternoon.

I baked Esther Maiolo’s Pignoli Cookies and Mrs. Scarano’s Italian Strip Cookies

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Wedding Glow Sticks

When we got home Saturday night after a fun wedding reception, I saw the glow sticks still aglow.

 

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You reflect on the celebration with dear friends, sharing the joy, the wonderful live music and delicious food.

Happy wedding Michelle snd Sean.

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Who Needs Sun When You’ve Got Love, Love, Love?

Congratulations Nicki and Jeff. What a fun wedding. Thanks for allowing me to blog a first peek at some of the photos.   Love the umbrella shots

Wishing you every happiness, always.  Ruth 

Jeff and Nikki

 

 

 

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Staying dry inside the shelter of the Carousel Gazebo- Alameda Park, Butler PA

 

 

 

 

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Not raining yet.

 

 

 

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Nicki’s bridal portrait

The cookie table spread was a gift from friend Ellen and they were delicious. A lot of baking.

 

Delicious Cookie Table

 

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Vicci and Ben Pose with a Wedding Cookie

A beautiful and exciting day.

You’ve seen the posts this week leading up to the Wedding Cookie Tables. The baking. The cousins and aunts.  The kitchens and ingredients.

And the cookie table was overflowing with homemade cookies.  You should have seen the flock to take samples home in containers.

I asked Vicci and Ben if they would hold one of the cookies with their names and they were gracious and agreed.

 

Ben and Vicci

 

Congratulations Ben and Vicci    It was a fun wedding and everyone had a great time.

And the cookies were delicious.

 

 

 

 

 

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Cookie Trays Await Saturday’s Wedding

Nice job Marlene!  (Mark’s MIL-and Erika’s mom) has been sending me the photos of the cookie baking and today all the sisters got together and “trayed” the cookies.  I had never  “tray” in a verb form until I lived in Pittsburgh.

Marlene is Godmother of the Bride.

If you’ve been following the blog this week, you’ve watched the progress and everyone pitching in to help.

Here is what they did today and took them to the hall. The hall where the wedding reception will be held tomorrow June 7th.

The Alphabet Stamp cookies are from that well known kitchenware store but I see alphabet letters are available in other locations online so no commercial plug.

We used them at Laura and James wedding and also for Jaclyn and Mike’s wedding.  It is fun to change the little letters to spell out their names.  (Well, not that much fun, they are tiny.) But so satisfying to have them as part of the cookie table display.

 

Thanks Marlene for the photos for today’s post about the cookie baking this week in preparation for the big day….

I added the last one of the biscotti I baked after school yesterday.  Will bring it to the wedding tomorrow.  xxoo Ruthie

 

p.s.  My dear friend Donna commented on the cookie table blog, remembering the cookie tables she put together for her son John and his bride Angie’s wedding which was five years ago.    Click here to see her beautiful and delicious baking

Cousin Judy and Nut Roll
The Hungarian Nut Rolls
Sisters Georgeann and
Trays and trays
I baked fruit and nut biscotti and Mrs, Scarano’s Italian Strip Cookies
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Baking Wedding Cookies in all the Family Kitchens

Forget about the number in the series of the wedding cookies posts.

It’s an all out family effort!

These photos just in (thank you Marlene)  from multiple sources and family members baking cookies for Vicci and Ben’s Wedding this Saturday.

Everyone in Pittsburgh is baking. -including cousin Jaclyn’s St. Bernard Floyd in his Steeler’s apron and oven mitt

What’s your favorite cookie?

Will be sure to photograph the wedding cookie tables and post.  If you live in another part of the world, be sure to read about Pittsburgh Wedding Cookie Table Traditions in this article by Amy Rosen   In Pittsburgh, the wedding cookie table is a peculiar and wonderful local tradition

or this one in the New York Times  In Pittsburgh, It’s ‘I Do’ and Pass the Cookies by Ron Lieber

 

 

 

Everyone is lending a hand at Georgeann’s
Using the dining room table at Aunt Linda’s
Pecan Tassies by Shannon
Cousin Shannon
Nice angle
Cousin Jaclyn’s Selfie
Baking sheets ready
Peanut Blossoms
Have to find out what these bars are
Spreading the chocolate frosting
Melissa baking at Mother of the Bride’s kitchen
Here’s Floyd in his Steelers apron
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777th POST and Local Man Discovers New Use for Plastic Newspaper Sleeve-

Okay first things first.  Cookie Table preparations are in full swing as you know. The pignoli/almond paste cookies are baked and are they ever tasty. There weren’t any real rejects so a fully formed cookie had to be eaten! And the Split Second cookies with Bonne Maman Apricot Preserves  and Schwartau Raspberry Jam inside.  I overbaked a batch of those last night so baked a do-over today!  The baking is complete. Three friends brought up cookies tonight.Another friend made her grandmother’s fudge. Pittsburghers bake their hearts out at wedding time!

and now for something completely different…………….

Scroll down for the photos of Local Man Discovering a New Use for the Plastic Newspaper SleeveIn addition to the usual canine clean up capture, my neighbor showed me a new use for the plastic sleeve that covers his newspaper. You know the slim bags, sometimes a color like green or pink or blue,  that thing that keeps your morning paper dry! Well, how about protecting your tie?

His demonstration of an alternate use for the plastic sleeve made me laugh out loud.  And if  you want to learn all about how he and his dog were featured testing the Thundershirt and were interviewed by local TV channel(seriously, if you are a dog owner you might need one of these if your dog is afraid of thunderstorms) The little video clip is here.

And being a great neighbor and friend he picked up Matthew from the MEGABUS this afternoon when I was still at school.  When I went to get Matthew, I interrupted a Ukelele impromptu lesson on the  12 fret blues or something close to that.

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Cookie Table(s) at Pittsburgh Weddings are Tradition

Cookie-Table-WeddingTonight Mark and Erika are at a wedding and I am thinking about the cookie table. Wondering if they packed a container and brought home some cookies. (Probably not since they are doing the PX90 workout these days.)

There was a big article in the New York Times in Dec 2009. Several theories as to the origin of the tradition. The wedding reception featured in the article took place at the Le Mont where Mark and Erika had their reception, too. The cookie tables shown today on the blog are from a May 2009 wedding of my friend Donna’s son John and his lovely bride Angie. They had multiple cookie tables and the cookies were delicious. Everyone must have baked their hearts out for this wedding! Dozens and dozens of cookies. Everyone has a favorite type cookie and I have seen wedding guests scarf down a dozen or so lady locks BEFORE dinner is served.

Anyone know about the unwritten rules of cookie tables as written about in the Chowhound article??

Cookie-Table-Pittsburgh-Wedding-Fruit-Centerpieces

Cookie-Table-PittsburghCookie-Table-Pittsburgh- WeddingThese cookie tables are all from the SAME wedding!!

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