Since we had a nice sit-down dinner for our wedding reception, we wanted our rehearsal dinner for the wedding party and family to be more fun and casual.   And since it was so beautiful up at Sundance that time of year, we wanted to be able to be outside with a view.  So we decided to have a BBQ, and Blake’s parents actually made the food, with the help of one of Becky’s good friends.  A brave thing to do for such a big group, right??  We held it at Blake’s Aunt and Uncle’s beautiful home on the mountain, on their deck that has an amazing view Mount Timpanogos.

Well the food turned out AMAZING, and since then I’ve had so many people asking me for the recipes of some of the dishes.  So this last Sunday, Becky agreed to show me how to make a couple of the favorites – the pork tenderloin and pasta salad.  We threw in a few seasonal sides and made a great Sunday dinner out of it!

Gayle’s Pasta Salad

Dinner Slider

Ingredients:

(Dressing)

  • 3/4 c teriyaki
  • 1/2 c white vinegar
  • 1/2 c cooking oil
  • salt & pepper

(Salad)

  • 1 box bow tie pasta
  • i bag spinach
  • 2 cans mandarin oranges
  • 6 oz. craisins
  • 1 can water chestnuts
  • 1 c scallions
  • 6 oz. honey roasted peanuts
  • 3 oz. sesame seedsWedding Rehearsal Dinner Recipes

Instructions:

Blend dressing ingredients together in blender or food processor. Mix dressing and cooked pasta in medium bowl and marinate for two hours. (Becky put her pasta and dressing in a ziploc bag and marinated it in the fridge overnight.)
Wedding Rehearsal Dinner Recipes
Just before serving, toss marinated pasta in a large salad bowl with the rest of the ingredients.  (You can also add chicken to this salad, if you want to make it more filling!  I would suggest marinating the chicken in teriyaki overnight as well.)
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Aunt Amy’s Delicious Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:

  • 2-3 pork tenderloins (4 skinny tenderloins)

(Marinade)

  • 1 1/4 c vegetable oil
  • 3/4 c soy sauce
  • 1/4 c worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tbsp dry mustard
  • 1 tbsp pepper
  • 1/2 c red wine vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tbsp parsley
  • 1/3 c lemon juice (fresh)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 8 oz. sliced fresh mushrooms

Reception Dinner Recipes-13Instructions:

Mix the above ingredients together.  Pour over pork tenderloin and marinate for 3-4 hours.  (Becky put hers in a ziploc bag in the refrigerator, overnight!)

Reception Dinner Recipes-14Reception Dinner Recipes-23Grill pork on the BBQ at medium at medium heat for 20 min, turning and basting occasionally.  Add mushrooms to remaining marinade and heat.  Slice tenderloins and pour marinade over them to serve.

We had such amazing wedding weekend, and the rehearsal dinner felt like a dream in itself.  It’s funny how eating the food again brought back those feelings – I love how tastes and smells can do that!  So I may be a little biased, but let me know how your’s turns out! I kind of think you’re going to love it…

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