Wedding Ring Punch

Sorry, kids, but I am preempting Wiener Wednesday. I have some great news to share and, well, I just don’t have a hot dog dish. A girl can only take so many wieners!

And, yes, I know that I just walked into that one. But anyhoo, the exciting news:

Last week my younger brother got engaged! Which is very exciting. He is a wonderful guy and his bride-elect is a wonderful girl (by the way, I love that term. Bride-elect. Like there was a big tribunal and she was carefully selected from a roster of girls. Isn’t that what they did when deciding who to throw into the volcano?).

Anyway, in the course of a week it seems like everything has fallen into place: dates, venues, wedding party people, caterers–everything but the specifics, like colors (which I really hope are blush and bashful). A question: are weddings typically planned so quickly and efficiently? Is it just because the bride-elect is a wedding planner? I have no clue, since I have never been involved in anyone’s wedding.

Over the weekend my mum told me that she’s going to go gown shopping with the bride-to-be since the mother of the bride isn’t local. My mum is simply over-the-moon. And who wouldn’t be–trying on completely ridiculous dresses in a ton of fun!

But it’s a little sad for me because I feel that’s something that I won’t ever do with her. OK, I won’t say ‘ever.’ But let’s just say that the whole betrothed thing ain’t happening for me any time soon. At this rate, by the time I get married, my parents will be rolling down the aisle in wheelchairs. Shit, I might be in a wheelchair.

But! Fun fact: my brother asked me to be his “Best Person.” You know, the best man. This is one of the best things that could happen to me because no one–no one–is gonna get me to put on a dress that someone else picked out. Solution? Lady tuxedo.

I’m thinking something like this:

or this:

But I pray to sweet baby Jesus that I don’t end up looking like this:

But there is a whole world of wrong with THIS:

I have no idea where I can find a good lady tuxedo. Anyone know of some place I could get one? Can anyone recommend a good tailor in Baltimore?

Anyway, Wedding Ring Punch!

It’s just a coincidence that I made this concoction right when my bro got engaged. I had a little soiree for a few of my friends in honor of one of my best friends who moved down to Baltimore after getting married.  Iris, that’s her name, is a rep for NuSkin (it’s like fancier anti-aging Avon–and let me say that I love the clay mask), so I let her give her little spiel to the ladies and we did facials before we tucked into some canapes, kale chips, and coconut Oreos (speaking of which, have you had a coconut Oreo? They are enough to drive you wild. WILD!).

Through the course of the evening, we were all sipping on this punch:

The recipe is from a 1959 first printing of The General Foods Kitchens Cookbook. One of my coworkers brought it in to work one day because she thought I’d get a kick out of it.

Well, I did indeed get a kick out of it! I love any well-loved cookbook that is bursting at the seams with newspaper clippings and recipe cards. And I love any cookbook that has such delightful and colorful mid-century food illustrations! 

I was looking specifically for punch recipes because Claire found me a glass punch bowl at a Salvation Army for about $5 and I wanted to give it a test run.

I chose the Champagne Punch, on the left, but decided to do the Wedding Ring Punch route.  Because I absolutely adore an ice ring! See: Mad Men Canadian Clubhouse Punch and New Year’s Eve Bubbly. I went for the 3 small ring mold option. Because I have 3 small ring molds.

I did one ring with canned pineapple and the pineapple juice. The others I used water and layered canned Mandarin orange sections and mint leaves. Since the punch included strawberries, I didn’t do a strawberry ring. And I didn’t need to because the frozen strawberries stayed in a tub-shaped blob for a long while.

So it looked kinda cool. It tasted like a Mimosa on steroids. Not that it was overly boozy–it totally wasn’t. But with the mix of fruit juices, and all the stuff in the rings, it was like a morning sangria that was also a fruit salad. And sweet. Quite sweet. I think this would be great for a brunch/luncheon lady event. Like a bridal shower, mayhaps?

I’m gonna peace out–I have to contemplate possible bachelor party options. I am the Best Person, after all. But the only thing I know about bachelor parties comes from the movie Bachelor Party. So I know at some point I need to yell, Gentlemen, start your boners! But aside from that, I need some suggestions.

How does everyone feel about some Atlantic City action?

Oh, and just because I am a giver, here is a Wiener Wednesday picture for ya:

It’s a collage. On acrylic. On sale for $325. So, think about it for my birthday, kittens. It would look good on my wall.  He also has one of Elvis as Jesus that I think it just divine.