Wedding In The Woods

This is the part where I confess that at times I am a major judgmental bitch.  I know.  None of you are shocked.


It's not entirely my fault.  When you get a wedding invitation on a balloon you can't help but be skeptical when the next wedding invitation you received warns you that "The site is basically a grove of oak trees, with a pair of bathrooms, and that's about it."

or says that at 10pm "we can bust out acoustic guitars and sing about banana slugs and oak trees."

I wasn't expecting much.  And was unbelievable surprised.  It was a gorgeous wedding.

When we lived in Orange County, Mr. Greenthumb and Thatboy were inseparable.  I joked that they were dating since often they would go for a surf after work and Thatboy would come home in Mr. Greenthumb's clothes. 

I know Thatboy has missed his surf buddy since we've been in San Diego and he doesn't get to see him as often.

 

Mr. Greenthumb dated a long line of young bimbos while we were in Orange County.  And then he met the future Mrs. Greenthumb.  Who was as far from a bimbo as you could get.

 The consensus among Mr. Greenthumb's friends were that the future Mrs. Greenthumb mellowed him out.  If you ask me, the future Mrs. Greenthumb made this Peter Pan grow up a bit.

And so, earlier this year, Mr. Greenthumb "grew up" and asked her to marry him.  She said yes.  And last weekend, in a grove of Oak Trees, they were joined as husband and wife.

 
The venue was gorgeous.  And there was plenty of room for fun stuff like a bean bag toss

For the record, Thatboy is not very good at this game when you tickle him as he attempts to throw.

And a fire pit.

Smores anyone?

And photo opportunities abounded:

Marriage brings together two people who are perfect for each other, but maybe two people you wouldn't necessarily think to put together on your own.  Food marriages are similar.  Taking two of your favorite foods, that maybe you wouldn't combine otherwise.  When I first saw Elly's Tamale Pie I loved the idea of combining tacos and a potpie.  It was a big hit in our house and became a recurring item on the menu.  With some leftover masa harina to use up, this was a marriage that was made in heaven.  Or at least my kitchen.

Tamale Pie (From Elly Says Opa)

1.25 cups masa harina (corn flour)
1.5 Tbsp cold butter
1 cup corn
3 Tbsp milk
ground pepper
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup chicken stock

 1 pound ground beef
1 small to medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1  jalapeno, diced
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp chili powder
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2/3 cup salsa
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar, jack, colby, etc. (whatever kind of cheese you want)
cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. In a food processor, process 1/2 cup corn, masa, butter, baking powder and pepper until butter is incorporated. 
3. Add milk and pulse process to just combine.
4. Mix chicken stock with masa mixture until a smooth, spreadable–not pourable–dough forms.
5. Brown ground beef together with onion. Drain excess fat. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant
6. Add remaining ingredients, except cheese. Simmer for a few minutes to combine flavors.
7. Pour filling into large pie pan or 8×8 baking dish.
8. Sprinkle with cheese, and then spread the masa crust over the top.
9. Spray with cooking oil. Bake about 25-30 minutes or until crust has set and filling is bubbly.