cater – Nicole Marlow

The Ultimate Sunday Funday

October 11, 2019Leave a comment

Talk about a FUNDAY! I catered an event for a regular customer and it was truly something special. It started out as an “end of the summer pool party”, however, at the time we planned this, we had a hurricane co 20190929_105057-01-01 ming our way. So we postponed, but now there was no special occasion. It just became a Sunday football party!! What was so fun about this party, was how they designed their home to host- the outdoors and indoors became one space and it was awesome! There were TVs all over the house with different games on so all fans can watch their teams. There was even a large TV over their Wolf grill and the host made sure I was able to watch my game as I cook! Because the party was outside and inside, some of their guests even arrived in their yachts! Never saw that before! LOL But how fun! They had a DJ, 2 bartenders, a poker dealer, and me, the chef! Yes, this really happened! It was sooo fun!

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The menu:

*Crudite platter with hummus, tzatziki, veggies, pita

*Arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette

*Antipasto pasta salad

*Vegetable paninis with pesto

*Grilled chicken

*Grilled corn

*Sliders with all sorts of toppings

*Coleslaw with champagne vinaigrette

*BBQ popcorn

*Sweet and savory Chex party mixes

*Peach cobbler

*Strawberry shortcake

It was a lot of food for 45 people and EVERYONE loved it! 3 of the guests even told me that my peach cobbler was 10x better than what they had in Georgia! I mean, what a compliment! I knew it was good, because I made 3 large bakers of it and it was gone so fast! Every time I loaded up the slider station with burgers, they were gone before I knew it. I came up with the menu when the host mentioned how they wanted pool party food. What was really great, is there were no dietary restrictions! Though, I wanted to keep it kid friendly and definitely something that adults would want to eat. It was the perfect blend of both.

I literally cannot wait to cater another event for them!

Be on the lookout for the next post! It’s going to be all about Thanksgiving! Yes, it’s next month and I’m really looking forward to it! And be sure to follow on instagram! I love a good food picture and I’m going to be posting videos soon! EEEK! But I’m excited to take it to the next level! Have a great weekend! xoxo

Memorial Day Weekend meal planning

May 27, 2019May 27, 2019Leave a comment

Hi there! I hope everyone is having a fun filled and safe holiday!

Every week, I’m incorporating more and more kid friendly options for busy families. For one family this week, I prepared:

*Ginger soy glazed salmon with sauteed bok choy

*Herb roasted chicken and potatoes

*Lasagna with Caesar salad

*Mac and cheese and roasted broccoli

I’m also planning a birthday party for a new family this weekend and the menu we came up is going to be fantastic:

*Peach, honey, and goat cheese crostini

*Bruschetta with and seasoned ricotta and roasted tomatoes

*Grilled Caesar Salad with homemade croutons

*Marinated veggie paninis with sun dried tomato pesto

*Grilled steak with chimichurri

*Potato salad with herb dressing

*Vanilla panna cotta with balsamic roasted peaches

This new family is a referral customer and for that, she (and the customer who referred her) are getting a special gift! I’m so happy that she and her family are giving me the opportunity to take the stress off their shoulders and cater their special occasion for them. All they need to do, is have fun with their guests!

The month is almost over and so is the discount off your first service! Let’s plan your special occasion and create an amazing menu!

Mother’s Day Weekend

May 14, 2019May 15, 2019Leave a comment

Happy Mother’s Day to all you amazing ladies!

This past weekend was so great! It started out with an amazing event that I catered on Saturday. It was for this sweet little girl who just had her First Communion. I met this very sweet family a few weeks ago and it was such an honor that I got to be a part of their event. When the mother reached out to me to cater her event, she thought it would be a fun idea to do a brunch board with all sorts of goodies. I thought, “how fun!” and I was all in! Their menu consisted of :

Lemon poppyseed muffins
Double chocolate chip muffins
Goat cheese, spinach, and ham quiche
Bacon, broccoli, and cheddar quiche
Buttermilk pancakes
Chocolate chip pancakes
Nutella French toast (I mean anything with Nutella is heavenly, am I right?)
Raspberry and cream cheese stuffed French toast
Assorted bagels (complete with 3 cream cheese smears, arugula, capers, and tomatoes)
Cheese board (complete with 6 different hard and soft cheese, crackers, honeys, and nuts)
Fresh fruit (with extra strawberries and blueberries)
Crispy bacon and smoked sausage
Orange juice and raspberry lemonade

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What an AMAZING way to celebrate with your friends and family!! It’s such a great feeling to see the smiles and to hear how everything exceeded expectations!! And as I was leaving, the happy parents both told me that this was the best way to celebrate-at their home and not having to wait at a restaurant for all the food for their large group! I’m looking forward to catering another event with them in the future!

On Sunday, I spent the day with my family. It started with me, my mom, and my cousin, Trish. I bought us a couple bottles of champagne, we had chicken and waffles for brunch, and we spent some time in the pool. It was a perfect laid back day- we talked Game of Thrones and listened to good music all day. And speaking of Game of Thrones!! What an episode! No spoilers here, but OMG! I cannot believe that next week is the last episode! How did this time go by so quickly?… What are your predictions for the finale?

Lemon Thyme Shortbread

April 25, 2019April 25, 2019

This post is pretty exciting for me because this is the first post where I post a recipe! Though this site is meant to promote my services as a private chef, I would love to share some recipes with you every once in a while. This weather has my herbs growing so beautifully and so I have been wanting to make these cookies all week! They are so easy to make and they are bursting with Spring flavor! For those busy families, you can make a large batch of dough, wrap in parchment paper in the shape of a log, and freeze until ready to bake. They will make great slice and bake shortbread cookies!

By the way, be sure to follow me on Instagram!

Lemon Thyme Shortbread Cookies

Time: 15 minutes prep 15 minutes baking
Difficulty: easy
Print

Ingredients

-1/2 cup butter, room temperature

-1/2 cup granulated sugar

-Zest of 1 large lemon

-Juice of half lemon

-1 1/4 cup All purpose flour

-1 1/2 tbsp Thyme, finely chopped

-1/4 tsp salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
Add the lemon zest and juice and mix to combine, about 10 seconds.
Add 1/2 cup of flour and mix on low speed. Add the remaining flour, the chopped thyme, and the salt and mix until just combined, careful not to overmix. The dough should be cleaning off the sides of the bowl.
On a lightly floured surface, turn the dough and shape into a ball. Roll out dough until about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out cookies and place on a sheet tray.
Place in freezer for about 5 minutes (this prevents the dough from spreading as it bakes). Place sheet tray in preheated oven and bake 12-15 minutes.
Allow cookies to cool before enjoying!

National English Muffin Day

April 24, 2019May 4, 2019Leave a comment

20190423_120754-01 Today is National English Muffin day and, of course, I made English Muffins from scratch! Turns out, they are incredibly easy to make and the flavor is sooo amazing! Not to knock any store bought brand of English muffin, but using high quality ingredients such as King Arthur flour and Kerrygold butter, gives these beauties such amazing flavor! I cooked them in my Lodge cast iron and then toasted them in my Breville oven. I will definitely be making these over and over again! Will be trying them out with the crab cake eggs benedict soon!

With Mother’s Day right around the corner, I am discounting your first service! 15% off either your week of meal planning or catered event throughout the month of May. Moms deserve a great culinary experience–treat her to a nice brunch or a dinner throughout the month and show her how appreciated she is! What are your plans for Mother’s Day? Mother’s Day menus will be posted this weekend. Follow in Instagram and subscribe here for updates!

Easy comfort food

April 11, 2019April 11, 2019Leave a comment

Hey guys! This week has been so busy and it’s not going to stop. (And I’m so excited that things are going strong!)

New families and private dinners planned throughout the month!

This week’s meal plans include the following:

1. *Pan seared salmon with mango salsa *Scallops with swiss chard and cauliflower puree *Grilled steak with mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus *Caesar salad *Garden salad

2. *Cast iron steak and potatoes *Indian butter chicken with basmati rice *Shrimp fettuccine alfredo *Potato salad with scallion vinaigrette *Chicken Shwarma salad with tahini

3. *Mojo chicken with cilantro rice *Black bean and corn salsa *Shrimp ceviche with tostones *Roast pork shoulder *Coconut lime Popsicles

All delicious and solidifying some vegan menus this week! Coming up, I am going to post some class menus. It’s a great idea to host for birthdays or anniversary parties!