Of Weddings and Parties

What's not to love about a wedding? A little over a week ago my brother got married to a lovely girl from Brooklyn. We piled our two kids into the car and headed up to NY to celebrate. After an afternoon of getting everyone to look their best we headed off to the wedding.

What a fun night it was! If you have never been to a Chassidic wedding, it is hard to describe one. The music was lively and the dancing was high speed. Around and around in circles we went. My daughter Mushky seemed to have gotten a magical burst of energy and kept me dancing with her all night long.

Along with the lively dancing was the great thrill of spending hours with my family and my cousins many of whom I hadn't seen in quite some time.  It was also awesome to see how many of our friends from Norfolk (and some who used to live in Norfolk) had come to join my brother in his celebration.

Late at night the wedding came to an end and we wearily dragged ourselves home to sleep, however the fun was just beginning. After a Jewish wedding, the bride and groom attend Sheva Brachot (literally seven blessings). Each night for seven days after the wedding, friends and family throw parties for the newlyweds, which conclude with the recitation of seven blessings - the Sheva Brachot.

While the first few Sheva Brachot were held in Brooklyn, we had the pleasure of hosting four here in Norfolk.

At the party held in my home I made a vegetable soup, garlic bread and put together a salad bar with many delicious options.

Here is the recipe for the vegetable soup.

Vegetable Soup with Orzo

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 onions, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 zucchini, diced

4 carrots, sliced into discs

3 stalks celery, diced

1 can chickpeas

1 can corn

1 tablespoon fresh parsley

8 cups chicken stock (can use powder soup consomme instead)

1/2 teaspoon dill (dried)

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup orzo

Heat olive oil in a 6 quart pot. Add diced onions and minced garlic to pot. Mix often as it browns. Add diced zucchini, sliced carrots and diced celery. Allow vegetables to brown and get soft. Drain chick peas and add to pot. Add corn with the liquid to the pot. Chop parsley and add to pot. Add dill, black pepper and salt. Add chicken stock and allow to boil. Add orzo and allow to reboil. Simmer and allow to cook until all vegetables are soft.