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The Arizona Inn in Tucson served as the backdrop for the wedding.

The bride's family

Wedge sald

Baked salmon with lemon cream sauce

The wedding cake, which featured three different layers, served as dessert. It was adorned with succulents.

Connie and Landon Anderson are shown at their daughter’s wedding. Recently, Mrs. Anderson wrote about buying the dress while in Singapore.

The wedding was beautiful, but as my husband is always saying, “Aren’t all weddings beautiful?” But it was our only daughter so it made it especially beautiful.

What a lovely day in Tucson! The sky was pristine blue, the weather was 88 and no rain in sight since, after all, it is the desert. All guests arrived on schedule which was a blessing. The Arizona Inn is a lovely place to have a wedding but the flowers and grounds were especially lovely on this weekend.

Our rehearsal on the Friday night before began at 5 p.m. and it only took a few minutes. When you have only one matron-of-honor and one best man there is not much to rehearse! My daughter wanted a small intimate wedding with no dancing and so all we had were about 50 people. The rehearsal party went to dine at “feast” one of the restaurants I have talked about before when writing of Tucson. The chef had made a limited menu so all could be served in a timely manner and we could go on to the cocktail party where all the other guests were. I would have to say the food was not that great but this restaurant can be hit or miss. The chef tries new things every month and sometimes it does not work. After the meal we all went downtown to a special room behind a restaurant and had drinks of choice (there were lots of craft beers to choose from) and some more appetizers. I was full from the “feast” meal and did not eat anymore.

The morning of the wedding we did some sightseeing, and since all seemed to be organized, we did not start getting dressed until around 4 p.m. Now the moment came to put on my red dress and my husband had to make the sash into a rose. We had to replay the video from Singapore, but he got it right the second time. Ha! I had delayed getting my dress for the wedding and we were coming down to the line and I couldn’t seem to find what I wanted. Then in Singapore we found this Chinese shop and bought the red silk dress!

We all went outside to take iPhone photos and see the other guests. I saw my daughter for the first time in her wedding dress and I do believe I have never seen her look more beautiful. She also seemed very, very happy. What more can a mother ask??

After the ceremony and pictures, we had drinks and appetizers at the bar before dinner. Our daughter and husband had gotten the Arizona Inn to concoct a signature cocktail for their wedding and it was a prickly-pear margarita (lovely thought for the desert and very pretty and pink). My husband and I were the hosts for the sit-down dinner, so he gave a toast and the feast began.

The meal was lovely and service was excellent. Everyone had a wedge salad with blue cheese, pancetta, and small tomatoes. The main course was a choice of chicken in a cheese sauce and a salmon with a lemon cream sauce. The salmon had black rice with broccoli and served with onions and cucumbers over the salmon. The salmon portion was very large so that one could not eat all of it. I will give this recipe below since that is what I ate and it was delicious.

For dessert we had the wedding cake. It had three layers and the one slice I had was so moist and the icing creamy and luscious. Each layer had a different flavor (since that is what they do now days). The flowers on the cake were succulents, as were the rest of the flower decorations, and even the bridal bouquet (with some roses).

The music for the dinner was a piano and a violin. All just background music, but before it was over my daughter and I had a dance with father and husband. We had made it!

Baked Salmon with Lemon Cream Sauce

From the Arizona Inn

Servings: 4 to 6 people

2 to 3 lb. salmon fillet

Salt and black pepper to taste

1 Tbsp. olive oil for drizzling salmon

1 Tbsp. parsley, finely chopped, to garnish

Sliced thin small red onions and cucumbers to garnish

For the lemon cream sauce:

1 small onion or 2 medium shallots, super finely diced (about ¼ cup diced)

¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 medium or 1 large lemon)

¼ cup dry white wine (such as chardonnay or pinot grigio)

½ cup heavy cream

½ cup (8 Tbsp.) cold butter cut into 8 pieces

Instructions:

Line baking sheet with foil or parchment. Arrange salmon skin-side-down, season with salt and pepper and drizzle the tops with oil. Bake uncovered at 425 for 10-15 minutes (depending on thickness of salmon) or until salmon is cooked through.

In a small sauce pan, combine ¼ cup finely diced onion, ¼ cup lemon juice, ¼ cup wine and simmer over medium heat until reduced to a thick mixture (7-8 min).

Whisk in ½ cup cream and as soon as it comes to a simmer, reduce to low heat and slowly whisk in the 8 Tbsp. butter, one tablespoon at a time (whisking constantly). Add ¼ tsp. salt to taste and remove from heat. Cover with a lid to keep warm until ready to serve.

Plate salmon and pour sauce over and garnish with parsley, onions and cucumbers.

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