Valentine's Day sneaked up on me this year. I just couldn't get in the mood to decorate. Someone said once that decorating would be different when the kids were gone. I didn't believe her then, but I do now. It just seemed like decorating would take me from other things I wanted to do, and anyway, why would I do it? One decision I did make -- to get rid of the old heart lights that keep falling off the string and get new ones! But when I went to the store to buy new ones, they were all gone.
As a last minute effort, this afternoon I grabbed a few things out of the cupboard for a decorative touch, lit some candles, and baked white cake using my mother's heart-shaped cupcake tins. Then I frosted the tops with some "perfectly chocolate" frosting made from baking cocoa. There won't be a box of chocolates here this evening, and that's a good thing, but white cake with chocolate frosting will be a nice treat for dessert.Mike's hunting buddy Ken went fishing yesterday and brought us a lovely big steelhead. Mike cut it into three roasts. He froze two and grilled the other this afternoon for our dinner. The rest will be simple -- green salad, mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli. And then -- just a quiet evening together. What more could we want?
Love to all, Kathy
Yum! That sounds like a pretty darn nice Valentine's Day. It was little more than a Thursday for us.
ReplyDeleteWe had leftover chicken, wild rice and sweet potatoes. :-) Even leftovers are nicer than a crowded restaurant on Valentine's Day!
ReplyDeleteYour dinner sounds perfect and your dessert yummy! Well done!
Belated Valentine's felicitations!
We made our Friday special and went out after work. We had the most amazing roasted Brussels sprouts in balsamic. Balsamic! Who knew?! I will try to replicate that at home. :)
ReplyDeleteHallie, check out that recipe on my blog a couple of posts back for the sprouts. They were super yummy!
ReplyDeleteA friend when I worked at the museum (Diane) liked to "guess-ti-mate" the ingredients when she ate out and then replicate at home. When I marveled that she could do that, she said, "You can taste what's in it." Hmmmm. I just always thought I had to have a recipe for correct proportion -- and maybe I do.
ReplyDeleteKinda funny, though -- I'm reading what's good for us and making my food plainer and plainer while Hallie and Chris are experimenting with flavors. Oh well - next week it might be the other way around.
What a funny coincidence! I read your blog, Chris, but hadn't visited the recipe to see that they were balsamic. ;) Perfect!
ReplyDeleteThis last year has been one with lots of recipe and spice experimentation. Healthy does NOT have to mean bland!
I agree--I'm in the process of learning to use things like balsamic vinegar, lime juice, and spices to give lots of flavor to things along with roasting and steaming, but leaving out the fat and salt . Most everything has turned out great. It's an adventure!!
ReplyDelete