Valentine's Day was filled with the usual romance around here...I cooked breakfast, did the laundry, vacuumed, dusted and mopped the kitchen floor while the mister ate his breakfast, played on the computer and watched basketball on TV. It's the stuff dreams are made of. Then, I ever so gently put my foot down, more like a big toe touch, but it was enough to rattle the mister's bones into action and save the day. We had a late lunch at Cheesecake Factory, (and bought a whole cheesecake to take home!) did a little shopping at Macy's because it was Valentine's Day and everything was 20% off with an additional 20% off plus an additional 15% off since I used my Macy's card! Macy's does my kind of math! We capped off our afternoon with a movie, but our Valentine's Day wasn't over yet...
Valentine's Day started much earlier in the week for me...I had my bi-annual Valentine's lunch for women of a certain age, (the youngest attendee was 68, the oldest 91) and I rolled out all the stops, at least all that I could think of! Sugar Cookies and Valentine's Day go together like love and marriage and I must have made 60 of them - had to have plenty on hand to eat and some to for the ladies to take home as favors. I also made white chocolate dipped maraschino cherries...they were so good! The recipe makes a zillion so there were plenty for the party and plenty to give to friends - I'll post that recipe soon. Of course, no Valentine's Day would be complete without chocolate dipped strawberries!
Should have turned the plate around so you could see the pretty strawberries! Oh well, you get the idea...a chocolate roll cake with a strawberry filling...in a word? Chocolat-meets-Willy-Wonka-and-The-Chocolate-Factory-Meets-Strawberry-Shortcake-Delicious. (This cake would make a great spring dessert when strawberries are in season - the recipe will be up soon!) I didn't serve this cake to the ladies, I had something more decadent in mind - this cake went to someone special, and that's all I'm going to say about that!
My table looked pretty, no? The ladies loved it - they commented on every little thing and were so very appreciative - it made my afternoon so much fun. When the ladies arrived I totally forgot about my camera - so I didn't get pictures of them (just means we'll have to do this again next year!) or of the food!! I served the main course in those cute red, heart-shaped dishes...Tarragon Cream Chicken Pot Pies with Polenta - it's one of my all-time favorite meals. I didn't do all the cooking for this soiree, Shelly came and was a huge help - she brought a fabulous salad and fresh fruit, along with little cheese biscuits (gougeres!) pink raspberry lemonade, and raspberry creme brulee for dessert, we had the perfect lunch!
After the ladies left I jumped into the car and headed to the boy's home. He and his bride have been under a lot of stress lately, she is finishing up school and he is entering a management program so I knew neither of them would give Valentine's Day a second thought...so I thought about it for them. I ordered the t-shirts for them and they were thrilled - they will wear them, too, 'cause that's the kind of kids they are! I filled a little goodies box for them and gave them an hour's notice before I "popped in"...as no pop-ins are allowed, they are not fans of the pop-in. Quick, who said that?
Isn't the box just so cute?!? It's not a hat box, nope, my mom sent me some pajamas for my birthday and they came in this box! I was saving it for something special - it was perfect for the boy and his bride!
At the end of the day, the mister and I stood in front of the refrigerator looking for something to eat...and there they were, the last two remaining raspberry creme brulees. I took mine and headed into the family room to watch the last episode of Gilmore Girls, the mister was banished to the bedroom. I had one glorious bite after another and cried when the show ended. Raspberry creme brulee and Luke and Lorelai together at last...now that's what I call the perfect ending to Valentine's Day!
