Well I’m cooking for sure but I haven’t decided what. Preferably healthy, but at minimum not terribly unhealthy. Beef tenderloin is on sale but I might browse past the fish department first. And I’ll probably vitamix up a fruit sorbet for dessert.

ps I probably shouldn’t have read your post on first day of new diet - would love some of that cheesecake right about now.

I made DH his favorite dinner - shrimp alfredo linguine. It truly is a "labor of love" as I am deathly allergic to shellfish so I have to keep everything I used separated from anything I used to make my own dinner (plain spaghetti.) But dessert will be yummy

it's just regular milk chocolate brownies cut out; the heart-shaped one is just the brownie and white chocolate with sprinkles (this one was for my 2-year-old granddaughter) and the round one is coated with espresso ganache and decorated with white chocolate/sprinkles bark pieces. My son thanked me for not giving the little one espresso just before bedtime LOL!

2MD, those biscotti look divine! And I'm terribly sorry about your recipe boxes, that is really a bummer. Bless your DH for going through all that!

Well, Elery would love the cheesecake and I'd love edie's brownies, but we didn't have either, nor did we have FOAS' tenderloin.

We've never really celebrated Valentine's Day. So, I went to do Dave's books at the shop, then went grocery shopping. As my gift to Elery I bought a bag of Dove dark chocolate hearts, he loves that Dove dark chocolate, and then I got the car washed. He hates waiting in line for the car wash.

Elery made dinner for me, we had saute'd shrimp, brussels sprouts and baked sweet potatoes because I like those things and had found wild caught, produced in the USA gulf shrimp on sale and snapped it up. It was the smaller shrimp but it was still darned good.

So we each did nice things for each other, but no gifts or cards.

Darn, 2many, that's horrible about your recipe boxes. (sigh) I guess it's the thought that counts, but still...

Annie

I had some langoustine that I peeled and wrapped in a basil leaf, then in some brick then fried til crispy, then steak and chips with pepper sauce, then chocolate meringues, tiny ones, sandwiched with a mix of marscapone and ricotta with chopped nuts.

We don't really celebrate Valentine's Day. I don't believe in cards that just get tossed and I hate dead flowers, ahem, floral arrangements. Strolling through Lowe's he picked out some big bags of wild flower seeds for me to strew on the edges of the forest we live in in a couple of weeks. I thought that was a lovely gift.

For dinner - angel hair pasta with finely chopped smoked chicken and Alfredo sauce, salad in tiny dice without lettuce. Had a tooth pulled yesterday so anything needing vigorous chewing was out. Dessert was Cara Cara orange segments and M&M's. He told me he is going to buy a big heart box of chocolates today - half price the day after is wisest. He's the chocoholic.

I always have a lunch for friends and this year DH took me out to dinner and bought me a box of chocolates. A nice surprise were both as it is I who usually have to make plans.

Oh edie, your heart shaped brownie - and especially the one covered in ganache – look delicious, and so pretty and delicious! What precious treats to make and give!

annie and nancyofnc, you cannot say you don’t celebrate if you do nice things for one another – isn’t that the best way to celebrate anything?! I was raised with the thought that gifts aren’t really a celebration, but rather time spent with, and time spent doing something nice for – the ones you love, that’s the celebration : ) nancy, I have a rule that DH is not allowed to buy me flowers (dead, wasted $). He broke that rule last year, and though I loved them, he saw how fast they died. I was surprised last night when he brought me a small container of miniature roses to plant : )

Islay… Wow. Wow!

Martha, what a sweet treat : ) My DH is also not a planner. So anything from him, be it something he makes, or an idea, is a lovely shock!

DH and I’ve not been married long but we’ve known each other for over 3 decades. I was single who loved being on my own, DH was exactly the same. We did not always stay in touch, and I’ve spent many a Valentine’s on my own, happily. We re-met a few years ago, and I suppose both of us wanted to share our lives together again, just more closely.

Ann, so not a fan of restaurants either, and now DH dislikes them, says I've ruined it for him : ) Happy to do so! "The love is showing in the Valentine posts:" How true. Your peppercorn and gorgonzola sauce looks fantastic... DH would not touch a steak with pink or red, but I've managed to correct this behavior : ) He just needed someone to show him flavor.

Thanks to all regarding the recipe boxes... I've yet to give up, but DH has. I've never had a package lost or go missing - this would be the first for me. DH saw my well-worn cardboard recipe box, with recipe cards stacked on top, and I guess he wanted to make life a bit sweeter for me! The woodworker has other types of wood, not as nice, and I'd be perfectly thrilled if that's the route he ends up taking (I'd be perfectly thrilled with another cardboard box!). So, all is not lost. Frankly, a gift of any kind is a big deal - we don't really do gifts, other than doing things for and with one another.

Unfortunate about the box. Seems the stupid things where millions exist like a ladle or a bag of beans show up 10 min after ordering from Amazon.

No restaurants. We eat out enough for work. We both waited tables during University years so a bit frustrating to have to pay for bad service and so-so food.

Beautiful steak.

Made a white miso smoked salmon noodle bowl and DH loves my salads.

I also found a heart potato in my pantry basket last weekend.

Salad wan meant to be spring rolls but had to go for plan B.

Tuesday night I made a quick batch of hummus and quick pickles and he had a work breakfast snack with a heart surprise.

Not a cut flower/rose person either. Waste of money....I'd rather have Ann's steak,lol.

I grow micro sunflowers all winter and always have one blooming I bring from the basement 'garden'. Just planted some tulip bulbs I had in the fridge and if i keep up with it, planting a few every week, I'll have my favorite tulips starting in a few weeks then all early Spring. Way ahead of any I planted outside.

He did pick up a nice orchid.

We don't do Hallmark! However, when I used to work with Spec Ed students at an upscale organic market, around this time they would put lobster tails on sale at a reasonable price, so I might do a surf and turf.

My only Val Day thing was to put on my FB page that I'm hoping to re-create our first date 44 years ago and watch a president resign!

Errrr, my name's not Edie lol

sleevendog, your potato heart is adorable! And what a pretty orchid : ) What's the heart dish? Hummus, tomato, and your mustard? Inquiring mind(s) want to know! It looks so pretty!

2MDiv, the heart snack is hummus w/sriracha and the mustard. I always top with something...usually toasted sesame seed, UrfaBiber, and pepitas. Urfa is a sun dried sweet smoky pepper, used as a finishing flake, slightly rich/sweet almost like a raisin in aroma.

(DH thought the potato looked like cleavage....upside down, puppy dog balls)

sleevendog... whoooooo! I can't breathe! I can't swallow! I bought sriracha the other day to make an Asian dish (and yes, I blame you! All those healthy-looking dishes you've made have me feeling quite guilty!) and after reading your post thought I should try a little dollop on my finger. Mind you, I can't handle spice, but DH loves it... I was surprised to be able to find it locally! But goodness! Sure wish we had an Asian market around here... the UrfaBiber sounds perfect for my taste buds : ) Well, sriracha aside, that's a lovely Valentine's Day hummus : )

Well, your potato kinda does! Your DH sounds a bit like mine... Mine rarely enters the kitchen unless it's to stare into the cupboards or refrigerator, so when he saw the garlic mincer on the counter...

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ETA: do I need to refrigerate it now that it's open? I did, as it's tomato based. Huge bottle, too.

(lol).

Yes refrigerate. I'm not a big fan of Sriracha but DH likes it ok though says it is a bit sweet. I use it mostly as a squirt in sauces that just need a punch of spice and sweet. I like it much better than the watery drips of hot sauces like tabasco.

Tabasco I can take in small doses. I did buy one that says 'hot'... maybe there are others that aren't so.... anyway : ) I'll try it again, on something other than my finger.

2ManyDiversions. Losing the boxes is one thing. Hope you didn't lose the recipes.

Islay Corbel

Errrr, my name's not Edie lol

Sorry Islay Corbel. I know that. Apparently just wasn't thinking. Fixed it.

LOL, 2many, I think Sriracha tastes like vinegar and hot peppers, but can't taste any other flavors. I'm a wimp, I like just a little heat but I don't want the enamel on my teeth to bubble. I think if it's so hot I can't enjoy the flavors of the food, it's kind of pointless, but Elery loves heat, the hotter the better. That is one mean looking panty liner, BTW. (grin)

Sleevendog, I found a similar potato in my storage:

I left it propped up on the counter for Elery to find and he didn't even notice it, LOL. So much for that Valentine's Day thought! Thanks for the sriracha tip on hummus, Elery would love that. I suppose I could just mix it in at the end, so the entire batch isn't "contaminated"? (snicker)

AnnT, the steak looks delicious, as always, and although I don't care for very many hot chilies I love peppercorns. It's a different kind of heat.

Annie

seagrass, if I ever lose my recipes, life as I know it would end! DH would help me end it, too! Lol!

Annie, I made DH try a rather large dollop of the sriracha last night… he looked at me like “what?”. I so want to try Ann’s peppercorn steak… I may just bite my ‘I can’t take the spice’ bullet and go for it!

THE BOXES ARE COMING!!! Sorry to shout, I'm so happy, I actually cried! DH just told me he got an email from the woodworker and Postal Service. Might take a while, but I don't care. DH rarely thinks of gifts as I tell him I don't need anything (and I don't) so this was such a huge thing for me, and that he put thought into it made it all the more precious. Thanks again for all the kind words everyone!

So happy for you. Your boxes went on an adventure. Wonder where they went in their travels.

Hope you will share photos.

Oh, good, I'm so glad for you, I know this is something very special.

I'll also look forward to pictures, I'm sure they will be stunning.

Annie

Apparently they didn't travel at all, but were lost in a Post Office in Pennsylvania! I believe they made an additional effort to locate it when they were to pay the insurance!

Yes, I'd love to share the photos when they come : )

The recipe boxes came! They are indeed ‘gallery quality’ figured (tiger, curly, and bird’s eye) hard maple finished with very thin coats of matte poly. The finish and craftsmanship are exceptional – This is the front of the boxes and in some lights you can’t see where the boxes open.

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The interior is dadoed and sanded smooth. I’ll treasure these for years! What a generous gift from DH!

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