Valentine's Day 2013

While I like to blame the absence of a creative Valentine's gift/outing on the fact that I only found out about a week ahead of time that Keizo and I would actually be spending February 14th on the same continent, the reality is I had over a week to come up with something or try and make a reservation somewhere but didn't.

We have had some fantastic Valentine's in the past (see here, and here) and I didn't feel like any of this year's ideas could compare.  Rather than trying to compete, we took a decidedly low-key approach that is summed up by the following:

Source

This blog and its title originated around our love of food, after all!  My regular Thursday class was cancelled last week, giving us the whole day and three square meals together.

Breakfast: Banana pancakes topped with peanut butter and syrup + coffee.  Stick to the ribs fuel for a morning jaunt up the Monticello-Saunders Trail.

Lunch: Quick fish tacos with "fiesta slaw."  Leisurely strolling four miles up and down a mountain with a bunch of retirees works up an appetite.

Dinner: Heart-shaped pasta with "customized" brandy sauce, green salads and wine.  It was V-day, and the romantic pasta shapes I probably bought on sale last February weren't getting any fresher.

Pasta sauce from a jar with sausage, onions, and tomatoes added.

The best wine $3.29 can buy!

After the wine was poured and photos captured, we turned off the overhead lights for some atmosphere.  I only had the one candle lit on the table and initially it felt more like a power outage than a romantic dinner.  Eventually my eyes adjusted, and I no trouble locating my food with my fork and carrying it to my mouth.

Dessert: Red velvet cupcakes from a boxed mix.  I had high hopes, but these did not meet my expectations. 

                           

The frosting in particular was way too buttery; but gee, they do look pretty cute all dressed up!

We shared some with the upstairs neighbors, and somehow managed to finish off the rest of them later in the week.

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Cooking alone certainly has its perks---only one palette to satisfy, significantly lower grocery bills and fewer dishes when I decide to eat leftovers straight from the container--but cooking with another person, especially one who not only loves you and your food but also offers to do the dishes, is impossible to beat.

I hope everyone got to eat something they love with someone they love on the 14th and has a chance to do it again soon <3