Valentines 2012

Terry planned an absolutely stunning meal for Valentines Day even though I told him again and again that we didn't need to do anything fancy.  There's been some serious family illness back home, so my head was just not in the romantical/food-oriented mode that it should have been yesterday.  At one point, I think Terry may have even had suspicions that I was sabotaging his meal.  Crazy pants talk I tell ya!! (My head was just in Delaware and not focused on the actual quantity of scallops I was purchasing in the grocery store.  Oops.)

We started with a super simple salad.  Mixed Greens, onions, goat cheese, balsamic dressing, and cracked pepper.  His also had cucumber, radishes, candied walnuts...ummm, and something else I didn't like, can't remember.

 

 I love this picture of the Blood Orange.  They are so pretty inside, and their smell is the cross between and orange and a grapefruit.  I'd never dream of biting into one....blech!....but I wonder if it tastes like it smells.  Anyway, I had to juice 10 of this puppies for the blood orange gastrique that Terry made for the main course. 

Another fun newbie for our kitchen: Spaghetti Squash.  I chopped them in half (which by the way, do not be fooled by them; they are a tyrant to slice apart), gutted the seeds out, and steam-baked them for an hour.  Then you could easily run a fork through them and it pulls apart to look like spaghetti.  And it's delicious! 

But enough already....the main course: Seared Scallops and Shrimp (shrimp courtesy of our freezer and my flub at the grocery store) on a bed of sauteed spaghetti squash tossed with parsley, basil, and shitaake mushrooms, crispy baked prosciutto crumbles, and a blood orange gastrique. And no, that picture has not been manipulated folks!  We paired a wine we got from our very first trip to Napa with the meal; a 2007 Chimney Rock Elevage Blanc.

As if it could get any better, we digested a bit, then pulled out these store bought cupcakes.  To both our surprise however, there was a red velvet layer and a whipped cream layer, but there was this magical creamy fluffy vanilla bean layer of goodness as well that was a cross between a cake and a mousse.  I may have eaten all of mine in three non-breathing gulps.  And I might go back and buy them again for tonight, but don't tell; I don't know if I'm going to share yet. ;-)

Can you guess who got which card?  Such a toss-up, right?! 

 

Finally, since he always buys me gorgeous bouquets of flowers who are we kidding he buys them for himself and I'm his excuse, I thought I better get him a bouquet this year.  And so I did.  And it's beautiful.  And he loved it.  Win-Win.

A lovely Valentines indeed.