The stomach flu went through our house the week of V-Day.
Good times.
The kids were all better by Friday, but then The Dad got it on Sunday.
Sooooo, after prepping food for two days, I packed everything up and we had our Valentine's Day dinner after he got home from work on Monday instead.
Then I got the bug on Tuesday.
Gotta love all the sharing they do at school.
Instead of a cocktail, this year I did champagne with pink cotton candy in the glasses.
For appetizers, I did cantaloupe and honeydew hearts, a nibble platter, and Baked Brie and Fig Jam Bites.
I cut the hearts for the brie bites out of flat bread.
I had everything ready for when The Dad got in the door.
Candles lit at the table.
The kids were, not so patiently, waiting for Dad so they could dig into the snacks.
Busted sneaking.
My attempts at getting them both together for a photo that actually turns out.
Ha, fat chance.
At least one of them is always making a face.
Back to the food....
I did this Roasted Beet Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette, and cut the beets into hearts.
I also added blood oranges this time around, 'cause I happened to have them.
I made the salad ahead of time, then put the dressing on when it was time for dinner.
The main dish was something I had been wanting to try forever.
I made Bolognese sauce the day before, because it's literally an all day affair.
Then on Saturday, I assembled and baked the torte, thinking we'd be eating on Sunday.
It ended up sitting in the fridge until Monday, which probably made it even that much better.
I just covered it with foil to reheat it.
Pretty dang good.
We had bread, as always, and I made little Parmesan cheese hearts for everyone.
And, of course, here's dinner on my plate:
And last, for dessert we had the Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie that I shared last week.
And that concludes the Valentine's Day festivities at our house.
Bring on the yard posts.
OMGosh. You really go all out. I feel like such a schlep. I hope your family appreciates all the love and care that you put into these meals. Everything looks amazing.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful dinner, Mindy!
ReplyDeleteI love that you incorporated hearts into every course and dish. So sweet and loving! I can't even imagine how much more time was added to prepping your dinner.
I hope your kids appreciate all the love and detail that went into your special meal!
I make cotton candy Shirley Temples for our kids. So fun and tasty! Love the adult idea of champagne!
Glad you're all feeling better. We're all sick! This is day 5 and it feels like we've been in this forever. Can't wait to be behind this yucky week.
Stay well!
Have a great weekend!
We had a somewhat similar incident on v-day that kind of derailed our plans a bit but somehow it all worked out. It is so cute that you cut out all of those hearts. I think I would have skipped the beets though. That cheesy torte looks like a fancy lasagna and it also looks really good!
ReplyDeleteEverything looks soooo delicious! You took so much time and care to make dinner extra special for your family!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a perfect way to spend Valentines dinner with family at home. Those foods looks so delicious.
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