Valentine's Day 2019

Figured I'd throw some Valentine's day pics out there like the old days.

We did what we've done pretty much every year since popping out all these kids....

....dinner at home.

The table setting wasn't as elaborate as I've done in the past.

I used a tablecloth that the little one wanted for her birthday, but was too small with all the leaves in the table.  

It still didn't fit, but oh well.

Paper doilies, cloth napkins, the flowers that I managed to eek out of the yard, some conversation hearts and their little boxes of chocolates.

Just enough to make it more special than a random weekday.

The napkin rings were a gift from my aunt.

 

Hellebores, snowdrops (Galanthus), and wallflower (Erysimum) were put at each place.

By the way, my purple and orange wallflowers have been blooming nonstop since last summer.

Definitely a winner in the garden, especially this time of year.

My mom mailed this to the kids.

Isn't it cute?!

Under the money it said, Grammy loves you.

The Dad brought home these goodies.

It's like he knows me or something.

The Kid and The Girl both had basketball practice, so I didn't do much in the way of appetizers.

By the time everyone was home together, we were all starving and ready for the main event.

Just a little picky plate to munch on while The Dad grilled.

I prepped all the dinner stuff during the day, so everything would be ready to go once the crew was all here.

Brownies were baked first and I made a blackberry sauce to serve with them.

A London broil marinated overnight in my favorite easy marinade.

I got browned butter done ahead of time, then just put it back in the pan to remelt and fry sage leaves in, before throwing in some cooked gnocchi.

Breadsticks were doctored up and ready for the oven.

Halved tomatoes were slathered in pesto, sprinkled with seasoned breadcrumbs, then covered in shredded mozzarella.

Caesar salad was assembled ahead of time and tossed with the dressing right before sitting down.

Annnnd, everything cooked and ready to eat.

No fancy plating...everyone's bellies were rumblin'...just family-style dinner.

Haven't said this in a long time.....

Here's dinner on my plate:

And there's another Valentine's day family dinner for the books.

Until next time....

Valentine's Day Dinner 2017

Here it is.  Our annual Valentine's day dinner at home.

The kids were at school, so I was able to set the table during the day.

Nothing fancy, just more special than an average weeknight meal.

I dug through my stash and used what I had.

Baby helped me make dessert.

I found small heart cake mixes at our local Grocery Outlet for $1 each, including the paper baking pan.

Sold.

I bought three. 

(She just inherited these boots and refuses to take them off.)

The cake was red velvet, of course.

It came with ingredients for a chocolate glaze, and then we added sprinkles for fun.

I had big plans to make fancy cocktails, but in the end, I went the easy route.

Champagne and pink grapefruit mimosas.

Because it fell on a weeknight, I didn't get crazy with appetizers, since The Dad wouldn't be home until after work.

I did a couple different cheeses, salami, and apples, with heart shaped crackers.

The log of goat cheese had cinnamon and cranberries and it was flippin' delicious.

He had secretly brought home boxes of chocolate for the kids a few days prior, so I put those at their place settings.

The Girl was concerned that he and I didn't have anything, so she added treats from her school Valentine bag.

So sweet.

Candles lit and waitin' on Dad.

The kids planned the menu.

They insisted on artichokes, and then went from there.

They added penne with tomatoes and garlic butter sauce.

Steak, so I did bacon wrapped filets, that I actually already had in the freezer.

And bread, of course.

The only thing I had to buy for the entire meal was the artichokes....and the cake mixes.

I love it when that happens.

I haven't said this for a minute.....

Here's dinner on my plate:

And the fam around the table...

They were pretty gosh darned excited when I told them they each got their own cake.

With bites from Mom and Dad, of course.

And actually, they were pretty dang good.

I'm not a cake person, at all, and DEFINITELY not a box cake/frosting person, but they were totally worth the $3 I spent.  

Ha.

And for the record, no one ate an entire cake.

We still have a few hunks left in the fridge.

These two proceeded to argue over who's cake had more sprinkles.

Ya know, 'cause these are the important things in life.

All in all, way better than paying a stupid amount of money for a fancy Valentine's Day dinner out on the town, if ya ask me.

I like our tradition.

And on that note, happy flippin' Friday.

It couldn't have come on a better day.