Happy Valentine's Day

I so cheated on making Valentine's Day dinner tonight. The only homemade part of the meal was my pasta sauce, the rest was all store bought. But you know what, it doesn't matter, Jim liked it and that's all I needed to know.

I stopped by a place called The Italian Deli after work. In addition to making great sandwiches, they carry all kinds of Italian products from jars of sauce to cookies to frozen pasta. I picked up a package of cheese manicotti and the last loaf of fresh Italian bread they had.

After taking Sophie out when I got home, I got the manicotti put together and popped it into the oven along with a head of garlic (for some roasted garlic bread) and waited for Jim to come home.
Dinner was very nice. We all enjoyed it, even Miss Sophie got a few nibbles. And to go with it, we opened a bottle of Nipozzano Chianti Reserva that was given to us by a friend at Christmas.And for dessert....yup, more cheating. On my way to work this morning I stopped by Krispy Kreme and got a couple dozen doughnuts for my staff. They were making heart shaped doughnuts topped with sprinkles and I got two extra to take home. And what says love better than a fresh, heart-shaped Krispy Kreme doughnut?

Birthdays and Valentines (or how I decided to make Black and White Cookies)

Biscuit Boy had a birthday last Friday. Since it falls so close to Valentine's Day, going out to dinner, or buying him flowers or chocolate can be challenging. I hit Kingsbury Chocolate in Old Town Alexandria on Friday only to find them wiped out. Of the 25 varieties of truffles they carry, only three were left in display case (Cubano - made with tobacco which is supposed to make the chocolate taste darker, lavender Pistachio and Kir Royale). So I got two of each plus 6 chocolate dipped strawberries. I thought I'd give him the strawberries that night and save the truffles for Valentine's Day.

We met a few friends Friday night at Corduroy in DC. After a few drinks and some appetizers, Biscuit Boy and I headed to the dining room for a quiet romantic dinner for two. It was so good! He had black sea bass and I had veal cheeks (which absolutely melted in my mouth). After we got home, I gave him the chocolate dipped strawberries. There were no survivors.

Poor biscuit Boy had been flirting with a cold all of last week and over the weekend, it seemed to take the starch out of him. I really felt bad and wanted to do something for him. He didn't want chicken soup, the cure-all for colds. He didn't seem to want anything. But while looking through some cookbooks, I found something that I thought would cheer him up a little, Black and White Cookies.

Being a true Southerner, he didn't grow up on such delicacies. It wasn't until we went to NYC a few years ago to see the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show that he tasted one. He was skeptical at first but once he took a bite, he knew why I throught they were so yummy. But try to find a Black and White anywhere outside the NYC area..... Good luck.

I happened across a recipe yesterday and made a batch. I nailed the white icing but had a little trouble with the chocolate. I think it was too thick but it tasted right. Before they were even iced, Biscuit Boy knew what I was making when he saw the cookies cooling.

He ate one last night and gave it a thumbs up. Too bad they don't have the healing powers of chicken soup, but at least he'll enjoy eating them just the same.

Happy Valentine's Day!