Apropos. Not really about food, but OT <3
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Some years, I don’t manage much for Valentine’s Day. This year is different.
I made salmon with harissa glaze, olive oil roasted potatoes, and spinach salad with balsamic and Italian olive oil.
I did not make this chocolate cake with Swiss buttercream though. Bought from a talented baker. Happy Valentine’s/Galentine’s/Palentines, everybody!
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A hungover household does not like to cook. Any fancy dinner plans were shelved in lieu of takeout sushi & a few steamed har gow. NBD #rararomance 
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We were in the same boat. Made it through a classic nor’Easter yesterday - power and WIFI sketchy all day. Heavy wet snow, high tides, brutal wind - we went out for lunch in self defense and then our power quit around 5:00 so we ended up eating at a dive bar (the only place open) but their food really sucks so we drank more than we ate and woke up freezing cold and not feeling much like hearts and red roses.
Defrosted some freezer surprise in the microwave for dinner with beer chasers. Hoping for a day of recovery tomorrow.
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I had just enough energy to make a simple lemon posset for the household. Kind of a “Sweets for my sweet” thingie.
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Offered the choice of steak or small cold water lobster tails, my husband chose steak. Seared in a hot skillet stovetop. Appetizer of chilled shrimp (thawed Costco cooked tail off) with cocktail sauce. Sides were sliced fresh mushrooms cooked in garlic butter, microwaved sweet potato, and a reheat of some spinach souffle. Dessert - mini- 2-bite cheesecake (Costco) with strawberries.
Snow started falling as I prepared supper and I was VERY happy we’d not planned dinner out – by next morning we had 6 inches of new snow.
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It’s that time again! Pink decorations abound in the supermarkets, and Lindt was inspired to make a strawberry cheesecake flavor of their Lindor balls…just because they can 
Can you believe a whole year has gone by already? Jeez.
As for myself, I have a gig that day, and unfortunately have yet to hear what time, exactly, we’re supposed to play 
— so I don’t know yet if we’ll be enjoying another easy sushi extravaganza like we apparently did last year, or if I’ll have the time to come up with something more interesting.
So, what’s on the menu for VD 2025?
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Similar to 2024 - Steak & mushrooms, baked potato, spinach souffle. Strawberries over lemon cake. Wine.
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We went to the truffle-fest at the Rockridge Market in Oakland, and amongst the treats we snagged: some porcini/truffle ravioli in truffle cream sauce.
For dessert, my silly little chocolate microwave mug cakes. Maybe with homemade vanilla ice cream since that’s a thing I do now, apparently.
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Valentine’s Day is kind of a big deal for Sunshine. I don’t mind.
The menu is rare steak, baked potato and peas. I found these nice steaks on clearance a few months ago and placed them in the bottom of the freezer, so I didn’t use them before Valentine’s Day.
I’ll bake a heart shaped cake (vanilla with red food coloring to make it pink) then pink icing. I also picked up a pink opal necklace and some red (rose) earrings. I try to find gifts that are pink or red for Valentines Day and opal is her birthstone.
I picked up 2 Heart Shaped boxes of Chocolates, yesterday. I don’t know why but this one grocery store runs a “2 for” special every year. So, she gets one box early and the other one on Valentine’s day. For the record, 75% of that first box is already gone, my girl likes her chocolate!!
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Opals are my favorite gem.
Sounds like you’re going all out for Sunshine. Lucky gal 
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Your thoughtfulness sprinkled with the food narratives makes your posts great reads!
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Opals are my birthstone as well! I love my black opal (deep blues and greens) ring, and black opal antique earrings and necklaces. I’ve not seen pink opals, but in looking them up, they’re very pretty! I’m sure she’ll love it!
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I’m probably going to do a dinner for BF and I the day after Valentine’s Day, so I’m not rushing after a day at work.
Friday:
- probably sushi delivery
Saturday (or maybe Sunday, depending on how the weekend goes):
- Ora King salmon crudo with ponzu and crispy onions
- Mushroom crusted seared tuna with red wine mustard sauce (the crust is dried mushrooms and Wondra blitzed together in the FP)
- Saute of broccoli slaw (tuna recipe uses savoy cabbage, which BF is not a fan of)
- Some kind of carb
- Adult beverages
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OMG, you have black opals? I’m always on the lookout for them at the opal stand in the Philly xmas village (I’m not kidding, it’s a xmas/anniversary tradition for us), but so far no dice. I have a bunch of white/pink/blue/green opals — all earrings.
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Thank you!!
I think I found the pink opal necklace on ebay – can’t remember where it was from, though.
I try to do all of my holiday shopping over the summer, as October is Sunshine’s birthday, then Christmas, then our “dating” anniversary in January, then Valentine’s day. By the end of summer, I have purchased all of her gifts and hidden them away for each occasion. All I have to do is wrap them a few days before.
I guess it’s something my mother taught me growing up. She told me no matter how small the gift, a woman likes to unwrap something - anything on those certain “special” days.
Mom also told me when in doubt – you can’t go wrong with a woman’s birthstone. Maybe not 100% of the time does this hold true, but the effort was made.
Not that great of a picture, but…
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Not that this is all that close… but years ago (when I lived in Maryland), I used to go to this “Gem and Jewelry Show” in Washington, DC. I remember parking outside of DC and taking the train/subway in. Every year (I think in Oct.?), there was a HUGE gem and jewelry show. Whoever I was dating, I’d go down there and pickup something as a Christmas gift.
I do remember this one woman I dated, as she wanted to pick out her own sapphire Christmas gift. So… she went with me. Not much of a surprise for Christmas, but she got what she wanted.
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Well, they CALL them black opals, but they’re deep blues and greens. When I get home, I’ll try to remember to take pictures. The ring was my grandma’s. The earrings and necklace I purchased.
When I was in Las Vegas the first time (1999?) I went in to an opal jewelry store in Caesar’s, IIRC. OMG…everything I liked was $4,000 to $25,000. The clerk said I had EXCELLENT taste!
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