Valentine's Day 2010

Beautiful Roses from my honey.... I love a mixed color bouquet.

Fantastic Dinner... We took J, L & baby C with us to The Wild Grape Bistro. It was plate licking good....always my mark of a great restaurant.
We sat at the Chef's Counter and watched them cook. It was so much fun. We asked questions and saw them making not only our dinners but all of the wonderful food they create. It all looked so delicious! I would definitely go back, recommend it and ask to be seated at the Chef's Counter. ...so here is what we all ate... Crab cakes to start. They were meaty and served with two sweet tasting sauces/purees topped with radish and fennel. We all commented on how fresh it tasted. For our main courses Gary had the Grilled Pork Chop and loved it... It was moist and perfectly cooked. It was served on mashed potatoes, with a brussel sprout and pancettea veg, along with apple sauce and a grilled apple. J had the buffalo burger and fries. It was huge! He said it was fantastic. L and I had the Scottish Salmon. The portion was huge and delish...we ate the whole thing despite it being a huge portion. The salmon is pan seared with the skin still on...When the chefs saw that we weren't eating the skin they told us to try it...glad that we did, it was so full of flavor and so very crispy. After searing the salmon they put it into the oven to cook then after it is cooked the drench it in an amazing sauce, probably butter.... they serve it on a puree of spinach with mushrooms and gonoci. the Spinach puree was buttery and a surprise.
We followed it up with each of us getting a different dessert... S'mores torte with homemade marshmallows that are toasted, Pear Crisp and vanilla ice cream, Banana Bread Pudding with cream and ice cream and Blue Cheesecake with apple fennel slaw and pomegranate seeds and sauce. the most unique was the Blue Cheesecake. the desserts were good, but our main courses were better.
We finished the night playing with Baby C...he is so much fun. At a month old he is smiling, and cooing, and trying to sit up and showing his personality.....

Dippy Cookie Day

I was going to write about making Valentine Dippy Cookies, but saw that I did so last year....
Let's just say that the production is worth it and if you want to read about them(again) check out last years post under Valentines....however last year I didn't send them to Nelson, but this year I thought I would try sealing a few cookies in a food saver bag and send them to him....they may arrive in crumbs and stale, but I thought about him.
Here is a bit in conjunction with the cookies.....one of my dreams is to open a bakery type establishment that would make not only the dippy cookies through out the year for the different seasons....harts, shamrocks,eggs, flags, pumpkins,etc...... but we would make and dip other yummy things in a coating of chocolate....regular and white or colored as well, like ice cream, fruit, pretzels, potato chips, marshmallows, rice krispie treats, other kinds of cookies, bugs, etc........ maybe we could make all kinds of good chocolaty sweets at my place...I would call it Dippsy Doodles....what a fitting name......
A dream is a wish your heart makes.
XOXOXOXO
MCC

COOKIES!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I just finished with my one of my few tradition......For Valentine's Day I make hand dipped cookies, and then I lick my self sick doing the clean up.....(I always tell myself that I will not lick the spoons and bowls while I am cleaning up, but....the chocolate is so good, and I have no will power...I am on a sugar high....I feel sick!).

I have been making chocolate dipped cookies as a Valentine treat for years...yes, years, at least 15 years...probably more, I can't remember....brain is getting feeble. I make around 100 cookies each year to share with family and friends. They are the Call family Valentine....food vs. cards, you tell me what is most appreciated.....

Valentine's season is usually the only time I make them, however, there are two exceptions I can think of.....both are what was I thinking experiences?

In November I made the cookies as a special request for Jordan. We used them as a favor at Jordan and Laurie's pre-wedding dinner....good idea, but to much work for the mother of the groom before a wedding. When I was Relief Society President I had this crazy idea to go with our theme for the year.....cut out a cookie in a leaf shape and dip it. We used it as a birthday treat for every sister in the ward...too much work to make a few (less than 20) at a time....they are best fresh.

I am often told that the dip cookies are a big fav of the nieces and nephews....if I am late with my delivery on Valentine's Day, as in the cookies are not there for their pre-dinner snack it is not good. At J&L's wedding dinner, the nieces and nephews picked up and took home the extra cookies that were left on the tables, telling me that they couldn't believe that some people left them...

Nelson is sad this year that he won't get in on the cookie action...I told him he was too far away and that by the time he got them (10 days minimum, even by express mail) they would be crumbles....He will just have to dream about them....besides he had them in November. He cried "Not fair!".....I sent them to Jordan and the other family missionaries in the USA....all I can say to that is, there are benefits for staying close to home.

Love to all, XOXOXO!!!

MCC

A New Month

February and Monday---A new month and a new week begin. (I love new beginnings...even if it is the new minute, I will use it as an excuse to start over).
Today is Ground Hogs Day...please spare me from the Bill Murray movie...there will be 6 more weeks of winter or 6 weeks 'till spring, it's all the same, don't kid yourself.
Our day dawned sunny and cold....and smoggy. Inversion has begun again. February is usually a good month, with Valentines Day and Presidents Day. Parties, and a weekday off! The weather is still winter like and the snow is usually white, not ugly and dirty like March.
I like Valentines Day... It is a day I can redeem myself to the loved ones for the Christmas giving mistakes I made. I make chocolate dipped cookies and give them along with cards...it usually does the trick. FOOD IS THE BEST... ESPECIALLY CHOCOLATE!
For FHE tonight I am going to have every come up with a list of "LOVES" what do you love? The list can be as long or short as you want it to be, but you need to love something or one.
It should be interesting to discover what Hayden loves...he still baffles me.

Nelson Report:
He is doing well, but wants a cookbook. He is sick of Pasta everyday. He also wants me to send him some Wingers Sauce...I hope that it will go through customs.

MCC