Pictures of a Fabulous Valentine’s Dinner

I previously mentioned how the two of us were putting together the dinner. It was fun and not one cross word in the kitchen. True!

We started out with two (2) appetizers. Don made garlic and butter fried shrimp with hot sauce and crackers. Let me tell you, NO ONE can cook shrimp as good as that was; only Don.

I made a shrimp and avocado creme brulee. I’ll bet no one has had this before. It is so darn yummy I will definitely be making that one again. The Havarti cheese sauce really makes it and the sugar topping pulls it all together.

We took a small break and then had a New York Sirloin Steak with a Lobster Mornay sauce. Along side that was rainbow carrots with a mushroom stuffed baked potato.

It is a good thing we took our time over this meal. So far it is two hours and counting. A glass or two of Sangiovese red wine went perfectly.

That done and the dishwasher working, we decided to have a slice of my blood orange pound cake with a blood orange sauce. You will see by the two pictures just how that went.

Now, that was fabulous, made with love and a lot of care but…..it is back to the diet today.

Saturday Lunch

Today we are having my cousin and her husband for lunch. It is a simple lunch consisting of silky squash soup (recipe on site), Mediteranean sandwich made with focaccia bread from our favourite local bakery (Osoyoos) and homemade strawberry angel food cake.

The table is set (royalty, you know). It is nothing to put on some flowers, cloth napkins and, simple charger plates. See what happens? You are showing you care and that they are important (they are).

 

The soup is fantastic and we wanted to show them what wonders their homegrown squash can do.

The sandwich is one of the signature sandwiches that Don makes. They are fabulous and served with a little coleslaw. Yummy!

 

Dessert is a homemade angel food cake with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. Uh….sorry, the dessert was eaten before we remembered to take the picture. It was sooooooo yummy!

 

What more can you possibly ask for? A glass of wine perhaps and finish with a perfect cup of tea/coffee. Great way to spend a Saturday, catching up with life, telling misshaps from growing up (always) and just enjoying the company.

Impromptu Dinner With Our Neighbour

Yesterday morning my husband brought up a bag of frozen  Heritage tomatoes we put away last summer and asked me what I thought he should make. I immediately said “Bolognese sauce” and we went from there.

I looked across the street at my neighbour’s house and said we should invite her tonight. Now, this is on-the-spot- dinner planning (at it’s best, I may add).

Menu should be simple but tasty, right?
Okay, here we go….cheese and crackers with a glass of wine and conversation. Now we leave the comfy and warm livingroom and enter the breakfast room.

Then a terrific crisp salad with Don’s special dressing to start the dinner off. On the table we have a small plate with oil and  fig/balsamic vinegar. In this you dip fresh baguette slices….yummmmmm. Now it begins…

  

 

 

 

 

 

Once the salad is finished, the pasta and sauce is next. Now let me tell you….you can’t get enough of that sauce. Good grief, it is sooooo good.

More wine, conversation and now dessert. Don told me I had to make something that would go wtih the pumpkin ice cream we had in the freezer. Okay, thinker on….skimming through all the desserts I have on my site  I found one. Sticky Toffee Pudding with caramel sauce. Add a scoop of the pumpkin ice cream and it was fabulous! Watch the presentation, of course.

Table was set…take a peek. This was done with our “kitchen” dishes. As I have always said….treat any and all who enter your home like royalty and you will always do your best, make your best, and feel your best.

It was a fun night. We looked through my cook book “The B & B Cookbook” and chatted even more. A couple  cups of coffee later, the evening came to a close. No fuss really, just simple but welcoming and friendly.

Love nights like this!

New Year’s Eve For Two

New Year’s Eve is celebrated (or not) by one and all…sometimes it carries bitterswet memories and at other times it bring immense hope for the new year ahead.

We don’t go out on New Year’s Eve. We always found that a roomful of strangers is far more intimidating than a well planned, fun-for-two dinner at home.

Don’t get me wrong, we go to extremes here too. Table set, food planned and clothes changed for a festive dining experience.

As you can see, the table is laid for a celebration.


We began our dinner with shrimp, sauteed in butter and herb de provence. Don had two sauces: a seafood sauce that he made and one made that was so delicious you could have used it instead of even a Hollandaise on eggs in the morning. I suggested to Don that it was so good, one should actually bathe in it. I will post the recipe tomorrow. Watch for it.

Our dinner consisted of a Filet Mignon Steak, perfectly BBQ’d, roasted butternut squash, garlic mashed potatoes and in the individual gravy boats, a perfect bernaise sauce to pour as needed (uh….wanted). Paired with this was a glass – or two – of Sangiovese red wine.

Dessert was a little homemade and store bought. It doesn’t matter, it was presented in a pleasing way and tasted even better. PC’s cheesecake lollipops are simply devine and should and could be used anytime.

Coffee and a small glass of ice wine perfected the evening for us. See? Anyone can make an evening at home just a little more special. It just “takes 5” and you can see the results.

Did we make it to midnight? Just barely…Happy New Year.

Almond Cream Bombs

This is a true story and a very funny one. Our friends were holding a theme dinner, Chinese, and Don and I were to bring dessert. We tried..the internet, books, and this is what transpired.

When you can’t find the impossible, you:

1.  Look in every cookbook you own, ask friends, phone the Library and then, when all else fails, go to step 2.

2.  Drive around until you locate a Chinese grocery store.

3. Speak to the saleslady there and ask about what desserts are served with gourmet Chinese fare.

4.  The lady now tells you they are not big on desserts and usually settle for jello, cake or orange slices. Now as panic sets in, we look at their Bakery counter for some inspiration.

5.  Look at your watch and see that you have enough time now to get home, shower and get to the dinner  you must do the following:

6.  Buy 3 each of Pineapple-Coconut Cream Bombs and Almond Cream Bombs.

7.  Ask the lady how they are served and buy the Almond Custard she recommends.

8.  Put it together and as the guilt sets in (you know everyone else made from scratch) you tell a little white lie and hope you are forgiven and vow that the next time Chinese is on the menu, opt for some soup.

This is true and now, of course, as any cook/hostess fears, someone asked for the recipe.  At our next dinner, we handed out the above and we all had a great laugh. Sense of humor to the rescue.

Remembering this calls for a martini of some kind…..later.