Valentine's Day

Hal and I celebrated our 10th V-Day this year. I can't believe it's been 10 years since we celebrated by meeting at a Macaroni Grill restaurant halfway between Athens and Hiram, where the two of us were living. Boy, I don't miss the long-distance relationship. Instead, I still love every minute of being married and sharing my life and home with Hal. I like to think of Valentine's Day as a good excuse to make sure to slow down and spend time together, even on a weeknight. I like to make a nice dinner, and just hang out with my husby - my awesome Valentine.

This year, I made sea scallops, dusted with flour and seared in a garlic-infused olive oil that my mom gave me (Sweetwater Growers in Canton, GA is also a good source...and they ship easily). For sides, I made individual potato gratins from a Melissa d'Arabian recipe, and prosciutto-wrapped plums stuffed with Gorgonzola. I intended to use figs or baby pears, neither of which I could find, so I thought I'd try plums since they are a good size too. I put them in the oven for about 5 minutes to crisp up the prosciutto and melt the cheese - yum! I think the key is not to use TOO much Gorgonzola, and maybe next time I'll add a drizzle of honey. The potato gratins, which involve layering potato slices, scallions and shredded swiss in the cups of a muffin tin, then drizzling with lite cream and baking, I must say were a bit of a disappointment. The cream sort of congealed a bit, and the flavor was just a little bland.

To make up for that, I made Molten Spiced Chocolate Cabernet Cakes that I found in a McCormick ad a while back. These were terribly easy, and very delicious. We each finished about half of one, since they were so dense, but they were really lovely! I was glad the liquid center and cakey outside worked so well. Give these a shot - it only takes a few minutes to make up the batter, which can be done ahead, and about 15 minutes to bake. I cut out a paper heart, put it on top, and dusted powdered sugar all over before removing the heart. They were as cute as they were yummy.

I hope you too had a Valentine's Day filled with love and good food, whether with family, friends, or the man you've loved dearly for the last 10 years.