More than Valentine's Day, it was Valentine's Season!

Another perfect cure for the Winter doldrums.

Our Chapel hosted a wonderful, romantic Valentine's dinner. I was asked to be the Chef for this affair. It was held in a beautiful, elegant social hall in Baxter.

After a couple meetings with the "crew" to decide on menu, grocery getting and plans, we were set to dazzle our guests.

With thick ice on the roads here, temperatures below freezing, and just basic Winter boredom setting in, this was a really fun activity.

After my epidural injection, I've been going to physical therapy a couple times a week to loosen up some muscle groups affected by the pain, stuck in a kind of defensive reflex. This Valentine's dinner activity made moving around more fun... oh yeah! Gettin' loose!



Here I am putting the finishing touches on the Cornish Game Hens... one of the 2 main choices.




The other menu choice, shown here is a Beef Wellington in puff pastry.

Served with garnishes and a creamy cheesy vegetable medley, this looked good enough to eat!









We served my now famous Waldorf Salad with toasted walnuts, and I made some heart shaped croutons for the top... very romantic (for a salad).












The Seafood Bisque was divine! Rich, creamy, velvety and topped with a grilled shrimp and garlic bread stick, this was a soup for the books!

It was truly a "roll your eyes back and Mmmm" flavor...
I had many requests for the recipe.






Peggy came to visit in the kitchen as we were serving the meal... She can stand the heat in the kitchen just fine!









Our Valentine's Day was the best one ever!

Fun and romantic gifts, lots of time together and relaxation made it all extra special.

I grilled us big rib-eyes for our romantic dinner, and it was a perfect couple day affair.

Cute and wonderful gifts, I got a "triffle bowl" to make and serve wonderful desserts, Peggy got some creamy chocolates from our hometown candy shop, and lots of other fun dittys were exchanged.


My big surprise was this beautiful frame job on an old print I was keeping. I love the whimsical picture of bears raiding some fisherman's picnic basket, but it was pretty rickity. Peggy had it backed and framed.. now it is my masterpiece.. perfect for our northern Minnesota home.






We are excited to be soon leaving for Florida, full of ideas for hikes and exploring in the Sun. We'll be visiting my sister, Paula and "just hanging out" for a few days.... oh yeah!

Life and Love continue to be Blessed as we get through the rest of the Winter here, the melting snow this week making us feel ready for riding the Kingpin too!

Peace!