Sweetheart Dinner

I have been following the date ideas on Rebekah and Andi's dinner at eight project for a while now and finally decided to take the plunge this month and join in. I'll admit I was a bit intimidated by the idea as I am much less crafty than they but couldn't agree more with their premise to date our husbands so here goes!

I used to wonder how women could convert to sweat-pants-wearing, non-hair-doing individuals after they had kids. Now I know because I'm one of them. Graham is lucky if he gets home before I've changed into my pjs for the night. I've forgotten what perfume and jewelry are. And as for shaved legs--do people still do that?! Needless to say, a nice night filled with intentional romance was in order for my dear man. Neither of us wanted to bother with finding a babysitter so we option to follow tradition and celebrate at home.

As you can see, our dinner started a little late. :) Graham had to work and so didn't get home until after 8. He wanted to have a fire after dinner and insisted on picking up the firewood himself as I think he wanted it to be a treat for me. He said the line of frantic men trying to buy flowers for their ladies at Safeway at 8 PM was rather comical. :)

I think Graham nearly fell over when he came in saw that I'd actually cleaned up and put a dress, jewelry AND perfume on for our little "date." I think my attire must have inspired him to change out of his scrubs and get dressed up too. Both of us completed our outfits with slippers which unfortunately I neglected to document on film. 

I had a light appetizer ready for Graham when he came home. I used a cookie cutter and to keep the olive tapenade in the shape of a heart (almost!) on slices of baguette. And I splurged just a little on this Spanish tempranillo (a wine recommended by Bon Appetit Magazine to pair with our entree). 

Graham handed me these succulent plants when he walked in the door (he's been instructed over the years not to bring any "dead" flowers home, only live, potted ones) and a tear-jerking card. What a guy!

We've been on a duck kick lately and so a special request was made that duck be on our Valentine menu. Graham selected a phenomenal (and easy!!) recipe from Bon Appetit: Seared Duck Breast with Cherries and Port Sauce. Seriously amazing if you like duck! After enjoying a couple appetizers, we got to work searing our duck breasts and reducing our sauce.

I made a Potato and Celery Root Puree to accompany the duck and boy was it a great combo! I replaced the russet potatoes with yukons and used garlic salt instead of celery salt. It was a breeze to make and definitely came out restaurant-quality.

Graham voted for brussel sprouts to complete the meal (seriously who is this man that I married!?) so I found a recipe that included red pepper flakes for heat and a dash of nutmeg.

The plate came out near-perfection if I do say so myself! And I'm pretty sure the entire meal could come together in 30, maybe 40 minutes tops, depending on who's cooking.

We savored our meal over candlelight, exchanged cards and enjoyed in-depth conversation over wine. I think in the busyness of this season of young-child-rearing, it is so easy to forget to intentially compliment one another. We were able to spend some time doing that as we read each other's cards. I really, really love this man and he truly is God's perfect match for me.

I felt so blessed by our evening together. It took a little advance planning but the experience was so worth it!

Oh and lest we forget about dessert! We closed out the evening (nearing midnight!) with Graham's favorite: Rhubarb Custard Pie. A la mode of course.

Happy Valentine's Day Sweetie! Here's to many more!