After the Valentine, Eat the Strawberries!

Valentine's Day Happy Hour

It was another year with a different twist for Valentine's Day. I had a racquetball match after work and didn't get home until later, but Chris took care of the preparations and we had a marvelous Happy Hour followed by a great surf (salmon) and turf (steak) dinner at home.

Chris and I have become fans of Valentine's Dinner at home. 

The Happy Hour was especially nice because of the fresh chocolate covered strawberries that I had delivered for Chris along with some roses. The strawberries were, and still are, fantastic.

The Happy Hour wine was an Americana Vineyards Riesling and the dinner wine was a 2006 Lindaflor Malbec from Argentina. While the wine notes indicate that the wine can be cellared for 20+ years, I think 11 was enough. It was the kind of wine that would make a dinner out in a restaurant cost as much as a car payment. 

It is fun to cook a special diner and then to enjoy it at home without the crush of trying to eat out with all of the other revelers. 

Truth-be-told, we actually enjoyed our Valentine's dinner out on Monday night in a nearly empty restaurant with friends. Call it the Valentine's Eve celebration!

I hope you enjoyed your own special Valentine's celebration wherever or whatever it was.

And we still have strawberries!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD