image courtesy of Vintage Moth - thevintagemoth.blogspot.com/

Valentine's Day is a day when we scrupulously avoid restaurants.  Mother's Day  is another such occasion.  Few restaurants in our area accept reservations so we have a leisurely meal at home.  Besides, an hour long wait for substandard food leaves me peckish.  Peckish is a nice word instead of the "B" word that rhymes with witch.  As a result, I cook for Valentine's day.  It's my gift to my husband and family.  So after a whirlwind day of flea marketing, plus a movie, I rushed home to begin cooking.  Here's the menu, drum roll please.............

-Artichoke pesto crostini
-Marinated and grilled steaks
-Garlic mashed yukon gold potatoes
-Fresh sauteed spinach and garlic...yes, we love garlic!
-Sauteed mushroom medley
-Cucumber, tomato, feta cheese salad with vinaigrette
-Fresh baked chocolate chip cookies for Hubby
-Chocolate dipped strawberries.

The meal was prepared and served in one hour.  Insane, yes, but note my definition of peckish in the last paragraph.  The only pre-prepared items were the cookies, artichoke pesto and ciabatta.   Yes, there were dishes and rushing about.  I also questioned and grumbled a bit about the wisdom, necessity and origin of  this "tradition".  In the end, however,  the dinner came together smashingly and was consumed with gusto and appreciation.  I was pleased to hear Hubby say that we were all spoiled by such a meal.  All I can say is Thank Heavens for dishwashers and pressure cookers.  I have fallen in love with my pressure cooker and use it frequently.  I'll reserve that topic for another day.