Charlie & my Valentine's plans had to be changed last minute yesterday! His dad, Chuck, and his step-mom , Giann, were supposed to be in town, and the four of us had reservations at Musso and Frank's in Hollywood. Around 8am, I got a call from Charlie saying that Chuck and Giann's flight out of Peoria was cancelled. We immediately had to think of a Plan B. All of the restaurants in the area have been booked for quite a few weeks now, and most places have prix-fixe menus ranging between $65-$145. We knew if the two of us went out, it'd cost us around $150-$200. We usually spend that much on LA Restaurant Week or for our anniversary, but neither of us was in a position yesterday to be spending that much on a meal out. So we opted for dining in!
Before dinner, we headed up to our favorite place in Palos Verdes, Malaga Cove, to watch the sunset. It's become one of our favorite things to do (we spent Christmas evening up there as well!). Charlie and I were both running a little behind after getting off work, so we hustled up there, and made it in perfect timing. We put down a blanket, opened a bottle of Malbec, and got our cheese and crackers set up. We spent the next hour munching, drinking, relaxing, laughing, taking pictures, and enjoying each others company.
After the sun had gone down, we had to stop by Trader Joe's to pick up our ingredients. After that, we were ready to come home and cook! Charlie grilled our New York steaks while I went to work in the kitchen. I sautéed crimini mushrooms and onions in red wine to top our steaks, whipped up some twice baked potatoes, wrapped asparagus in proscuitto & topped it with truffle oil and shaved parmesan, and put together a heart-shaped caprese salad drizzled with balsamic. It was, in my opinion, the best meal we have ever made together. For being thrown together last minute, it couldn't have turned out more perfect. Topped off with a bottle of cabernet sauvignon and lit candles.
Dessert isn't something I usually care for. However, what's a Valentine's Day without chocolate? Last year we had the most delectable chocolate truffles, so I figured we'd pick up another box while we were at Trader's last night. That was until I saw long-stemmed strawberries in the produce section. My mind immediately went to chocolate covered strawberries. I have a fondue pot that rarely gets used, so I was excited to have an excuse to bust it out. It was such a simple recipe that we used, but the chocolate was so creamy and delicious. There were a few graham crackers in our cabinet that we dipped in it as well. Dessert was paired with a bottle of almond champagne from Wilson Creek Winery in Temecula. We bought the bottle when we were there in May last year and have been saving it for a special occasion.
We made the best out of our last minute change of plans, but it turned out to be quite an incredible evening! Charlie also got me a really sweet card that made me cry, a beautiful bouquet of pink daisies (my favorite), and tickets to see O.A.R. at the Troubador in May. I got him coffee mugs filled with chocolates, a little monkey balloon holding a hear that says "I Love You", a fresh pair of Nikes, and a nice dress watch. I also made him heart-shaped french toast for breakfast!
♥I hope you all had a Valentine's Day just as great as ours. Much love to all of our family and friends♥
