Not just with Valentine’s Day this week, but we are busy planning our youngest daughter Emma’s wedding to her fiancee Guillermo. It is happening next month in Costa Rica, a very small wedding with just family, which is what Emma wanted.

Although we got an event planner, I’ve been helping Emma with the wedding. The dress, invites, welcome boxes, decor, flowers, food. Who knew there were so many choices when planning a wedding? Just the amount of chairs to choose from for the ceremony/cocktail/reception is overwhelming.

Emma was so overwhelmed by the choices to be made for the ceremony, that she came over on Valentine’s Day, so we could go over the 96 pages of options. Where she is getting married in Costa Rica is a very small town, so there was basically one officiant performing ceremonies and she had every collection of prayers known to man to choose from. Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Christian, Catholic, Apache, Cherokee, African, Celtic, New Age and more were available.

I started reading them out loud so Emma could choose. Which is how I found myself reading “Love is patient, love is kind,” on Valentine’s Day, which I found quite poetic. After a while, all the readings kind of ran together, so by the end we were both tired and my vocal chords strained, but we got it done and sent it to the officiant. It was due the next day!

Zeke and I decided to cook for each other on Valentines Day, since it’s so expensive to go out. He picked up a New York Strip steak from Josh’s Meats and I went to Trader Joe’s to get Lobster Ravioli. Warning: NEVER go to Trader Joe’s on Valentines Day! The flower section, in particular, was nuts and they didn’t even have the lobster ravioli I made a special trip for, so I got Truffle Mushroom Ravioli instead.

I sauteed mushrooms to give the Mushroom Ravioli a little pizazz and tossed it in truffle oil and butter, with chopped parsley and grated Parmesan on top. I chopped the romaine; Zeke made Caesar dressing and grated the Parmesan cheese. He also made a quick steak sauce with butter, garlic, worcestershire sauce and sherry and I made a little garlic bread toast, from a thin slice of leftover bread.

Everything turned out delicious and we read our Valentines cards from each other. Zeke’s to me was about thanks and appreciation for all I have done. He’d actually given me a beautiful pair of earrings for the wedding the day before. I was happy to see no funny cats or dogs on this card, because if you get those cards, romance has left the building, in my opinion. My card was equally mushy- “The man I fell in love with won my trust, my respect, and every bit of my heart”- so we were on the same page this year.

The New York Times had a cute section on Valentine’s Day where readers sent in what their partners do for them that made them feel loved. They were mostly little things like putting toothpaste on each other’s toothbrushes, turning on seat warmers in the car when it was cold, or holding hands when they went to sleep. I know a couple where the husband always brings the wife tea and breakfast to her in bed. Very romantic!

I was driving to class and trying to think what we do for each other, when Zeke called and told me he picked up the New York Times for me. He usually picks up the Food Section on Wednesdays because I get the NYT on my phone, but not the Food Section (that’s extra $). He knows I love to read this section for the recipes, food news and restaurant reviews, so he makes a special point to get it for me. “That’s what you do for me that’s sweet!” I said. “What?” he asked. “Get me the Food Section from the New York Times.”

As for me? I used to cut a lemon into wedges for him for his Ice Tea. He told me that’s how he knew I cared and that he appreciated this chore I do. When I looked into the fridge this Valentines Day there was one half of a lemon, half squeezed out, as this is what my husband has resorted to without lemon wedges at the ready. So, I sliced up a lemon and put the wedges in a little bowl in the fridge. I also made him Iced Tea, which I do a lot because he drinks a lot of Iced Tea.

As we get older, we realize that Valentine’s Day is just a day. Some cynics even say it was a day invented by the card companies and florists to make money. But, the point is, when you love somebody, it’s the little things you do for each other every day that are important, even more than the grand gestures. Roses, chocolates and jewelry are nice of course, but for me, the Food Section of the New York Times every Wednesday is even nicer.

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At any rate, I eventually dumped the other guy and for our three-month anniversary, I did indeed make him a heart-shaped Creme Brulee. I remember I had a hard time finding the heart-shaped ramekins, since I’d just moved into my grandmother’s house and they were stashed away somewhere. I’m sure some people thought it was silly celebrating a three-month anniversary, but after having survived a bitter divorce (me) and the loss of a spouse (he), we decided to take every opportunity to celebrate any happy occasions life offered up.

Thus, Creme Brulee became “our dessert”, just like “Can’t Help Falling In Love” became “our song”. We ordered it out on dinner dates and tried many different versions. The recipe I made was from Joy of Cooking and I liked it because the crunchy candy topping could be made ahead and it would stay hard for up to 12 hours. It’s kind of the Viagra of Creme Brulees!

But Zeke got me a propane torch for Christmas, so this year I made the topping with sprinkled granulated sugar, which I caramelized with the blow torch. Much easier than the original, but it has to be done at the last minute, as it doesn’t stay crunchy for long.

I made these Creme Brulees for Valentine’s Day this year, but you don’t need to wait for a special occasion to make them. Celebrate every day! Here’s the original recipe I used, without the Caramel Glaze I. Please note you need some time to make these, as they have to sit in the fridge for at least 8 hours.

Celebration Creme Brulee

Recipe by Joy of CookingCourse: DessertCuisine: FrenchDifficulty: Medium

Servings

5

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

Ingredients

• 2 cups heavy cream

• 3 large eggs

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

• Heat heavy cream until almost simmering.
• In a medium bowl, stir eggs and sugar with a wooden spoon, just until blended.
• Gradually stir in the hot cream.
• Strain this mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring cup with a lid or a bowl.
• Pour into six to eight 4 to 6 ounce custard cups or ramekins and place in a water bath.
• Turn oven on to 250 degrees and bake until the custards are set but still slightly quivery in the center, about 1 hour.
• Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature.
• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or up to 2 days.
• Shortly before serving, blot any liquid that has formed on the surface with paper towel, then caramelize the surface.
• Sprinkle a fine layer of sugar over the surface and caramelize with a propane torch until the sugar melts and darkens.

Recipe Video

Notes

• To make a water bath, put a rack or dishtowel on a rimmed cookie sheet. Place ramekins on a rack or dishtowel, without touching each other or the sides. Pour custard mixture into ramekins, place in oven and pour scalding-hot water onto the surface of the cookie sheet. See video above.

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I think careful cooking is love, don’t you? The loveliest thing you can cook for someone who is close to you is about as nice a Valentine as you can give.

I was at Publix to do some shopping on a hectic day and grabbed some goat cheese for a recipe I was making. Although I prefer Trader Joe’s for cheese shopping, I figured this was easier and didn’t have time that day. When the cashier rang up the groceries, my Chevre Goat Cheese was $16! It was from France, granted, but sixteen bucks?

I just can’t pay sixteen dollars for cheese.

I told the nice Publix cashier.

Who then had to get the nice Publix manager to do a nice void. Shopping is a pleasure at Publix, but 16 dollar cheese? Not so much.

When I went to Trader Joe’s, I was very anxious to see how much their same size log of goat cheese (also from France) cost. $4.99! Which is why it pains me so much to EVER buy cheese at Publix, where it costs three times as much, usually at a lesser quality.

Another great find I made at Trader Joe’s is the Crispy Jalapeno Pieces. I’d just been thinking after Thanksgiving how much I enjoyed those French’s Fried Onion things that go on top of the Green Bean Casserole and was thinking of other ways to use them, when I discovered these Crispy Jalapeno Pieces. OMG! Very similar to the Crispy Fried Onion, but super spicy!

The container recommend using them on mashed potatoes, mac & cheese, sushi, tacos, nachos or vegetable dishes, but they are also delicious on top of soup, in sandwiches and on scrambled eggs. Basically anywhere a bit of crunch and heat is needed. I even mixed them in with my popcorn the other night and also think they would be great crushed and mixed in with panko to coat fish or chicken filets and baked. The “serving suggestion” on the label shows them served straight up, in a bowl, which is how I’ve been eating them, so I need to stop! They are 40 calories per tablespoon, but there are 22 servings per container-so good as a garnish, not so good as a snack mainstay!

Superbowl 26 (they always test my Roman Numeral knowledge!) happened Sunday. We had Emma, Guillermo and Lucy over for the big game, between the Cincinnati Bengals and the L.A. Rams. None of us cared much who won, but were kind of rooting for the Bengals, as the underdogs. I served my Buffalo Chicken Dip with Tostitos and celery sticks and Ceviche for appetizers. At halftime, we had Grilled Wings and Grilled Cajun Sausage. Zeke made the wings three ways- Lemon Pepper, Buffalo and Asian. The winner of the Superbowl Wing competition was Asian. He tossed the wings in a Buffalo Wild Wing Sauce he picked up at Publix. I served hot baguette slices on the side.

The commercials were- underwhelming- although when I went online to watch the best ones, apparently I missed some. The one with Larry David (for FTX crypto) was my favorite! It seemed mostly like a lot of crypto currency and electric car ads. When the floating QR code bounced across the screen, Guillermo took his phone and scanned it, to find- guess what? another crypto currency company- Coinbar. I told them the commercial looked like Pong; they looked back at me blankly.

I enjoyed the half-time show- Dr. Dre, 50 Cent and Eminem were the music my kids listened to growing up, so I could relate and the game was an exciting one, although I went to bed before it ended.

everybody born between 1985 and 1995 saw the Super Bowl halftime show line up and was like “sweet, instead of doing a show for old people like the Rolling Stones or Paul McCartney or The Who, they did one for us young people.”

and then 10 seconds later it hit us.

Roger Sherman on Twitter

I made Linzer Heart Cookies, an old Silver Palate recipe, to give out to family and friends. They’re filled with raspberry jam, which I’d picked up at Cecile Bakery.

Our Valentine’s Day itself was quiet. Zeke and I went for a walk around the neighborhood, came home and had a drink outside, with some pate Zeke had picked up at Crown Liquor. We then grilled some Wagyu Skirt Steak, that had been frozen and leftover from another dinner. I served it with leftover Mashed Potatoes, and leftover Asparagus Bundles (Ina recipe). Dessert was Meringue with Lemon Mousse and Strawberries– also leftover from dinner Saturday night. So, Valentine’s Dinner was basically a conglomeration of leftovers.

We exchanged cards- Zeke’s had two dogs on the cover, mine a stack of books, saying “Here’s to Our Story.” There was kind of a cool aspect to the Hallmark card I got, where you could add photos and videos to the card, so I went through my camera roll and picked out selfies of us and places we’d gone in the last year. They say people are celebrating Valentine’s Day less now, as they see it as a big racket and a way to get people to spend money. I have to say when I went to CVS Saturday to pick up something, the Valentine’s Card section was wiped out! And other people were in line with flowers, chocolates and Mylar “I Love You” balloons, so apparently it’s the Holiday’s not entirely dead.

We all know that Christmas (sub Valentine’s Day) is a big commercial racket. It’s run by a big Eastern syndicate, you know.”

Lucy Van Pelt

And Emma and Guillermo didn’t get the memo that everything’s more expensive and crowded on Valentine’s Day, as they went to Ruth Chris for dinner on Monday. At 5:30 p.m., mind you, the only time Guillermo could get reservations, and that was a month ago! I told Emma, he gets points for pre-planning. They had a delicious dinner. I love Ruth Chris.

Liking lately: I missed my Book Club meeting because we had tickets to Ain’t Too Proud- the Story of the Temptations. It was great, although driving to Fort Lauderdale on a Tuesday night during rush hour, wasn’t. At any rate, I stopped reading The Lincoln Highway and am now reading The Boys, by Ron and Clint Howard. It’s the story of their lives, growing up in Hollywood and so far, I really like it. On Netflix, we watched (on Emma & Gui’s rec) The Twindler Swindler. It was fascinating, sad and a quick watch (1 hr 45 minutes).

I watched Wyatt the weekend before while A.J. visited Chris and Courtney in Colorado. We played games, went out on the boat, out to dinner etc.. but running out of things to do, and at his insistence, I got a subscription to Disney Plus, so I’ve go a Disney Plus Pusher on my hands. I called American Express this week to see if I could cancel the subscription through my card. The nice lady told me I couldn’t, but then told me exactly how to cancel my subscription through my Disney app. Apparently, she’d been through this routine before. I thanked her and added:

My grandson pressured me into getting it and I cracked!

me

She laughed and that was that. I have too many streaming services as it is.

Our friends Brooks and Sharon are settling into their new abode near Ocala. They are still waiting on a couch to be delivered, but after it comes, we are going to visit. I called Sharon as I was on my way to Trader Joe’s. She said she missed Trader Joe’s since there is none where she now lives. She had a request for when we visit and that was to bring her favorite Toscano Cheese Soaked in Syrah. She’s also a fan of crunchy and spicy, so I think I’ll also bring her some Crispy Jalapeno Pieces! Better her than me.

With freedom, books, flowers and the moon, who could not be happy?

Oscar Wilde

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