Just Call Me Cupid

Attendees: Me, my mom (L.L.), my dad (Pit), and Peanut (who's taking the picture)
Remote attendees: My brother (Sheik), sister-in-law (Dolly), and niece (Bean)
Cocktail: Pomegranate cosmopolitans
Appetizer: An assortment from the Whole Foods Olive Bar, chosen by L.L. and Pit
Dinner: Coq au vin and red wine risotto
Dessert (in-house): Coeur a la creme
Dessert (remote): Strawberry tarts

This year was a very special Valentine's Day. On Tuesday, my little niece Bean had to go to the hospital to "get her heart fixed", which meant that my parents would come to DC and stay with Peanut and me. Bean's surgery was a success, and I knew that two days later, while she was still recovering, it would be up to me to make sure that my parents, my brother and his wife, and Peanut all had a very special Valentine's Day Dinner.

I wanted the entire meal to be red, so we started off with delicious pomegranate cosmopolitans!

My dad bought Peanut and me these flowers for Valentine's Day!


My brother Sheik's favorite dish in the world is Boeuf Bourguignon, even though he hates onions and mushrooms, the two staple ingredients of the dish. Coq au vin is, in my opinion, the chicken version of Boeuf Bourguignon. It's wonderfully flavorful, and I complimented it with Risotto cooked with red wine . While my parents and Peanut and I ate this at home, I made an extra batch for Sheik and Dolly- I hope they had a glass of wine and lit a candle while eating theirs, too!

Everyone knows that Valentine's Day is about dessert. I made coeur a la creme. Peanut enjoyed it, but I'm not sure he thinks it was worth purchasing the heart-shaped porcelain mold.

I knew that coeur a la creme wouldn't travel, and that Dolly loves her some strawberries, so I decided to make a separate dessert for her and Sheik. Since it was my first time making pie crust, I asked L.L. to help.

I was quite impressed with what we accomplished.

I have amazing friends - Mountie is in Brazil trying to develop a vaccine for hookworm, so he asked me if I would make a tart for Seamus on his behalf. I was more than happy to oblige- perhaps going a bit overboard with the presentation!

But it can't be a Valentine's Day post without a picture of Peanut! Here we are, with that little miracle Bean who's now got a fixed heart. What better Valentine's Day gift is there?