Cheri wrote:

>>> I was going to have lobster, but DH is sick, so fixing chicken soup for
>>> him, and I will have something ordinary which is going to be a taco
>>> salad. I'm also going to make the chocolate idiot cake that Susan posted
>>> because it's easy and really good, and I rented a couple of movies from
>>> Redbox. I can hardly stand the excitement. ;-) You?
>>
>> Best wishes to your husband; I'm sure he's not crazy about being sick on
>> Valentine's Day either. Dinner here will be
>>
>> Oysters with kimchi relish
>> (kimchi, rice vinegar & molasses)
>>
>> Crab cocktail with beets, celery, and orange
>> (dressing is onion, red bell pepper, mayo, sour cream, chili sauce,
>> tarragon, lemon, orange/lemon zests, sugar)
>>
>> Seared-and-sous-vide ribeye with Mushrooms Berkeley
>> Baked potato with sour cream, chives, and smoked Cheddar
>> Creamed spinach
>>
>> Meyer lemon posset with strawberries
>>
>> Flourless chocolate cake with Pop Rock sprinkles
>> Pistachio gelato
>> Whipped cream
>>
> No, he doesn't like being sick and to hear him tell it, nobody gets as
> sick as him, but he does like the extra attention and it doesn't happen
> often, so I do baby him through it.

That can be romantic in itself, though a tender-loving type of romantic
rather than a crazed-weasel-passionate type. One of the best things for
bringing couples closer together is coping with some kind of adversity (as
long as it's not brought on by actions taken against the advice of one or
the other partners).


> Your dinner sounds excellent!

We still haven't gotten around to eating dessert; we're taking a break. The
posset was a kind of palate cleanser. I used local limes rather than Meyer
lemons because the limes were more fragrant.

The dinner was a mixture of improvised dishes and dishes made using a
recipe. The following dishes used recipes:

Mushrooms Berkeley comes from _The Vegetarian Epicure_
http://www.amazon.com/Vegetarian-Epi.../dp/B002NX41VQ. It
consists of chunky mushrooms and green bell peppers in a sweet-sour sauce of
mustard, brown sugar, and red wine.

_Modernist Cuisine At Home_
http://www.amazon.com/Modernist-Cuis.../dp/0982761015
was the recipe source for the creamed spinach, the posset (which I'd never
even heard of before reading that book), and the gelato. All were great
hits, but the gelato in particular was FREAKIN' AMAZING.

The recipe for the cake came from _Room For Dessert_
http://www.amazon.com/Room-Dessert-C.../dp/0060191856,
where it's called Chocolate Orbit Cake. The cake's name came from its
resemblance to a lunar surface; it's pretty pockmarked. That's what gave me
the idea of sprinkling it with Pop Rocks. I'll be tasting it in another hour
or so, when Lin is ready for dessert.

Bob