Valentines Day 2011

I almost missed it!  With all the snow and fluff outside, Valentine's Day came up fast upon me.  The family had talked about it last week when we had so much together time but I had simply forgotten that it was this week!  So today, I'm cooking for the big family valentine dinner....yup, it's almost the same as last year and the year before that and the year before that....

And that's ok, my kids chose the menu and they like it!  I was chuckling a couple of days ago to myself wondering when they are grown-ups will they have tomato-feta salad, grilled steaks and baked potato, bread and a chocolate dessert for their own kids....I hope they do!  I hope they feel that having fancy family dinners are important. 

It's fun planning and scheming and plotting and hiding those little gifts that we buy from one another.  It's fun setting the table with all the fancy linens and dishes.  It's fun watching my two kids grow-up and learn good manners that I hope (I hope, I hope, I hope) that they use those manners when they are out in the world without me.  I hope so, because my son does not always use them at home!

It's a way for me to show my love to my family, preparing a fancy meal.  It'd be much easier just to put something quick and easy on the table, like I do most nights!  But I want them to know that I value them and I enjoy doing things for them.  We don't have to have a fancy meal to sit and enjoy each other's company each night but it is fun to do it every now and then.  Every night would probably kill me!

We haven't always been able to have our dinner on Valentine's day, some years, one of their activities get in the way.  But, we always have our dinner!  I like it better when it's actually on Valentine's Day.  It makes it much more special to me....

My hubby and I went out over the weekend for a 'just the two of us' dinner.  It was nice to just be able to concentrate on speaking to each other, to get into 'in-depth' grown-up conversation.  And one day to soon probably, we will be having many more of those dinners.....Right now, every now and then is fun, I like that good old fancy family dinner!

We've made a pact not to buy anything big for each other.  With this remodel overtaking our lives and our wallet, we think the best thing we could give each other is a little time just to ourselves.  Nothing fancy, just time.

I'm making a flourless chocolate cake for dessert.  That's the only part of meal that can change, so I try something new each year.  I'll keep you posted on how it went!

Sunday Pot Roast

Yesterday, I cooked the traditional sunday dinner for the family.  Pot roast with potatoes and carrots.  I usually buy my roasts when they are on sale and then cook at least two when I cook. I put my potatoes and carrots on the bottom and then place the roasts on top.  I sprinkle onion soup and some beef boullion over.  Then I pour about two to three cups of hot water over.  I cover the potatoes and carrots.  I only cook enough potatoes and carrots for one meal or a little extra for a quick beef soup later in the week.  Since veggies don't freeze well, I just freeze the extra roast and gravy. 

Now, since I'm pretty frugal, I usually buy the cheap cut of roast that has to be cooked for an extremely long time.  My husband teases me but while we're eating like pigs he never complains!  I freeze that extra roast and gravy to add noodles later for beef and noodles.  This makes a very easy Sunday meal for later in the month. 

When we're all sitting down on Sunday after church talking and eating all the extra planning I do for those meals is well worth it!