A Special Day

It's the day we get ready for Sunday.  (Never works out that way.)  Perhaps I will just label it the Saturday Special or maybe just Special Saturday.  That sounds a bit more accurate instead of something you might see in a grocery ad.  One day only.
  
Saturday was a busy day.  We were so fortunate to go to our grandson, Ian's cello recital.  He did a fantastic job.  He has a brilliant teacher and she has brought out the best in him.

Today is Valentine's Day Eve.  The grandchildren have all gone home now and there is not much to do--thaw out the meat for tomorrow.  I have some T-bone steaks, but that is about the sum total of our Valentine's Day celebration.  We have agreed to give no gifts, but I still would like a surprise now and then.  You get what you ask for.

This is my Valentine's Day Dress, only longer.  It was my Christmas Day Dress, too.  Maybe some year. 

Hope your Valentine's Day is everything you would love.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

BLOG'nGRAM

Happy Valentine's Day

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

The day was fun and full.  I did end up shopping again on Saturday. I don't have to do that now, but I needed some Valentine Stuff.  

I went to Costco--never on Saturday--because I just had to have a red velvet cake and theirs is the best.  I want to tell you about a food demo that I tasted (and bought).  It was Kirkland Signature Macadamia Clusters with salted caramel.  Oh, to die for!  They are better than Turtles.  I cannot describe how good they are.  You gotta get some. 

DON'T PASS THIS ONE UP!

My sweetheart and I celebrate the day before.  We don't like to go to restaurants on holidays.  We went to our new favorite restaurant The Lone Star Steakhouse Restaurant.  Dan can have his steak and I can just check out the rest of the menu.  I love, love, love the Parmesan Crusted Chicken--very high in fat, however.  I tried a more cholesterol friendly Napa Valley Grilled Chicken and it was good, too.  Grilled chicken with mushrooms, artichoke hearts and sun dried tomatoes in a wine cream sauce.  I like the salmon, and the baked sweet potato is yummy, too.  All served with hot bread, salad and choice of side.  Lots of food;  enough for a doggy bag.

For the next two days I planned special comfort foods for my Valentine and I.  Today is homemade spaghetti sauce on spaghetti noodles.  This is my favorite 20 minute meal.  It was especially good today with mushrooms and Pecorino Romano cheese. The original recipe came from my grandmother.  My mother may have tweaked it because my dad didn't like the oregano in it.  I tweaked it to remove the sugar because tomatoes are sweeter these days than they were in the past.  Mom said that the reason sugar was added to spaghetti sauce was to sweeten the extra tart tomatoes.  I don't know if that is true, but sugar is not needed.  I put the dried oregano back in, decreased the dried basil and leave out the tomato paste.  I don't like bottled sauce because of the basil, tomato paste and the sugar.  Tomato paste and dried basil are too strong for me, especially when canned (or bottled). I like the real tomato flavor, but do not have success with fresh tomatoes.  Too watery no matter how long I cook it (carrots don't do it, neither does tomato paste).  I use a 15 oz. can of tomato sauce and drained diced tomatoes, sauted onion and garlic. The consistency is perfect and nothing is too over powering as with tomato paste and basil. I don't use fresh basil mostly because I never have any.  I learned to put EVOO on the spaghetti noodles after cooking, not in the cooking water.  These are the secrets to the best spaghetti.

Tomorrow--chicken fried steak--Dan's comfort food.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Remember "stickies"?

(that's me -- the ghost of Valentine's present.)

My Wooden Heart

Happy. Happy Day

My Wooden Heart--a pendant found in someones buy-out of Blue Moon Beads.  This is a fun, not dress-up necklace.  The color was a challenge to match to other beads.  It is not quite red, not pink, not burgundy.  It took a long search in the bead stash to come up with something that would compliment the odd color.  Finally, I found a rubber covered round bead that worked  It is not black, but reddish brown.  Here we are:  My Wooden Heart:

A Wooden Heart

The necklace had two 9  mm red bicones next to the heart as spacers, then the 16 mm rubber coated round beads broken up with 10 mm acrylic hearts.  All are strung on a 1 mm red cord with handmade copper wire cord end and clasp.  It looks great on a rose pink turtleneck sweater.

To go with this fun-day necklace I created the Retro Heart Earring.

I remember wearing large dangle silver balls back in the sixties.  I still have them.  (remember--I am a cyber grandma) 

These are really only 16 mm and not as large as they look. They are the same rubber coated round beads in reddish brown.  Below that bead hangs a 9-10 mm pink AB crystal heart to go with the heart theme.  

Happy Beading!

cybergram