Valentine's Day

For Billy and I, this was our 6th Valentine's Day as a couple, our 5th as a married couple, and our 2nd as parents. So I wanted to make the day very special for all of us, but... silly me... I didn't take any pictures of our activities. I've got Google Image to thank for these reproductions of pictures.

One: I put some ink in the palm of Logan's hands, and then Taylor's hands, and we made this. Around the heart, I wrote a note from the boys. I felt like I was back in kindergarten. It was fun!

Two: Because our trip to Las Vegas turned out to cost more than we had anticipated, Billy and I agreed not to get each other anything this year. Instead, thanks for a wonderful friend - whose husband unfortunately had to work that night - Billy and I went out to dinner at La Mie. La Mie is this amazing French Bakery that usually doesn't usually serve dinner but does on Valentine's Day. They have a set menu that day that includes several courses.

You'd think I'd know French well enough to know everything that was on the menu, but you'd be wrong, because there were words on there I had never seen in my life. We started off with some clams that had bread crumbs on them. On the same plate we had one of those things that I didn't recognize, but it was basically beef. Then we had lamb chops, winter squash with gnocchi, and lemon cod. Then we had an orange salad. And we finished off with the best - a hazelnut and chocolate cake with meringue. It was so good I had to go online and look for the recipe.

Hazelnut chocolate cake with meringue
1 1/2 cup(s) hazelnuts, 7 ounces
6 large egg whites, at room temperature
pinch(s) of salt
1 1/2 cup(s) granulated sugar
2 teaspoon(s) pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon(s) pure almond extract
1 cup(s) mini chocolate chips, 6 ounces
6 ounce(s) bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
3 cup(s) heavy cream
1/4 cup(s) confectioners' sugar
Chocolate shavings, for garnish

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350° and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Draw two 8-inch rounds on one sheet of the parchment and one 8-inch round on the other.
2. Spread the hazelnuts on a third baking sheet and toast for 12 to 14 minutes, until browned. Let cool slightly, then transfer to a towel and rub to remove the skins. Chop the nuts. Lower the oven temperature to 225°.
3. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the whisk, beat the egg whites with the salt at medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the granulated sugar at high speed until stiff. Beat in the vanilla and almond extracts. Fold in the hazelnuts and chocolate chips. Pour the melted chocolate down the side of the bowl and gently fold until the meringue is lightly marbled.
4. Spread the meringue in the drawn circles and bake for 2 hours and 30 minutes, until crisp; rotate the pans halfway through baking. Turn off the oven, leave the door ajar and let the meringues cool completely.
5. In the bowl of the standing mixer, beat the cream with the confectioners' sugar until firm. Remove the meringues from the parchment paper. Spread the whipped cream on the layers and stack them. Refrigerate or freeze the cake overnight. Cut into wedges and serve at room temperature. Garnish with chocolate shavings before serving.

Three: We came home and I made Billy watch the Bachelor with me. He was such a good sport. He has actually gotten to know the girls on the show pretty well. I bet he could even name a few if you asked him.