Our Valentine's Day Dinner Plan

Butternut squash, mushroom and fontina nachos with crispy sage by How Sweet It Is

While most years Ryan and I have looked at Valentine's Day as another opportunity to get dressed up and spend a night on the town, ever since moving into our new house we have slowly started transitioning into total homebodies. Maybe it's the fact that it's been so cold outside and our fireplaces, cozy blankets, and cuddly pup make our home feel that much more cozy, but to be honest, there's nowhere we would rather be than our little yellow cottage!

So this year for Valentine's Day we will be staying in, opening a bottle of wine from our last trip to Italy, and making dinner together. Thanks to my vegetarian diet plus the fact that our wedding is just a little more than six months away, we have been eating very, very healthy. We decided to ignore the wedding diet for the evening and instead have indulgent night of comfort food. As an afternoon snack we're going to have butternut squash, mushroom and fontina nachos with crispy sage. For dinner, a simple salmon filet roasted with olive oil, sea salt, and pepper, John Legend's famous macaroni and cheese, and roasted carrots and onions with fennel and mint. And last but not least, homemade chocolate cupcakes with sea salt buttercream. A cozy night at home with Ryan, Yoda, and some delicious food? I can't imagine anything better!

My Life :: Date Night at Trader's Point Creamery

This past Friday I surprised Ryan by taking him out for a night of food, bluegrass, cocktails, and ice cream in the country.  We headed to Trader's Point Creamery, a local organic farm that specializes in all things dairy {cheeses, ice cream, milk, and the most amazing yogurt} for their weekly "Summer Dinners on the Deck."  The farm-to-table dinner consisted of peach mojitos, grilled chicken and peaches, three-bean salad, chilled peach and tarragon soup, grilled corn, and homemade ice cream for dessert.  Afterwards we listened to musicians play bluegrass music while watching the sun set over the woods in the distance.  Don't get me wrong - I love being a city girl, but sometimes a few hours in the country are just what I need to relax and recharge.