my valentine cooks

joe made me dinner for valentine's day! the meal started off with an arugula and red kale salad with pear and fried sundried tomato goat cheese. then it was steak (of some special cut, marinated in something else special too but i can't remember now!), gruyere scalloped potates, broiled asparagus. i finished the evening off with strawberry shortcakes d'amour. we ate in the middle of the room, on red cushions on the floor. it was fun, and my hubby worked so hard and made a fantastic meal. there was, however, a mammoth pile of dishes to greet me the next day (and the day after that) which, with no dishwasher, was quite daunting. but it was my kind-hearted, perceptive mother-in-law who vanquished the foe, and made short work of it too! thank you, trudy, you have no idea how much that blessed me!

i just have to put this other one in, as we're asparagus lovers...doesn't this asparagus look yummy? maybe not...but it was.

mine didn't exactly look like the book's. i hand-cut my hearts and then couldn't wait till they cooled to assemble and all the whipped cream melted. but they were divine!