Expressions of Love

Apparently I express love through food.

I don't think this is really a shock to anyone, but being largely pregnant and finding yourself cooking all day makes the realization really strike home for you.

And, as expected with mounds of food and sugar, we had a fabulous Valentine's Day here at our house -- with me turning to my most trusted sources of recipes: The Test Kitchen Cookbook; Our Best Bits; Katie; family recipes and Julia Child. (I'll put the links again for the cookbooks' specific recipes, should you want to try them, but do yourself a favor and get the hard-copy books. As well as the Test Kitchen magazines (known as Cook's Country). You'll only be helping yourself.)

I awoke bright and early on V-Day (a little difficult, seeing as I was up until 1:30 a.m. that morning making the dessert for our Valentine's dinner) to make a "special breakfast" (as Jane calls it).

Test Kitchen's German Apple Pancakes topped with Our Best Bites Caramel Syrup.

Like candy. Literally.

Jane, of course, takes after her Mommy and decided early-on (and by early-on, I mean early January) she wanted to make sugar cookies and give them as her Valentine's for her friends.

So, Monday (my day of mass cooking) I made X, O, and heart-shaped pink and white sugar cookies (recipe from Katie because I didn't have the buttermilk I needed to make my Grandma's recipe).

The kids decorated the cookies and little cards for the tops of the bags.



Elliot-esque

Lane also jumped on the sugar-cookie Valentine idea and asked the "kids" to make some for a few of his co-workers that they could drop off when we went out to lunch on the big February 14.

But the kids and I had a secret agenda for meeting Daddy for a V-Day lunch.

Cook's Country (Test Kitchen's magazine) homemade Hostess Cupcakes, with love messages written on the tops (instead of swirls).



I told you, love equals food to me.

Sadly, it turns out Lane only got one. He opened it up to co-workers and, well, they are THAT good.

Later, Lane, knowing my predilection for food, made a deep-dish pizza for dinner.

We finished up the night with Julia Child's Chocolate Bombe (I believe this link is the exact recipe (it's too intricate for me to compare), though I got mine from her Julia Child and More Company cookbook, via Katie).

Oh. My. Goodness.

This took 3 hours to make. Maybe a little too much for a dessert, but I thought it was worth every bite.

Lane's assessment was a little less glowing than my own: "The cake is good. The mousse is phenomenal."

It's sooooo good. A Chocolate Lover's dream. And calling my name as I type. Completely worth any extra pregnancy weight that might result from its consumption.

The sad part is, I don't think my family will be able to finish it off before it's past its time for eating. So if anyone is looking for a good taste of Bombe, come to my house. Seriously. I'll even throw a little ice cream and homemade caramel "syrup" on it for you.

At the end of the day (being my Monday of cooking), I decided that I might have over committed myself.

I mean, two days later and my feet are still swollen from 18 hours of standing.
Lane says I have a disease that makes me overdo every occasion I find to celebrate.

But how can I not celebrate when I have faces like this surrounding me?