Here's Lookin at Ya Kid!

My little nephew has around 9 more weeks till he graces us all with his presence. Below is one of the pictures from his 4-D ultrasound. Everyone swears up and down he looks like my brother. My brother has also started calling him "Mini-Me." How cute is that?! it's CRAZY how much they look a like! On some of the pictures, I do see some resemblance to my sister-in-law though! Regardless, I know he'll have the same appreciation for funny movies as they do and a sweet heart....not to mention some killer dance moves and sweet nun chuck skills=) (OBVIOUS family inside joke on that last one.)

Can't wait to meet you little guy! I think he's adorable already!

Valentine's Day 2011

Well, yesterday was one of my favorite Valentine's Days so far=) After work, I came home to start cooking our Valentine's Day dinner. We had:

* Steak au Poivre
* Crab Cakes
* Roasted Asparagus
* Little "Softhearted Chocolate Cakes" (Recipe and Picture below are from BHG.com)

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces (1/2 pound)

• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped or 1-1/3 cups semisweet chocolate pieces

• 4 eggs

• 4 egg yolks

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1/8 teaspoon teaspoon salt

• Whipped cream (optional)

• Raspberry Sauce (see recipe below) (optional) and/or fresh raspberries

Directions

1. Lightly butter eight 8-ounce ramekins or 1-cup souffle dishes; line bottoms with parchment or wax paper. Place the prepared ramekins on a shallow baking pan or on a large cookie sheet. Set aside.

2. In a heavy-bottomed, medium saucepan, melt butter and chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; cool slightly. (Or, in a mixing bowl, combine the butter and chocolate. Place mixing bowl over a pot of simmering water and melt butter and chocolate, stirring occasionally. Remove bowl from the simmering water pot; set aside to cool slightly.)

3. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs and egg yolks with an electric mixer on high speed for 5 minutes or until thick and lemon-colored. Mix a large dollop of the beaten eggs into the butter-chocolate mixture. Gently fold until combined. Add butter-chocolate mixture to remaining beaten egg mixture and fold. After a few folds, sprinkle in sugar, flour, vanilla, and salt. Continue to fold until the mixture is combined.

4. Quickly divide the batter evenly among prepared ramekins. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 9 to 10 minutes or till cakes feel firm to the touch on top edges, but still soft in the center when pressed with a fingertip. Remove from oven; set ramekins on a wire rack. Let cakes cool completely in ramekins.

5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. When cakes are cool, use a small metal spatula to loosen edge of cakes from side of ramekin and unmold onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. The centers of the cakes are supposed to be soft. (If not using immediately, wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to use.)

6. When ready to serve, place cakes on a microwaveable serving plate. Heat in a microwave oven on 100 percent power for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes or until warm. (Center of cake will slightly pop up.) Serve with whipped cream and garnish with a splash of Raspberry Sauce and/or fresh raspberries, if you like.

Raspberry Sauce: In a blender container or food processor bowl, cover and blend or process one 10-ounce package frozen and thawed red raspberries in syrup until pureed. Use a fine sieve to sieve berry mixture. Cover and refrigerate the sauce till ready to use. Makes 2/3 cup.

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In the middle of finishing up cooking, J surprised me with a SWEET Valentine's Day balloon, a dozen GORGEOUS red roses, and the cutest valentine I've ever gotten! He certainly made a gal who loves Valentine's Day feel SUPER special!!!!!

I have an AWESOME Valentine!

We had a great time eating our nice dinner and relaxing. We definitely know that LOVE should be shown all year round and not just on Valentine's Day. We're certainly advocates of that! However, yesterday was SUPER special with my Valentine! I hope you all had a great Valentine's Day!

I LOVE Valentine's Day!

It is my absolute favorite holiday! Don't get me wrong, I'm a happy gal at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. However, I LOVE LOVE LOVE Valentine's Day.



Here's why:

1. YES, Love is celebrated all year round as it should be. However, I feel like there is a great deal of people out there who go out of their way to make an attempt to really focus on their significant other on this holiday. I've always enjoyed watching others around me celebrate this day even if I didn't have a date on Valentine's Day. True story! I even handed out valentine's (CHEESY ones at that) even when I was WAY too old to do it! I think it is a fun holiday! One suggestion I heard this year is that people need to make Valentine's Day about THEM as a couple and not just do something traditionally Valentine's Day-ish....like a super expensive dinner. If you two like being outdoors, plan something outdoors!

2. My favorite color to wear is black...not because I'm depressed. Black just looks sharp to me. I like the way I feel wearing black. However, my two favorite colors to look at or have around me are red and pink. Everything on Valentine's Day is red and pink. Hence, the second reason I enjoy this holiday so much!

3. I'll admit it, I KNOW this holiday is very commercialized....but I find it very cute for that same reason. I love the cheesy Valentine's Day cards, the chocolates, and the roses. I DO! They're fun! I've always told J he didn't ever have to get me anything expensive on Valentine's Day....just a rose and a card will make the day special=) He's always been really sweet to get me a cute Valentine's Day balloon and some flowers. I love it!

This year, I'm planning a nice dinner at home for us. I'm sure I'll find a super awesome card and a little something for J as well! Happy upcoming Valentine's Day!