Be mine

We were able to get the boys in Valentine Day outfits, but my attempt at arts and crafts went sour again. I tried to get the boys to make Valentines with me. No luck. Although, they did think I was pretty funny because I attempted to cut out a heart, but I did it on the wrong side which left me with 2 halves instead of a whole heart. I guess I should now shoulder some genetic blame for their lack of arts and crafts gene. I used to think it was all Tim.

Now what to do couple style on Valentine's Day. It is always a dilemma. TJ and I aren't really the traditional roses and chocolate type. (I like plants and Tim doesn't really like chocolate.) Even though this year even though we actually have babysitters (woo hoo), we didn't feel like braving the crowds for an over priced meal. We decided to pick out recipes and cook a mega meal at home. We even had our friends Brian and Dina join us for dinner.

Here was our menu:

Thai Red Curry Mussels
Cornish Game Hens with Amaretto Stuffing and Honey Glaze

Farm fresh sugar peas sauteed with walnuts and basil (added later)

Bananas Foster

(Funny- all are dishes contained some sort of alcoholic component)

After we we dropped of the kiddos we went on our quest for ingredients. Who knew lemon grass, Cornish game hens, dried cherries, mussels, cherry juice, and bread cubes were so hard to find. Even Costco was out of mussels. AGH! After 3 stores we finally wised up and headed up to Escondido to Major Market. They had it all. Yea- even had farm fresh peas that we just had to have. Yum. Dinner was amazing and we paired it with a Roar Pinot. MMMMMM.

Here is the mussels recipe, that was to die for:

Thai Curry Mussles (based on a bobby flay recipe)

2 tbsp peanut oil (we used sesame)

1 stalk lemon grass (we crushed it)

3 tbsps Thai red curry paste

1/2 cup wine

1 can unsweetened coconut milk (we used the "light" kind)

2 tbsps fish sauce

2 tbsp fresh lime juice

2 1/2 lbs mussels (we used the new Zealand kind, meatier according to the fishmonger guy)

4 tbsp cilantro, chopped

4 tbsp basil, chopped

Heat oil in a large pot, add the lemon grass, curry paste, wine , coconut milk, fish sauce and lime juice and bring to a simmer, whisking. Add the mussels, cover the pot, and let steam until opened. During the last minute of cooking, add the cilantro and basil. Serve into individual bowls, discarding the lemon grass.

Baked Beans Recipe

Since it is winter I came up with a simple and tasty no-fat treat for those "coldy" winter days:

KKJ Baked beans

Ingredients:
2 cans of spicy chili beans, undrained
1 can each of black, kidney, and white beans, drained
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sweet baby rays bbq sauce
1 medium onion chopped
2 tsp dry mustard or cracked mustard seeds
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 splash of Tabasco

Combine all ingredients in a bowl
Pour into a 9 x 13 casserole dish
Preheat oven to 275 degrees F
Cook covered for the first hour
Cook uncovered for approximately 3 hrs (up to 4)
Remove once the viscosity is right (syrupy, baked beans consistency)
Enjoy