Belated Valentine

Valentines Day isn't celebrated that much in New Zealand but we did make a slight effort to acknowledge it.  I wanted to make a really nice meal for us so I asked Peter for a special request.  I was thinking something special with maybe a fancy chocolate dessert to finish with.  Hamburgers.  Yes, that is what he requested.  If your wife is a chef and asks you what you want for dinner, would you really say hamburgers?  Anyway, hamburgers it was and I baked an apricot frangipane tart to satisfy my desire to cook something special.  Dinner ended up being horrendous.  The children were demanding and whingy and all the typical things they do at that hour.  We tried to keep things calm and sip on a glass on nice red wine but there was no changing the atmosphere from the complete chaos that it was.  I haven't mentioned the sweltering heat of the evening that topped it all off nicely like the cherry on top of a mud cake.  But the day wasn't without romantic gestures.  Peter told me to remember to pick up the mail because he was expecting something for work in the post.  It didn't really occur to me that he never receives work mail at home but I did think it was a bit of a strange request because he never cares much about the mail.  I picked it up and low and behold he had written me a very nice Valentine letter!  Extremely thoughtful gesture that made my day.
So, yesterday I fulfilled my craving to cook something a bit more refined and/or romantic.  I made a vegetable, pesto and cheese strudel in my heart shaped le creuset pan and we had a deliciously fresh garden salad.  We ate on the deck so we weren't melting in the heat and even enjoyed another glass of the yummy shiraz from the day before.
Perfection and relaxation and a belated Valentines Day meal.