Celebrating the Day: The Feast of St. Valentine

Gratitude Sunday link-up here at Alphabet Salad!

* St. Valentine's Day  Traditions!

The girls and I decorate for the feast every year, but the boys plan, cook, serve and clean up for the girls. Do I need to say this is one of the girls' very favorite holidays?  Since we only have two little boys at home these days, neither of which is even "double digits" yet, Dan was on the spot for the menu on Friday, but the little guys took care of all the courtesies with efficiency and aplomb.  (Check out the waiter "uniforms" they chose all by themselves. ;)

The numbers served and serving is considerably smaller now that we've moved to Nevada and our big kids have Valentines of their own to entertain.  But everyone here had a wonderful time! We can't help but feel like they're all missing out...  The company here at St. Valentine's Day 2014 was excellent, the service was outstanding, and the food was exceptional!  We could not have felt more pampered and loved, and the boys were pretty proud of a job well done.  We're very grateful for the men in our family!

Getting Things Rolling

Gabey wrote this little speech all by himself.  We hid our smiles as he introduced himself and welcomed us to "his" house..  (Heehee!)

The staff: William (8), Gabriel (9)

Anna (11), who also had iced tea...

Cathy (13) -- who ended up with iced tea...

June (85 years young), who also took a pass on the wine and opted for tea

(Not pictured:  yours truly, who did, indeed, have the wine! 

And who was too busy eating to take a picture of the beautiful feast.)

Some of the St. Valentine's Day cards:

Loved them all!  One of my favorite things about this day is the homemade cards.

Gabe, our chief waiter and master of ceremonies.  (Not that he didn't trust William, mind you, but Gabe opted to do most of the toting and carrying...)

Three cheers for the chef!  Thank-you, Daddy/Dan!

A Couple Giggles

The boys told us these were for those of us without dates...

Watched these wacko candles melt throughout the dinner...
And, anyone who was a kid, naturally let some of it melt all
over their hands, etc, and so forth...

*  At the end of the meal, Chef Dan came out and told us to pretend we were Lot's family, to go around the long way to the rec room, and to not look back at the kitchen...  We were happy to comply.

And then there was the entertainment:

Who needs music, right?  Go, William!

And of Course,  Always Our Guest of Honor...

The Queen of Our Hearts

Immaculate Heart of Mary,

Pray for us!

* On the menu

As Gabe anounced in the video, above, we had salmon and grape*fruit* sauce (not actually "grape" sauce), along with our iced tea, water, and "Suter Home" pink Muscato wine. Dan also prepared herbed Quinoa and asparagus.  Then later, we had orange sherbet floats (with gingerale).

It wal all sooooo good!    But the Salmon!  Oh. my. goodness! We've had salmon many different ways, but this grapefruit and shallot sauce was totally unexpected, and delicious. (Great find, Dan!)  A must try for meatless Fridays!  (Trust me; you'll love it!)

Salmon and Grapefruit/Shallot Sauce

Ingredients
4 skinless salmon fillets, 5 to 6 ounces each
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
2 ruby red grapefruits
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
2 1/2 teaspoons honey
Pinch cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons thinly sliced basil leaves
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Season the salmon with 1/4 teaspoon salt, place in a baking dish and roast until cooked through, about 18 minutes.

While the salmon is cooking prepare the sauce. Cut 1 of the grapefruits into sections by cutting off the top and bottom of the fruit, then standing it on 1 end, cut down the skin to remove the pith and peel. Then, with a paring knife, remove each segment of fruit from its casing and cut the segments in half. Set the segment pieces aside. Juice the other grapefruit and set the juice aside.

In a medium skillet, heat the oil over a medium heat. Add the shallot and saute until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the ginger, grapefruit juice, honey, and cayenne pepper and bring to simmer. Cook until sauce is reduced by about half about, 10 minutes. Add lemon juice and season with salt, to taste. Right before serving, toss the grapefruit pieces and basil into the sauce. Put the salmon onto a serving dish. Spoon sauce over the salmon and serve.

Found here.