What? Martha Stewart doesn’t like bloggers? That’s fine, this blogger doesn’t like her fortune cookie recipe. My first pass at Valentine treats was a disaster, I ended up with a stack of fortunes and a mess of dough that looked like this:
It was not a good thing. Fortunately, I know when to accept defeat, especially when the Valentine’s Day clock is running out. These little gems saved the day and were super simple to make, Cherry Bonbon Cookies.
I got my little Valentine suited up for deliveries:
And we hit the road:
Afterwards, The Husband and I celebrated our Valentine’s Day at the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. It was a crisp afternoon for a walk, but so beautiful:
We seemed to be on the path most traveled:
Saturday we were up bright and early so we went to my FAVORITE breakfast location ever, Day by Day Cafe in St. Paul. The Husband had one of his top picks, “The Heart Stopper.” Just kidding, it was Biscuits & Gravy with Sausage Gravy:
I had my favorite, The Earth Breakfast:
After my first taste of Nutella last weekend, I needed to follow the advice of a friend/reader who said it was a breeze to make. He was right! I whipped up a batch to give my own version of the Lake & Irving Nutella French Toast a try:
I used the recipe from The Splendid Table and it was gooooooooood but I almost burned my hazel nuts (aka: filberts) in the toasting process, so keep an eye on them when you make your own. Also, the comments on this recipe are correct, it will harden overnight – I softened mine in the microwave. The Nutella was so simple, I tried my hand at whipping up some peanut butter at the same time:
The peanut butter was good but a bit bland. I used 1 cup of dry roasted peanuts (no salt) and then added a little bit of olive oil for smoothness. Perhaps it will grow on me if I forget how much I love the taste of Skippy Natural?
Now, I really prefer a savory breakfast but I must say… my Nutella French Toast was fantastic. I added fresh strawberry puree and bananas. The fruit added a bright flavor to all of the chocolatey sweetness, The Husband took a classic approach and ate his with maple syrup. I’m telling you, it attracted attention:
Sunday I slaved away on my dress and finally won the war against jersey. I can’t wait to start my next pattern, I already have one in mind. I’ll be dressing Matilda up for a fashion show later this week.
The hard work sewing had me hungry for a veggie burger. We stopped in at The Blue Door in Longfellow for dinner. It was good, but I have a hard time being happy with a veggie burger when it doesn’t include some form of avocado on top – I’ll take traditional or guacamole.
