RAMBLINGS & RECIPES - To Valentine or Not to Valentine

Bless his heart, my husband is a very sweet, generous man at times. But holidays like Valentine's Day tend to be more of a last-minute obligation to him. 

Once he realizes what day it is, he will rush out to buy me a card or maybe even some flowers... or HIS favorite candy (knowing I am on a diet and probably won't be eating it). 

Hmmm... Bless his heart.

When my kids were little, the day was reserved for supervising the signing of the backs of all the little Valentine cards that they took to school and for baking heart-shaped cookies for the class party. Or topping cupcakes with little candy conversation hearts. Remember those?

There were no romantic dinners with just the two of us on Valentine's Day once we had kids. It was more of a big family event at home.

I would try to make it special for the kids by making heart shaped pancakes. Yes, I'm sure their teachers loved that. Fill them up with sugar and then send them off to school!

I would  also cut their sandwiches with a heart-shaped cookie cutter (which totally embarrassed my son when he was in high school).  And of course for dinner we would have a heart-shaped meatloaf decorated with mashed potatoes. Don't laugh. They loved it!

Now that the kids are all grown and have moved out, I often thought it would be nice to go back to those before-marriage-days when hubby was much more romantic. So this year, I took control and made reservations at one of the most romantic restaurants I could find here in Islamorada. Chef Michael's! 

I'll let you know how it goes next week! The only thing I can tell you is that I won't be ordering meatloaf.

Valentine's Day Meatloaf

(in case you still have kids living at home)

* 1 lb. ground beef

* 1 lb. ground venison

* 1/2 to 3/4 cup Italian Bread Crumbs

* 1/4 cup chopped onion

* 2 eggs

* Salt & Pepper to taste

* Ketchup

Combine the meats (and you can use whatever kind of ground meat you prefer here, whether it's ground turkey, pork, veal or whatever).  Add salt & pepper, bread crumbs and onion and mix thoroughly.  Beat the eggs slightly with a fork and add to mixture.  Mix with your hands until everything is combined and shape the loaf into a heart shape.  Top with ketchup and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 50 to 55 minutes.

For additional decoration, you can surround the meatloaf with mashed potatoes.