HAPPY VALENTINE'S!

I hope you all have a fantastic Valentine's day spent with someone you love (regardless of who it is)! Here are some special Valentine's treats I made last week for our bunco group. They were super easy and so delicious - perfect for a last minute sweet to satisfy someone special!

via pinterest via bakerella (it is the recipe using oreo cakesters)

WILL YOU BE MY VALENTINE?

Happy friday everyone! I can't believe it is all ready February and groundhog's day has come and gone once again. I don't know about you, but I am ready for Spring -- even though Phil did say we will have 6 more weeks of winter. Boo! I believe he could be wrong though considering we are having 60 degree days in mid January. 


Guess what is right around the corner?!? That's right, Valentine's Day. I don't have high expectations of Valentine's Day - I just like to think of it as a pleasant day to have my main man all to myself. He isn't a sappy, lovey-dovey type guy so I don't expect big pieces of jewelry, giant teddy bears holding balloons, or boxes of chocolate ... just a simple meal adorned with some flowers. [He also thinks that buying the flowers and delivering them himself is a much better deal than having them delivered by a stranger, ha!] 


Since our wedding anniversary is so close to V-Day we opted to cook in rather than competing against the rest of Bham to make dinner reservations (apparently you have to make reservations a year in advance!?!) and then we will enjoy a nice dinner out on the town for our one year. I have been thumbing through my pinterest recipes and favorite food sites and I believe I have decided to make a meal adapted from my friend Margot's anniversary dinner that she posted -- roasted rack of lamb, mushroom risotto, and asparagus with basalmic tomatoes! My co-worker made this same lamb recipe and said it was easy and delicious so I am going to try it out. 


And, if we aren't full off all that then I will make us these precious "cupcakes for two" for dessert. This way we can satisfy our sweet tooth and maintain our waistline by not having a dozen leftover! 

Like I said, I don't have high expectations of V-Day gifts, but if my hubby did want to surprise with me with something special and amazing ... I sent him this link to Lulie Wallace's commissioned wedding flower paintings. I found her shop several months ago and have been obsessed with her, but now I have noticed she is appearing everywhere! So, before her prices sky rocket I hope to own one of her fabulous quirky paintings. Here are a few of her recent commissioned paintings based on bride's bouquets:

What do you think? Do you have any V-Day gift or dinner suggestions?

"THEY DRAW & THEY COOK" blog

I recently discovered this fun blog with amazing illustrations + fun recipes. Artists submit their recipe renderings to be considered for a daily post on the blog. I am now a follower and love seeing the different submissions. The illustrations provide great inspiration and I love to cook so I am always up for a new recipe. Last night I tried out this recipe and inserted it into my inspiration book:

It was very delicious. Next time I will double the hot sauce and cut the butter in half because the sauce was not spicy enough. Brandon isn't a huge fan of blue cheese, but I think he is coming around. ;)

Here are some of my other favorite posts.

I found an artist that I really like from Canada. I love his sketchy style and use of layering on his backgrounds. He has several submissions on the blog and they are all beautiful. I looked at his blog and it seems that he is a professional illustrator. His work is amazing. Here are my favorites of his: