Valentine's Day in any way

Whether you think it's a Hallmark day, a reminder to say I love you, or just another reason to drink wine and eat chocolate, Valentine's Day is here.

I heard on the radio that the average couple spends $180 on Valentine's Day.  To me, that is a lot of money.  Especially since you are supposed to love your honey EVERY day, not just on Valentine's Day.  However, I do feel that it is a special day to do something a little extra.

Mr. PT and I had plans to meet at a restaurant for drinks and appetizers after work, but work went late for me and to be honest, I did not feel like fighting the crowds and looking glamorous.  My day started out chasing a cockroach around my classroom and ended with an empty ink cartridge in my printer, so I was less than eager to re-do my hair and outfit for the night.

Mr. PT understood, luckily, and we decided to stay in.  He had a late lunch, so we had a light dinner.  I made one of my favorites, fresh guacamole.  We accompanied that with our favorite bread and cheeses (goat and manchego) from our visit to the Cincinnati Findley Market on Saturday, sliced apples, and homemade tortilla chips.  A light dinner with a nice glass of red vino made the evening relaxing yet elegant.  As elegant as you can be in scrubs and a sweatshirt!

I usually make guacamole with sour cream and salsa, but I mixed it up a little tonight.  If you are anti-sour cream or any other dairy products, you might like this version:

-avocado
-fresh cilantro, chopped
-red onion, chopped
-fresh tomato, chopped
-few squirts of lime juice
-sea salt, pepper, and other spices to taste (I usually do a salsa spice of some kind, Pensky's makes a good one)

I usually just use store bought corn chips, but we were out tonight.  So I made my own and they were delicious!  Just take a flour or whole wheat tortilla and lay it on a skillet warmed with olive oil.  Let it sizzle there for a while and flip it.  Lightly salt the oiled side and flip it a few more times until it reaches your desired crispiness.

Low and behold, Mr. PT has a few extra minutes this afternoon and surprised me with the best dessert known to women:

 

So cheesy, yet, so delicious.

Just goes to show you don't have to spend $180 dollars to have a memorable Valentine's Day.  AND that you don't have to put in a ton of work for a special night with your special someone.  Why not do Valentine's Day more often?