V-day

I know that Valentine's Day is just a smarmy and saccharine greeting-card holiday. However, I choose to view it as an excuse to do something special in the middle of a dreary winter. Okay, well, mainly an excuse to eat special food in the middle of a dreary winter.

Foods like French Onion Soup with little sourdough heart croutons...




...and smothered in melty, gooey coughmozzerellacough cheese. (Look, as much as I adore Gruyere (seriously, it's my all-time favorite cheese), I just can't afford 10 bucks for a tiny little piece that I could eat in one sitting. I don't know why Americans have not figured out the whole cheese thing, but aaaanyyywayyy...)

Yeah, heart croutons. I know it's cheesy... heh heh! Get it... cheesy?

(But the roasted old milk cow beef broth and onions caramelized in the resulting tallow? Yum. Just yum.)

For dessert, we cut hearts out of some mocha shortbread...



...and dusted them with powdered sugar (evil for a health nut, I know, but you only live once.)





Both my valentines like them quite a lot.