Menu Monday, Valentines Dinner

I cannot tell you how excited I am for Valentines this year. We are going out to dinner at Timberline Lodge at Mt. Hood. I have been looking forward to this dinner for six years, since we last went (not to mention it's on my 101 list}. It was going to be our annual tradition...oh how times change.

There's a few great reasons why it's been five years since we last went. The two largest being money and kids. Boy, how those two correlate. So if you find yourselves staying in this year, I have a couple wonderful ideas for you.

First, I mentioned last week that cheese is the theme for our date nights this year. I want to share with you what we had this past week and give a couple suggestions to help if you wanted to try this tomorrow. Yes, Valentines Day is tomorrow.


{no need for expensive cheese plates. I thrifted this beaut for $3}

Set the stage with a low table and a couple of pillows on the floor. Pop in your favorite movie, or one you've both been meaning to see. Our favorite thing is to tell each other what our favorite flavor combinations are. A bit like "Oh! You have to try the this with the that" or whatever.

{wine pairing was a 2010 negroamaro salento from Arcangelo.}
My second idea for you, if you're feeling a bit more ambitious, is to re-create the dinner menu set by Timberline Lodge, with a five course gourmet (but I found totally doable recipes) meal. Your love will surely appreciate this meal for years to come. Or better yet, cook it together! There's little sexier than sharing a kitchen together, working towards the same outcome.

Here's the menu they are preparing at the restaurant:


And here's yours to try on your own. The numbers represent the course:


{1: toasted brioche rounds with créme fraîche and caviar, 1a: if caviar isn't in the budget, try this stellar mustard caviar substitute,
2: spinach, strawberry and radish salad, 2a: creamy artichoke soup, 3: tangerine and prosecco sorbet,
4: beef tenderloin medallions with potato "risotto", 5: chocolate peanut butter torte}