This post includes references to naked models and strawberries, and Lupercalia. Otherwise it is g-rated.

Avram is gone chaperoning at a Youth Valentine's Dance. And yesterday I babysat for another couple in the ward while they went on their Valentine's date. Aren't we romantic? But on Thursday night Avram and I did make a fancy dinner at home after the girls went to bed. And unlike last year, when we attempted the same feat, it actually worked this time. Last time, in the middle of our Mazza, which is Arabic for a spread of appetizers like Baba Ghanoush, and Hummous, and Muhammara (which will make your tastebuds cry with joy), we heard Elisheva screeching. We blew out our romantical, if kind of dark and gloomy, candles and went upstairs to find Lydia in Elisheva's crib, kicking her, while she (Lydia) was completely in the nude. Just about the most romantic Valentine's day ever - at least my taste buds thought so.

This year for our super fancy menu we had:

Ceaser Salad with real Parmesan Cheese and Homemade Croutons
Broiled Mahi Mahi with a citrus/soy sauce glaze and roasted Asparagus and Brown Rice, with a Blood Orange Sparkling Beverage.
And for Dessert, the piece de resistance, a homemade New York Style Cheesecake.

I read the introduction to cheesecake section in the Joy of Cooking cookbook, and I found the reason the other cheesecakes I've made before (which I swear I've made two before, but I can only specifically remember making the one, for Valentine's day 2006, whilst being nine months pregnant with Lydia) have been kind of not that great was from overbeating the cream cheese, and incorporating too much air into the batter. (Do you like how messy my house is in he background? Classy. Also notice that the edges are all high and such. This is very bad in cheesecakeness.)

This time I followed the recipe like it was my new religion, and the cheesecake turned out beatimus - scratch that - I think the cheesecake itself is my new religion. But don't worry, it's like being Bahai, I can still be Mormon.Here is the good cheesecake - moist and dense all the way through. (Just forget that the top is a little browned on the edges - that's my oven's fault, not mine. Also forget the red smudge on the edge of the photo - that was some raspberry topping that got away from me.)

So, I was telling you about our romantical Valentine's date at home, but I got distracted by the cheesecake. It's okay, we got distracted by the cheesecake ourselves. The entire time we were eating it, I couldn't stop exclaiming how good it was - which is not very modest, nor unassuming. Good thing Avram and I are already married, so he didn't think that I am just obsessed with myself (he already knows it, but he's stuck with me now).

I'd be eating some more cheesecake now, but I tell you, the stuff is so rich that it practically forces me to eat well since I can't stomach it all the time. And by 'practically' I mean that I've only been having a piece or so a day (except today, sadly), which is still like a gazillion calories per slice. Up for March's romantical date: run a marathon. Just kidding.

Avram is tired of feeling like a short order cook in the middle of his romantic dinners, so for our anniversary dinner we're going to do something that can be completely prepared ahead of time, like pizza. No, really that's his idea, and so I'm imagining a fancy bistro-style deep dish pizza, with root beer in the little vintage bottles and such. Plus Creme Brulee, which is my next "I've never made this, but I've always wanted to" dessert.

Hmm, I realize I'm talking about food an awful lot in this post, and romance almost not at all. What can I say? I love food, Avram loves food. We first became friends through the Cooking Guild of the Medieval Club in college. I remember really being impressed with him when he helped me mop my kitchen floor after one guild meeting (where we would weekly gather and make yummy Medieval food and eat it together), and we sang along to Cat Stevens together. What more romantic combination can you get then a guy mopping your floor while singing along to music you both love?

Not that I'm one those people who think that food and romance belongs together in all their manifestations. Today we went to Half Price books, and I saw in the Valentine's display section a book called "The New Inter Courses, an Aprodisiacal Cookbook" with a pasty-white model sitting seductively, naked, strategically covered with a pile of strawberries. My first thought was, "Did they keep her under a rock her whole life? What's wrong with her skin color? My second thought, though, was, "Would you really want to be surrounded by squishy strawberries whilst stark naked? Strawberries are so...juicy. And squishy. Yuck."

Mmm, I better raise the level of this post, before I lose all my readers. Well, to conclude, Avram and I have a chaste love of food, and we love each other chastely (in the married sense of the word - from which I understand to mean we're not having any affairs). The End.

P.S. And my cheesecake is also amazing - this you must understand.

P.P.S. This post was too much for me - I had to go and get a piece of cheesecake, which I am now currently drowning my loneliness sorrows in. Who thought that a Valentine's Day Dance was a good idea for the youth anyway? None of the leaders wanted to chaperon it, and no parents did either. In fact, the youth were calling Avram all afternoon long trying to work out rides, since none of their parents were driving them. I tell you, youth, and I include myself in this grouping when I was one, have no idea of the lengths that adults have to go through to provide them with all of their mulitfarious activities. Ok, end rant. I suppose there is supposed to be a self centered time of our lives - that way we can look back on it while we watch awkward teenagers shuffling to the slow songs (which nowadays have driving guitars and yelling in the middle), and make sure the book of Mormon spaces are being maintained.

P.P.S. I was counting up, and for the 12 Valentine's Days I've gone through since I turned sixteen, I've only been single for...two of them. I was telling Avram that I don't understand why so many people hate Valentine's Day, and how I've always liked them (since I was a little kid, even.), and to me it's a general love day, and not just romantic love. But since I've almost always had a significant other, this makes my position sound a little weaker. But I still stand by it. For one thing, it's not like I've bought into the marketing at all - I've never, in all those twelve years, gone out to eat in celebration of Valentine's Day. I prefer just doing something nice together at home. I've also never bought a Valentine's day card (although I did use to hand out store bought valentines as a child). I've only given a gift on Valentine's day once, and it was a role-playing book to Avram when we were engaged. But Valentine's day to me is about eating yummy heart shaped cookies with frosting. Not that I have ever in my life done this. But it looks fun, and I'm sure if I did it, I would enjoy it. Okay, let's broaden my definitions - it's about eating yummy, sugary food together, and kissing your kids, and kissing your spouse, and possibly about remember Lupercalia (the Roman origin of the time of Valentine's day, when youth ran naked through the streets), just to keep things exciting.

So, I'm curious - what are your thoughts on Valentine's Day. Love it? Hate it? Your opinion depends on your current romantic life? Have you made sugar cookies in heart shapes?