Valentine’s 2012

Yesterday was Valentine’s day and we did it up right.

When I’m able to swing it, I love doing some festive baking.  Yes, I spent a few hours in the kitchen on Monday, but don’t worry, I was done in time to have a few people over the watch The Bachelor.

The first thing I made was sugar cookies via the recipe in the Baked cookbook.  This is the second time I’ve made these cookies and they turned out excellent both times.  The only change was the icing – for some reason the cookbook’s icing never really hardened, which Brent didn’t really like.  This time I just bought the Wilton cookie icing and it worked perfectly.  I lucked out with the heart cookie cutter – I actually ran over to Sur La Table on Monday to pick one up and they were sold out, but when I was sniffing around the clearance rack I saw that one had been put there accidentally.  Score!  Not pictured is the “Gua Gua” cookie I made specifically for Brent, or the “May 27, ’12″ cookie I delivered to my brother and Christina (their wedding date).

The second treat was Cherry Chip Cupcakes.  OMFG.  I think I enjoyed these cupcakes more than anyone else, as I love maraschino cherries and super sweet cupcakes.  There were very easy to make (the only “labor intensive” part was chopping up the cherries and whipping the egg whites).  That’s when I know I’ve settled into a baking groove, when in between putting cookie batches in the oven I mix up a new cupcake batter.  I also made these on Monday night and then frosted them on Tuesday morning so I could bring a few to Brent’s co-workers.

On the actual holiday, Lexi and I drove down to Orange County to finally visit Brent’s office.  We dropped off a couple of treats and met Brent’s coworkers before heading to Red Robin for lunch.  Yeah, it’s not all that fancy, but places that are loud and have a lot “going on” are perfect for babies.  We shared some chips and guac (of course) with Lexi and we gave Lexi her gifts (and I gave Brent his) before the main course.

My Valentines

Afterwards we sent Brent back to work and Lexi and I went to go visit Gigi (my grandma) for a little bit before going home.  I wish I remembered to take a few pictures but that’s the sign of a good time, right?  When you’re just too distracted to document.  Gigi also showered Lexi with some cute 18m and 2t clothes – between her and my mom I won’t have to buy clothes for Lexi for another year!

Lexi slept on the drive home and Brent arrived at the house not long after, when he gave me my gifts.  Along with some candy, he picked me up a cab and bought me a beautiful necklace.  That’s how it’s done, guys.  After we put Lexi to sleep I made Brent’s favorite – breakfast for dinner.  We did breakfast quesadillas, cinnamon rolls and strawberries, factor in some cupcakes, cookies and wine and we were stuffed.  It was a good day.