In honor of Valentine’s Day (which is now over and will be replaced with half-price off candy day), I would love to talk about little bit about that amorous holiday….and food, starting with a quote from a chef that Matt and I love watching.

It was Jacques Pepin who said it best:

I would advise people to cook for the right reason: for love.

Pepin truly grasped that cooking was more than just about the necessity to feed ourselves. There’s a passion to be discovered, the way certain ingredients meld with other ingredients, the mathematical equation of a great meal, and most important: being able to share that with someone special. (Even if that special person is yourself.)

Matt and I share many great meals, even with our friends and family. I know not everyone appreciates that we are prone to taking pictures of our food, but it’s my style, it’s who I am. I take pictures of our creations (sometimes the creations of others that look just as amazing), and love the feedback! What’s even funnier is that Matt knows I love to do this and is the one to encourage the picture-taking before I forget to, especially when he has taken that first bite and I’m still making mine look perfect. (Sorry, force of habit to add that little dash of parsley, basil, parmesan, etc. to give it that “pop” factor.)

And the meals are not always perfect, but in the end we can always pull something fun together. I absolutely adore the way he pushes for simple meals with few ingredients and I want to add just one more thing that absolutely complements the dish. Sometimes I get my way and sometimes not so much. (With great passion in the kitchen, it can lead to an argument or two on who is leading this meal prep.)

But the love is there….and it’s especially in the leftovers.

Because when I get to bring last night’s meal to work and eat that for lunch, I’m still tasting the love behind it all. Whether it be as simple as grilled chicken with a salad or a more complicated Zuppa di Pesce, I know that my husband wanted to make sure that I had the most delicious lunch for the next day. (In fact, he even asks me to call him at lunch just to tell him how much I enjoyed my meal…and as a nice reminder that later on that day we are going to get to make another great meal.)

I have been filling my time with that love, so I have plenty of new dishes and stories to share with you readers.

So stay tuned and as always….enjoy!

And to all of you….I hope you had a wonderful Valentine’s Day, whether it be with your spouse, just you, with friends, and anything in between. While I encourage you to share love all year round, a holiday dedicated to love can’t be that bad either.

~ Jenny V