Confession time. My Valentine menu did not go quite as planned. I posted my plans, but things went a bit awry. First of all, I did not even attempt the stuffed peppers. The night before, the baby did not sleep much so neither did I. When I went to cook that night, I knew I was too tired to attempt the whole thing. Instead I opted for beet and asparagus salad, mushroom tart, and dessert from the store. Trimming things back just seemed the smart thing to do. It turns out that it wasn't enough.
On my husband's advice (he's a much better cook than me) I added some dried mushrooms to the fresh ones I diced for the tart. I reconstituted them just like the package directed, but they were still completely rubbery and tough. We ended up having a not wonderful rubberband tart for our family Valentine dinner. The only good part was the beets cut with heart cookie cutters which tickled the fancy of our toddler chef. Next time, I will be grinding the dried mushrooms in the spice mill if I want to add extra flavor. Live and learn, and don't try new recipes on important nights!
It's so hard to cook when you're tired AND have two babies distracting you! I'm sure it was a fun festive night despite the rubber.
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