Valentine's Day clichés, in a good way

A card.

That was my one request for Valentine’s Day. No more and no less. What’s not to love about cards? They’re inexpensive and meaningful. In the wrong hands, I suppose they can also be high-pressure and terrifying....

But enough about my theories.

Ben and I started our Valentine’s get-together by visiting the Humane Society. I was curious about a German shepherd mix but got distracted by an adorable border collie/spaniel puppy who had the same lonesome expression Papa has. Don’t worry, I was just browsing. I can’t have two crazy border collies!

When we got back to the house, Ben made dinner while I took a nap. (His one request for Valentine’s Day: that I stay out of the kitchen.) There is nothing like waking up from a nap to the smell of baked chicken, potatoes, and veggies. Really, sharing a home-cooked meal is one of the best things ever.

After dinner we played Uno. I wanted to get him something else — something a little less… um, small, but earlier he insisted that I not buy him anything. He’s “not really into Valentine’s Day.”

So my contribution to the evening was a deck of cards and some chocolate mousse.

An aside: Making the mousse required three phone calls to Yukie, one of which started, “Oh my ganache!” I should have read the reviews before trying a new recipe. It would’ve also been nice if mine turned out as pretty as, say, Diane and Todd’s version.

Anyway. Chocolate mousse might be a romantic dessert cliché, but it is also very tasty. (I chose not to point out the lumps.) Ben hates whipped cream, so I used only a little dot to brighten up the berry garnish.

Getting his picture taken is another thing he doesn’t like, so I’ll spare you the shots of him shuffling cards and eating chocolate mousse.

We had a really fun Valentine’s Day. Puppies, flowers, dinner, chocolate mousse — and a card, too. What more could a girl want?