Did Someone Say Chocolate?

Find out how it all began

                     How We Got Here and What We Ate

Valentine's Day used to be a sweet, sticky, family celebration, with red construction paper hearts, bits of cut-out doilies, and candy hearts ground into the carpet. Gone are those days, with the endearments of chocolate-smudged fridge handles, heart-shaped cookie cutters, and homemade bead bracelets. With older kids presumably attending to their own romantic notions, the menu can move front and forward.

Our easiest recipe is not the Mediterranean Chicken en papillotte, although it is a close runner up.  No, the Baked Potato with White or Black Truffle Butter wins that prize.  Both recipes are do-ahead.  On Valentine's Day, just slide the foil packets into the oven, alongside the self-baking spuds. 

Before kids, Food and Wine featured us in a Cupid's Kitchen piece, with some easy-to-prepare recipes sure to get lovers into the kitchen.  Our Bittersweet Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches may have started something, with their cool, creamy centers and crispy bookends.  And it's not likely to stop any time soon.