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Feel loved, feel special, and single or not, enjoy the day and give yourself a treat. We all deserve it.

Chocolate from the Fairmont Empress Afternoon Tea

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So what’s cooking tonight? Where are you having dinner?

Addendum: Duh, I forgot. Here are some ideas for homemade dinner tonight if you haven’t decided on the menu yet:

Here at Chez Gourmeted we skipped the long line for dinner reservations and opted to prepare a nice meal at home: salad, cheese, seared scallops, steak, chocolate-y desserts, and wine. I’ve prepped my homemade strawberry marshmallow-filled ice cream cones that I’m going to dip in chocolate later. I was hoping the marshmallow goo would stay up so it would actually look like ice cream swirl peaks, but alas, it wont to be. I guess I’ll just have to find a way to make it work later. ;-)

Not much going on here, unless you think I should celebrate because at one year short of 30, I finally drove by myself last night. [Oh wait, I will.] Dan expects me to drive in the middle of Phoenix’s rush hour tomorrow as I drop him off at work, proceed to the the nearby mall’s cafe and do my own work, and then meet him later in the afternoon to head straight to beautiful Sedona for the weekend. Can’t wait!

We’re busy with that and Valentine’s so instead of giving you some picture-filled recipe I’m posting a photo of one of the chocolates I had at the Afternoon Tea at the Fairmont Empress last year in Victoria, B.C. Have you ever been there? It’s so very lovely. If you are within the vicinity and you haven’t been or haven’t considered going, you are missing out. Right in front of the harbor, in the middle of the tourist bustle that surrounds Victoria all year long, is a place of perfect harmony and pampering with tea fit for a queen. I never thought having afternoon tea served, and whose ritual is explained, by such dignified, polite, and well-mannered people, dining with ornate chairs and tables, and on fine china could be so…relaxing. It was such a nice ‘distraction’ from the fast paced life…

Here’s to you and I, and our S.O.’s: I hope we all enjoy a nice and relaxing distraction from our daily lives today. Happy Valentine’s Day!