Cheers to Eight Years!

Eight years ago, on October 22nd, Ryan and I reluctantly agreed to be set up with each other on a blind date.  Neither one of us wanted to go, but in the end we agreed.  I think it's safe to say that the date went well, and neither one of us regretted our decision to go!

We had been trying to think of a fun way to celebrate.  In the end, we decided that, instead of going out to a fancy restaurant and spending a lot of money on one meal, we'd cook ourselves a fancy multi-course meal at home (and have leftovers for several days afterward!). 

We came up with a menu, purchased the proper wines to compliment each dish, and spent most of Saturday happily cooking together at home.  

We set the table with our finest china, crystal, and silverware.

 Saturday evening, we did farm chores at the usual time (and there was no mad rush to get through them and catch a dinner reservation - so nice!), and then we grabbed our "date" clothing and went into different areas of the house to change.  We had decided not to show each other our date outfit until we were ready to actually start the date!  Unbeknownst to me, Ryan raced through changing, ran outside, and picked me a pretty bouquet of red roses (which he cutely bound with blue painter's tape).  Just as I was finishing up, he rang the doorbell and surprised me with flowers.  I was so touched and so happy (as I am sure you can tell by the picture).

It's probably hard to tell in the pictures, but I wore my amazing metallic gold 1930s dress with fishtail hem/train that I purchased from that antique store that was going out of business. 

Also purchased from that same store was the amazing art deco white fox fur wrap that I am wearing.  It's falling apart, but I love that wrap!

Our first course was a lovely Roederer Brut and an assorted local artisanal cheese platter with my homemade pork liver pate and bread crackers.

We decided that we would each act as waiter for two courses.  I picked the soup & salad courses, and Ryan chose to do dinner and dessert.

For our main entree, Ryan chose to cook his classic Cabernet-braised beef short ribs with gorgonzola polenta and mixed herb gremolata.  The short ribs were locally raised, the polenta was our own homegrown & handground cornmeal, and the herbs came straight out of the garden!  

Not only did the dish look amazing, but it tasted out-of-this-world delicious!

Some people might laugh at us, but honestly it was the best, most fun, evening we'd had together in a long time.  It was so nice to get all dressed up and have a fancy meal without worrying about driving home, or getting to a restaurant in time, or trying to find parking.  We could relax and enjoy ourselves!  We spent the same amount of money that we would have at an upscale restaurant, but we had several days' worth of delicious leftovers, and lots of amazing wine & food pairings.  It was the perfect way to celebrate eight years of happiness with my soulmate.  We have decided that we are definitely going to "eat in" more often!