V-Day Dine-in Dinin'

For those of you who follow this blog, you know that Ingrid and I hate fighting the crowds of couples that gather at our favorite restaurants on Valentine's Day. So last year, we decided to institute own very own Valentine's Day tradition of staying in and cooking dinner for one another.



Last year I made sushi and Ingrid prepared my favorite, papitas con carne. Ingrid asked me what I wanted for dinner, and never being one to pass up an opportunity for papitas con carne, I submitted my request.



The recipe to Ingrid's delicious dish is a closely held secret. Here are some of the secret ingredients. I could tell you what they are, but then I'd have to kill you. But to be honest, Ingrid doesn't even share all of the secrets with me and forces me to leave the kitchen at certain points in the process.



What I do know about the dish is that you start by pan frying some chopped onions...



... and then voila! It somehow transforms into this magnificent dish.



Once Ingrid was close to finishing her dish, it was my turn to prepare my dish for her. Rather than go with sushi, this year I decided to prepare some salmon, which she loves to eat with rice, soy sauce and a little lemon (see first picture of this post).



Unlike Ingrid's dish, there are no secrets to my dish. Start with a salmon steak and add a little salt and a little pepper, and then bam! Easy as pie.



What can I say?... I absolutely love papitas con carne. After this massive plate, I had about three more. By the end of the night, my stomach was filled with food, almost as much as my heart is filled with love. Happy Valentine's Day, Ingrid! Next year I think I'll go with the papitas con carne, if you don't mind...