Enagement Dinner

For Miss Yunks, 2012 ended on a high note. She spent a few days skiing in powder snow in Park City, Utah, eating delicious food, making s’mores over an open flame at the dinner table and enjoying a roasted tomato and eggplant soup that inspired a home recipe make the list of favorite food moments. Eating trail mix and granola bars for dinner while we stood in Times Square for 10 hours on New Year’s Eve is up there, too. But, those are foodie moments for another day. Today, I’m sharing how 2013 started.

One week into 2013, BF came home on Friday night with whipped cream, fresh berries, and the usual pancake ingredients. We eat pancakes in our house most weekends, but just regular pancakes with whatever chocolate chips or frozen blueberries we have on hand. When he showed up with the special berries and whipped cream, I had a feeling I was in for a special breakfast the next day. Saturday morning, he said he had a special recipe he wanted to try and convinced me to stay in bed while he made breakfast. I had no objection to staying in bed longer! Pancake smells wafted into the bedroom and finally he said breakfast was ready. When I walked into the kitchen, I saw he had written “Will you marry me?” with whipped cream and he had the ring in his hand. He got down on one knee in our kitchen and proposed! I, of course, said yes! It was the perfect proposal for us! I love pancakes and I love whipped cream even more. And, I love him, too.

He told me he made a reservation for dinner that night at Upstairs on the Square. I’ve been wanting to go to Upstairs on the Square for years so it was a perfect choice. When we got to the restaurant, I got my second surprise of the day. Our parents were all there to celebrate with us! BF orchestrated quite the surprise, and I learned he and my parents are very good secret keepers.

Dinner at Upstairs on the Square was as delicious as I imagined and I appreciated the fun creative menu. After our champagne toast, I started my meal with a grilled cheese and tomato soup appetizer.

The grilled cheese had just the right amount of butter to be full of flavor but not overly greasy and the cheddar cheese was gooey and melty how I like it. It tasted delightful on its own and even better dipped into the creamy tomato soup. This appetizer was enough to be my main course. But, there was more on the way. For my meal, I had barley “risotto” with vegetables and roasted cauliflower.  lease excuse the poor quality of these photos; the lighting was dark and I’m engaged – give me a break!

The serving portion looks small in the photo, and it did in real life, too. However, I couldn’t even finish it after my grilled cheese and tomato soup starter. My eyes were bigger than my stomach. I was so full that I passed on dessert, and that never happens. But, BF had pre-ordered a special dessert. The menu online is different than the one at the restaurant that night and I can’t remember what this dessert want called, but it tasted like rich chocolate ice cream, cut in triangles, and decorated with hazelnuts, sugar, and chocolate sauce.

BF put a lot of effort into making our engagement day special. And now, I’ve dived into wedding planning and am making an effort to be healthier and cook at home more. I intend to have a lot more to share soon!

Cheers to a happy new year to all of you!