I make an effort to celebrate something weekly if possible. I love having a holiday or special day to look forward to. Whether it’s a nationally recognized holiday like Christmas, or Napoleon’s birthday (August 15, 1769), there will be egg nog cookies, or Pot au Feu and bruschetta on the table, and eventually in our bellies. Sometimes I get lucky and have a multi-event day like February 2nd which included Groundhog Day, James Joyce’s and Stan Getz’s birthday. A thick winter stew, some colcannon, or haluski and a babka will pay homage to all. Besides pairing menus with a nationality, I use colors, shapes, music, and personal details to enjoy the lives of some remarkable people, and historical events. I am part Slovak, part Irish, but it’s my part glutton that makes me turn a one-day celebration into a weekend celebration. Hence, Jim and I had our Valentine’s Day dinner on Friday, and then again on Saturday. Today we will have Valentine’s Day  breakfast for dinner. If we wanted to do it right, going out would leave us with about $5 until pay day, and sometimes even cooking at home ends up costing me about $100. Believe me, Jim and I could eat seafood everyday (an easy feat when you live in the Pacific Northwest), but we wouldn’t be able to afford the electricity to cook it if we did. So I opted for this pasta dish of chicken and mushrooms. Chicken can get humdrum sometimes, but this dish is a clown, wrapped in a comedian, wrapped in a circus, wrapped in a vacation to (insert dream destination).
I substituted  pappardelle for the tagliatelle, chicken breast for the tenderloins, and used Chateau Ste-Michelle Sauvignon Blanc, which is my favorite white wine to cook with. It’s affordable, local, and for a red wine drinker enjoyable to drink. Happy Valentine’s Day. Apprecier.