valentine's day & other lovely things

[as you may be able to tell, i've been playing around w/the colors & layout of this blog. ready for a change.]

last week, i found a lovely surprise awaiting me in the mailroom:

a cupcake card for valentine's day -and this beautifully delicate, fluttery lime top - from my parents!
as for my whole lemon tart, it was entirely too sweet and rather grainy... but to my surprise, one of my roommates actually really liked it!
this is just one of the greek salads i toss together on any old day, but i thought it just looked so pretty on this particular day.
tilapia fillet baked with scallions, onions, lemon juice & olive oil + whole grain spaghetti with zucchini & tomatoes sauteed with garlic & balsamic
on friday, the day before valentine's day, my friend & i had dinner @ our on-campus "upscale bistro style" restaurant. they gave all the ladies a carnation on the way out. i'd almost forgotten how pretty carnations can be! they remind me of valentine's day in middle & high school.
friend & i made v-day dinner together: ny strip steak, asparagus sauteed w/baby portabellos & scalloped potatoes w/leeks. it was actually my first time cooking with leeks - so exciting! - and the potatoes were my fave (gruyere, cream & chicken stock made the dish extra rich).
y. + the delicious meal we prepared!
to finish: chocolate cupcakes (from the box) with homemade cream cheese frosting. we also hid pieces of chocolate in the centers, as if it wasn't decadent enough.
with some of the leftover scalloped potatoes, i attempted a spanish omelet. softened some chopped red onion, broke the slices of potato into smaller chunks & added beaten egg. tasted good but didn't look like the omelets we ate in madrid or at the tapas restaurants here. this photo captures the mosaic-like outside. interesting looking at least.
again, pretty salad leaves. y. bought this new asian-inspired bowl for h. i like.