The Valentine's Day "Blizzard" of '07

(The was the view from my front porch earlier today. The house is right on a very busy rural highway, and this was early in the day before the snow really started accumulating! Can you see the snowmobilers there at the four corners? Click on the picture to enlarge it for a better view.)

Well, this has been an odd day! I stayed up half the night making some 90-odd Oreo truffles for my colleagues at work as a Valentine's Day treat only to have school cancelled due to a huge Nor'easter snowstorm! On the one hand, this is nothing short of a nightmare, as Wednesday is the absolute worst day to miss. You see, I have two classes that are Monday-Wednesday only and one once-a-week night class on Wednesday. So it is going to be hideous trying to figure out how to get those classes caught up.

But that's the grown-up teacher in me talking. The kid in me was delighted to have a snow day! I woke up around 8am, heard the news that school was cancelled, and went right back to bed for a long winter's nap! When I arose much later, I decided that a special Valentine's Day meal was in order for dinner. First, Cyd helped me assemble an icebox cake, as she has been bugging me to make her another one since we polished off the first. This time, I tried to make it look like the version that I just saw in the display case at Billy's Bakery this weekend, with the edges of the cookies sticking out of the cake. And since I had leftover chocolate from the truffles, I topped it with both bittersweet and white chocolate shavings. Pretty, huh?

Then for dinner, I made the short ribs that Cyd has also been harrassing me about for weeks, and I served it over another of the Rossi pastas from my Christmas stash, the wild mushroom linguini. Scrumptious! And of course, we sopped up the delicious sauce with some of the amazing Pane Pugliese from Sullivan Street Bakery. I was worried that it may have gone stale, but after five minutes in a hot oven, it crisped right back up. The interior is tender and holey and stretchy and replete with a tangy, sourdough-like flavor. If there is a better bread on the planet, I haven't found it yet!

Well, however you dined this evening and whatever the menu, I hope you all had a lovely Valentine's Day, and that you enjoyed some romantic time with your special someone!

Oreo Truffles

16 oz. Oreo cookies
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 cups bittersweet (or semi-sweet or milk) chocolate, melted
1 cup white chocolate, melted (optional)

Crush Oreos in a food processor. Mix softened cream cheese for a minute or two in the bowl of a stand mixer until completely smooth. Add in the crushed cookies and mix thoroughly. Shape into small balls, about one teaspoon's worth apiece. Freeze for about an hour or until very firm (I just put mine on the roof of my car out in the garage at this time of year!). Melt the bittersweet chocolate, dip each cold truffle, and place on a lined sheet pan to firm up. Once set, drizzle with melted white chocolate as a contrast. Store the truffles in a covered container in the refrigerator. Makes about 50, depending on size.