A Lesson in Romance

Ahh...February 14th...what young husband doesn't stress over what to do on this special day? What are the expectations? As a young wife, we want to be pampered, remembered and celebrated, but truthfully girls - we sometimes expect our man to be Mr. Perfect on this day. I can remember many times as a young wife, being unreasonably disappointed because Mr. Metty didn't read my mind! We've been married 25 years, and there have been some amazing Valentine's Days and some not so great.

So, my dear hubby had this stroke of genius: why don't we combine our passion for cooking (especially the romantic Italian variety), use our spacious great room and convert our home into a romantic Italian candlelit restaurant. We'll invite six young couples, only tell the husbands, and let them build up the excitement of a surprise evening out. They were instructed to take care of everything from childcare, to helping their wives find a suitable black or red dress, to talking it up for two weeks beforehand. Our part was the cooking, serving and creating an environment conducive to building a lasting memory that will be a chapter in their love story.

So Mama Metty is married to Papa Metty, who has a thing or two to share with the next generation of great husbands. We learned a long time ago that the anticipation of an event is sometimes as fun or more fun than the actual event. So ladies (since it's probably only ladies reading this), take note: you'd do well to gently tell your man how much you appreciate him keeping a little secret now and then, and giving you hints until it's time to reveal. Kirk used to keep a little list going at his office of great ideas for dates. He'd try to get me to guess what he was cooking up, and everything I guessed went right on that list! Pretty clever!

So, did I get anything romantic out of this Valentine's Day? Absolutely. Every time Kirk sent a note out to the husbands, he practiced what he was preaching and I was the beneficiary of love notes, chocolates, and flowers in the days preceding February 14th. And we had such a great time working on this little project together. We cooked together, he hung out with me in the kitchen while I mixed things up, he told me how great I was. It was a pretty memorable weekend for us, too.

Menu
Grilled Portobellos with Gorgonzola, Bruschetti, Assorted Olives
Caprese Salad
Homemade Fettucine, Lasagne Bolognese, Ravioli
Sfogliatelle and Chocolate dipped Strawberries
Red and White Wines, Cappucino