Valentine’s Day is for amateurs. I say that with a wink and a smile, since, having owned restaurants for many years, I recall fondly the preparations we would make for this one big day each year, where everything absolutely had to be perfect: roses on every table, plenty of champagne and chocolate desserts for two, and a special menu full of romance-designed dishes- oysters on the half shell, duck in cherry sauce, spinach salad with blueberries and chocolate, the list goes on…

Then, even with all our preparations, we sat back and waited for those frantic last minute calls at 5pm Valentine’s Day. “Can I get a reservation for two at 7?” In my mind, I would sometimes reply, “Do you mean for next year? No problem!!” And oh the teeth gnashing, the begging, all for just one night out of 365 in the year!

So I made a pact with myself a long time ago. Romance is always in the air in my kitchen. I don’t build up any expectations about one day in the year. Instead, I try to concoct a little romance, and a whole lot of regular ol’ lovin’, in everything I cook up at home. If you read my blog regularly, then you know that I place attention where it belongs: in the details. Every meal I serve up has been either planned or put together with every piece of the meal in mind.

For instance, this past week, I jumped the gun on Valentine’s Day a bit, and marinated some quail in rose and quince, roasted a handful of potatoes in my husband’s favorite spices from our garden (it’s all about the thyme), and steamed green beans with lemon zest and walnut oil. Inspired, I quickly rolled out a cheddar-mustard pie crust and filled it with apple, pineapple, apricots, rose water, and sour cream, topping the pie off with a crumble of brown sugar, cinnamon and pine nuts. Have I mentioned before that I just can’t stop?

So we popped a bottle of champagne a week early and called that dinner. And here’s the secret, I made a meal the very next night- roast chicken with tomatillo and lime, caramelized onion cheesy potatoes, and more green beans- that was every bit as tasty, and filled with every bit as much love. The thing about romantic meals, in my book, is that they don’t have to be fancy, or filled with expensive ingredients. They just have to be made with loving intent. Yes, even something as simple as a sandwich, as long as it is made with a little love in mind, is a romantic dish.

So not to pshaw all the energy that goes into planning and executing a lovely romantic dinner on valentine’s day. I just want to remind my readers that you can put that same energy, that same loving intent, into any meal, any day out of the year. If you’d like to surprise your sweety with a nice homemade pie anytime, try this crust as your base, and feel free to fill it with whatever ingredients you like: peach, apple, pear- anything you know that you and your loved one will swoon over.

Cheddar Pie Crust Recipe

3 c flour

1/4 c sugar

1 t dry mustard

pinch salt

8 T (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold

3/4 c shredded cheddar cheese

8 T cold water

Combine flour, sugar, mustard & salt in mixing bowl and toss well to blend. Using your fingertips or pastry blender, cut in the butter until small clumps have formed in a sandy texture. Add cheese and blend. Sprinkle mixture with water, 2 T at a time, tossing with a fork or fingertips until dough can be formed into a ball. Cover and chill in refrigerator 45 minutes.Divide dough into 2 balls: 1 twice as large as the other. Roll out larger ball on lightly floured surface to form 14 inch circle. Transfer to 10 inch pie plate, tucking edges under to form rustic edging.

Fill pie plate with whatever pie you are making: apple, peach, pear, you name it. Roll out remaining dough and either cut into strips to form lattice or cut with cookie cutter into picturesque shapes and top pie filling. Bake and enjoy!

Keep it tasty (and romantic!), and I’ll see you somewhere down the road.

Author Bio

Ruby Dee, from Ruby Dee and the Snakehandlers, brings many years various life experiences along for the ride. Ruby grew up traveling back and forth from Northern California foothill ranches to the cotton and oil fields of the Texas panhandle. She enrolled in college at 15, and dropped out to hit the streets as a punk. Later, she spent years fishing in Alaska, driving big rigs, and owning restaurants in Seattle, Washington, until she finally gave all that up to settle down back in Texas, where she is at long last furthering her career as a writer and singer/songwriter. These experiences are reflected in Ruby's writing style, and in the band's hopped up high-octane successes on stage and on the road.

Ruby’s latest release, “Live From Austin Texas”, out on Dionysus Records, is currently on the AMA and Texas Third Coast Music charts and has earned the band a Grammy nomination for Best Americana Album. Her cookbook, “Ruby’s Juke Joint Americana Cookbook”, shares 120 of Ruby’s original recipes, and includes a CD of music to cook by, including original songs by Marti Brom, Two Hoots and a Holler, Lloyd Tripp, Teri Joyce, Earl Poole Ball, and others (and Ruby, of course!).

For more information on Ruby’s Juke Joint Americana Cookbook, or to contact the author, go to www.rubysjukejoint.com. Also, of course, all the usual suspect places: Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Rubys-Juke-Joint-Americana-Cookbook/183336818364780 and Twitter at @rubysjukejoint. Catch ya in the kitchen!

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