Yesterday we had a nice Valentine’s Day at the house. Nothing fancy, just a couple gifts and a nice dinner. I made some roast beef using tri-tip roast, and it turned out pretty good. It’s the simplest thing to make, but really tasty! Just coat the outside of the roast with fresh cracked pepper and salt, and garlic powder if you want (we didn’t), put it in a 425°F oven until the internal temp reaches 135°F, take it out of the oven and let it rest a bit, then slice and eat! Mariko made a great asparagus dish with fresh garlic and balsamic vinegar, and we also had homemade sourdough bread that her manager baked.

For gifts, Bay and Koa gave Mariko a Hello Kitty card. Bay wrote “Happy Valentines Day” and “Bay Koa Papa” on it. We also gave her a cookbook that she is very happy with (yokatta!). Mariko gave me some new pajamas, which I wore to bed last night. My old ones were getting kind of ratty, with the left cuff falling apart. Anyways, it was a good Valentines Day!