If you were a pill, I'd take a handful at my will/And I'd knock you back with something sweet and strong - Shrimp and portobello fettuccini alfredo

For Valentine's Day this year, I get a new [to me] laptop and Steve gets the dinner of his choice. OK, so the exchange seems a little lopsided, but the dinner was good and I'll pay him back somehow. Steve chose shrimp fettuccini alfredo. Add on a simple green salad and it's an easy peasy dinner that looks impressive.

I decided to add portobello mushrooms and sauteed them with the shrimp and a big fat clove of garlic. In a saucepan, I made a roux with butter and flour, cooked it for a bit and then added half and half, whisking the mixture to make sure all the flour lumps were incorporated and smooth. After it thickened up a little, I added a generous amount of freshly ground pepper, a pinch of salt, and grated in some fresh nutmeg. Then I threw in a generous amount of parmesan cheese and let it cook and thicken for a few minutes. Then I added the shrimp/mushroom mixture to the white sauce and let it simmer for another few minutes before adding it to the hot pasta. Yum. I found a delicious sparkling pinot grigio and it's a perfect accompaniment to the rich sauce.

For dessert we'll be having hot tea (mine is white peony, his is herbal chai) with non-dairy mochi ice cream treats. Happy Valentine's Day!