MAKE VALENTINE’S DAY HAPPY
As I wrote last year, with Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day so close to each other, yet such different events, people who enjoy both, find it hard to plan. They practically overlap. To make sure you find ways to celebrate, which suit your needs, I’m giving choices of different ideas with recipes for Super Bowl party plans and others to honor Valentine’s Day. You’re sure to find one tailored to you. Last week’s posting was on Super Bowl. Here’s Valentine’s Day.
I’ve done several posts on different dinners for Valentine’s Day, citing recipes from casual to elegant. Last year I combined them in a single post with backlinks for reference and reposting that ‘master post’ seems a good idea. Simply clicking the links to those posts offers a wide choice of individual menu options. There are ample choices there to plan exactly the dinner you want with 9 different types of events; the quick, the easy but upscale, Lenten suggestions, all chicken, family inclusive, cooking together, even fabulous, cozy desserts to enjoy after a restaurant dinner. There are over 75 recipes to choose from, most for the standard 4 servings but easily divisible.
May I suggest you start by reading the summaries of the posts for 2/9/12, 2/7/13, 2/11/14, 2/11/15, 2/10/16, 2/1/17*, 2/8/18, 2/7/19 written below. Hyperlinks are imbedded to give you quick access to the recipes in each post-simply click the date of the post.
Feb. 16, 2012: Special Dinner Recipes for 2 – Affordable, Last Minute and Easy
I was inspired to write this by neighbors who were debating if they should go out or not. They had wanted to have a nice dinner at home, but thought perhaps the expense of a restaurant was worth it to spare cooking stress. They asked suggestions for some special seeming dinners recipes for 2 that were not too labor intensive, especially at the last minute. My type of meal!
However, when I asked them what they considered “special”, they gave me the usual responses, conditioned by years of food shopping and restaurant menus: Fillet Mignon, prime rib, lobster, crab, all expensive and attention specific to cook. Not for a relaxed, romantic dinner. The following recipes all fit this type menu much better.
APPETIZERS
Salmon Spread
Sun Dried Tomato Pate
Cream Cheese with Tapenade:
ENTREES
Cornish Hens with Wild Rice and Grapes
Pork Chops Basil
Salmon in Lemon Caper Sauce
DESSERTS
Classic Burnt Almond Ice Cream Sunday
Mock Chocolate Steamed Pudding
Meringue Glace
Viennese Coffee
Feb.7, 2013: Some Valentine Ideas
Steak, especially fillet mignon, and lobster do persist in remaining the popular conceptions of romantic dinners. I like both but neither but neither would be my choice to prepare for an intimate dinner with someone special. Gauging the doneness of beef to an exact degree, is one of the most challenging tasks in cooking and preventing a lobster from over cooking is almost as hard. They require attention without distraction which doesn’t fit in with a cozy dinner for two.
I also like originality. It’s fun to give things a fresh perk particularly on Valentine’s Day. It makes the dinner, and the person you’re with seem more special. Moreover, each of these recipes, including those from 2012, makes an attractive dish that requires minimal presentation to appear truly elegant. They can transcend cost, and prove my motto that; “Wonderful scents can be created, while saving cents, by using good sense”.
STARTERS
Bean Dip
Baked Brie
Puffy Pinwheels
ENTREES
Pork Tenderloin with Citrus Glaze
Pasta with Smoked Salmon in Vodka Sauce
Chicken Stuffed with Cream Cheese
DESSERTS
Fruit Turnovers – My Grandmother made these as a snack from left over pie dough not Puff Pastry.
Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Almond Frosting
Napoleons
Feb. 11, 2014: Chicken 9 Ways for Valentine’s Day
Even on a regular night, I prep and clean up as much as possible before, so all I have to do is serve and stack the dishwasher later. For special occasions I try to plan menus with dishes that can be made ahead and quickly readied to serve when people want.
Valentine’s Day is a time when company and conversation are very important. The menu should be “special” but not experimental. New twists on old favorites, well presented are best as are dishes that are easy to eat without need for carving, special utensils or extra napkins for messy fingers and the remains should be equally easy clear up.
This year I’m taking a different approach by suggesting one generally accepted dish, chicken roll-ups with 9 variations. There should be one recipe to please even the fussiest eater. They can be presented whole or sliced, on individual plates or one platter; vegetables on the side or surrounding them on the platter. The recipes are for 4 servings, but they are easily halved. There are so many of them, I’m putting them at the end of this post.
In choosing an Appetizer, be sure not to duplicate the ingredients in your choice of roll up. Don’t offer cheese or a pork product with those entrees that contain either. Shrimp would go with everything, but don’t serve them in a market “ring”. Make them special. Serve them with Lamaze sauce on a lettuce lined plate. A simple Lamaze sauce is 1 part ketchup to 3 parts mayonnaise with a pinch of nutmeg.
STARTERS
A Bean Dip
Golden Tiny Potatoes
Green vegetable
Salad
CHICKEN ROLL-UP ENTREES
FILLINGS:
A) Herb and Nuts
B) Tomato and Ham or Bacon
C) Cream Cheese and Chives
D) Cream Cheese Dijon
E) Sage and Cheese
F) Feta and Herbs + Sauce
G) Saltimbocca +Sauce
H) Roasted Pepper and Olive + Sauce
I) Sausage and Peppers
DESSERTS-Please check posts for 2/9/12, 2/7/13, 2/11/14. 2/11/15, 2/10/16, 2/1/17*, 2/8/18, 2/7/19
Angel Nests
Chocolate Cherry Biscotti
Feb 11, 2015: VALENTINE’S DAY THE EASY WAY
Valentine’s Day is unique among holidays in that it’s intended to be celebrated by couples, not with friends or family. A dinner is traditional, but not with ‘set’ dishes as with other holidays, and changes as life progresses through different phases. For the dating young and those with young children, restaurants are the preferred option. The newly- weds and older couples seem to prefer to stay home. For them the most relaxed menu plan is to stay with a classic entrée, which are currently enjoying resurgence in popularity. Most of these recipes tolerate minor adjustments in flavor and cooking technique which individualize them to taste and customize the preparation to fit the occasion. Try to select dishes that can be prepared and at least partially cooked in advance. Make sure everything is pre-measured and ready to use. Stay within your kitchen skills and keep it simple. Simplicity can be very elegant especially when it contributes to a relaxed, atmosphere by removing stress.
STARTERS
Whole Wheat Bread Cut-Outs
Tapenade and Cream Cheese are naturals together.
Cream Cheese mixed with Horseradish on rounds of Lebanon Bologna
Ham; from smoked turkey to real Prosciutto Crudo wrapped around a kosher Dill Pickle spear or a Melon
Prosciutto con Melone
ENTREES
Apricot Glazed Pork Tenderloin
Chicken in Lemon-Wine Sauce
Sirloin Tip Casserole + Topping
Pepper Steak or Steak au Poivre
DESSERTS
Chocolate Truffles
White Chocolate Cheesecake Truffles
Chocolate Biscotti with Vin Santo
Feb. 10, 2016: Great Valentine’s Day Ideas Whether It’s Dinner By 2 Or Dinner For 2
Special “at home” Valentine’s Day dinners are usually accomplished in one of two ways, The Dinner by 2 and The Dinner for 2. The Dinner by 2 is when both people involved like to cook, and are comfortable in the kitchen. Even if their skills aren’t on a par and one is experienced, while the other is a novice, they will enjoy planning, prepping and cooking the dinner together as much as eating it
In The Dinner for 2 method: one person does the planning and cooking. Ideally, the major portion is done in advance, leaving only finishing touches before dinner, which can provide a graceful change of pace and give the companion a chance to appreciate the cook’s skills and efforts. This method offers an opportunity to ‘glamorize’ the evening and more time for conversation. It’s a more traditional, formal 1) Heart Shaped Canapes
2) Cheese Heart
approach to the meal.
Method #1, Is a more bistro or a la carte approach, spontaneity is the key.
Method #2, resembles a catered dinner, in that most of the prepping and even some of the cooking and plating are done in advance.
This post was longer than usual, because it has 3 complete entrée menus for each method of preparation, including appetizer and dessert recipes. Having made them all, I can guarantee the recipes are both sharable and doable, with minimum effort. Most are for the standard 4 servings but easily divisible.
STARTERS for the Dinner for 2 Menus
Heart Shaped Canapes
Cheese Heart
ENTREES for Dinners for 2 with salads and sides
Game Hens with Wild Rice and White Grapes –Marinated asparagus spears Garnished
Pork Chops Basil
Salmon with Tomatoes and Greens
DESSERTS for Dinner for 2
Biscotti
1) Classic Almond Biscotti
2) Chocolate Biscotti
STARTERS for the Dinner by 2 Menus
Bruschetta: with basic salsa recipe and variation
1) Italian
2) Mexican
Artichokes
Entrees for the Dinner by 2
Kabobs + a simple green salad. +A loaf of artisanal bread +A suggested side is a salad of green beans
Pasta with White Clam Sauce+ Salad and a Loaf of crusty bread
Chicken with Artichokes and Peppers +Taboule, or any grain, quinoa, rice, barley etc., even couscous
Suggested salad
DESSERT for Dinner by 2:
Chocolate Fondue
Feb.7.2017: 7 PERFECT DESSERTS FOR VALENTINE’S DAY
I’m taking a different approach with a suggestion is easy yet retains the personal touch in observing the holiday. Let someone else make the entrée, then have a wonderfully romantic dessert ready to serve at home with liqueur or wine or espresso. This allows people to spend time together, yet ends the evening on the proper note.
I’m listing 7 desserts below which fill the bill. Two are more spectacular, three need a few seconds of finishing touches and two are table ready, but all can be served quickly and with little effort. Don’t let the first two scare you, they really are simple to make and the recipes easy to divide.
Bananas Foster with Grapes: Serves 4
Cherries Jubilee
Cranberry Crisp
Cranberry Nut Torte
Chocolate-Burnt Almond Snowballs
Chocolate-Covered Strawberries
Biscotti*-
Classic Almond Biscotti
Chocolate Biscotti
Feb 8, 2018: LENTEN DINNERS FOR VALENTINE’S DAY 2018
This year requires some special recipes because the holiday is also Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. For Christians this signals the beginning of a period of fasting. Some will shun meat on certain days Ash Wednesday being one, others will renounce, or cut back on things like candy and carbohydrates in the weeks until Easter.
So, dinner recipes for this year must be a bit different For inspiration, I turned to spa and low-cal cookbooks and researched ‘fish’ dishes, because they seem the ones most suited to general acceptance for this occasion. I tried to select dishes which have a bit of glamour, without undo effort and require only ingredients readily available, in most areas, all year. To make shopping decisions easier, I’m printing a fish chart below to suggest substitutions.
So this post is for couples who think it’s fun to mark the actual day, rather than postpone until the weekend. Perhaps you’re a couple who can enjoy a leisurely dinner, perhaps you want to give your children a treat to brighten the week. Whatever your situation, I’ve tried to gather a collection of recipes that will offer something to everyone, including children despite it’s now being Lent…
The recipes follow the fish chart. All of them allow you to mix fish from the same category.
STARTERS
Cheese wedge and crackers
ENTREES
Sole Veronique
Salmon with Chive-Mustard Butter
Fusion Tilapia
Fish or Scallop Kabobs
Shrimp Kabobs+ Chinese Spicy Peanut Sauce.
Grilled (or Broiled) Halibut Steaks
Cod with Lemongrass +Sauce
Ocean Perch with Black Olives and Capers
DESSERTS
Check postings for 2/9/12, 2/7/13, 2/11/14, 2/11/15, 2/10/16, 2/1/17*, 2/8/18, 2/7/19
Feb 7, 2019: 3 WEEKDAY VALENTINE’S DAY DINNERS/FAMILY
Again Valentine’s Day is a weekday, with weekend celebrations probably scheduled but it’s hard not to give the actual day a nod. In this post, I give directions for three complete dinners, from starters through desserts, which will suit not only those able to dine a deux on a week night but can also be served to a family to ‘celebrate ’ a fun holiday. It’s not a bad idea for a family to set aside a day to appreciate being a family. Why not Valentine’s Day?
Which brings me back to this post, these three dinners are designed to seem a bit upscale, befitting an occasion, but actually they’re not. They really don’t require more prep time, effort or expense than a normal weekday meal. The recipes are, actually, quite simple, especially with a couple of helping hands. In fact, many aspects of each can be made ahead and all have been modified to easily extend to include more servings by doubling or tripling the ingredient amounts.
STARTERS
Melon con Prociutto (A kosher dill pickle spear can be treated in the same way)
Bruschetta-7 ways
Cream Cheese with Tapenade
BONUS: Cream cheese-other ways to serve
ENTREES
Chicken Oscar
Pork Chops Basil
Mexican Snapper
SIDES
Salads
Asparagus
Spinach Pie
Potatoes:
For Pork
For Fish
DESSERTS -Also see Feb 2018
Bananas Foster with Grapes
Cherries Jubilee
Cranberry Crisp
Cranberry-Nut Torte
Chocolate-Burnt Almond Crunch balls
Biscotti-Classic Almond or Chocolate
