Valentines Day Ideas

6 comments...

1. Posted by Brian S 24th January, 2010 at 6:39 pm

   Recipe gold mind is an awesome website. You can find Carabba’s chicken bryan and many other name brand restaurants recipes. Good luch
   References :

2. Posted by Dottie R 24th January, 2010 at 7:28 pm

   Since you said you like Italian foods, you could make lasagna or stuffed shells or manicotti the night before and refrigerate it, then bake it in a 350 F oven for about an hour when you first get home. While it’s baking, you can put together a nice salad and some garlic bread (not too much garlic though, or you’ll both have garlic breath!). Betty Crocker’s website has some nice Valentine’s desserts – including one that’s basically just brownies cut out with heart shaped cookie cutter and then drizzled with caramel sauce and pecans. You could make the heart shaped brownies the night before and then warm the caramel sauce in your microwave and finish the desserts with the sauce and pecans when you plate them. You might also enjoy a nice bottle of wine with your dinner.
   References :

3. Posted by smdiner 24th January, 2010 at 8:10 pm

   Main Dish
   Creamed Chicken in Patty Shells – tasty creamed chicken makes a wonderful main dish, and when you add extra vegetables, it becomes an entire meal. The recipe might look long, but it’s well worth the effort.

   INGREDIENTS
   1 broiler/fryer chicken (3 to 4 pounds), cut up
   2 quarts water
   1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
   1 1/2 teaspoons pepper, divided
   2 (10 ounce) packages puff pastry shells
   1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
   1 medium green pepper, chopped
   1/2 cup small fresh broccoli florets
   5 tablespoons butter or margarine
   6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
   2 cups milk
   1 (2 ounce) jar diced pimientos, drained
   1/4 teaspoon paprika

   DIRECTIONS
   In a large kettle, bring the chicken, water, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken from broth; cool. Remove meat from bones; cut into cubes and set aside. Discard skin and bones. Drain broth and skim fat; set aside 1 cup broth (refrigerate remaining broth for another use).
   Bake pastry shells according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, saute the mushrooms, green pepper and broccoli in butter until tender; sprinkle with flour. Gradually stir in milk and reserved broth until blended. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add the pimientos, paprika, reserved chicken and remaining salt and pepper. Cook and stir until heated through. Spoon into pastry shells
   ================
   Desert
   Banana Split Cheesecake

   A good no-bake cheesecake. It tastes just like its name.

   INGREDIENTS
   2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
   3/4 cup melted butter
   4 cups confectioners’ sugar
   2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
   1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
   3 medium bananas, quartered
   1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
   8 maraschino cherries, halved
   1/2 cup chocolate syrup
   1/2 cup pecan halves

   DIRECTIONS
   Blend the melted butter or margarine with the graham crackers and press into the bottom of one 9×12 inch pan.
   Blend the confectioner’s sugar and the cream cheese together until smooth. Spread over the graham cracker crumb layer. Layer the crushed pineapple and the bananas over the cream cheese layer. Then spread the whipped topping over the top. Decorate with maraschino cherry halves. Drizzle chocolate syrup over the top and sprinkle with pecans. Chill for at least 4 hours then serve
   References :

4. Posted by califblnd 24th January, 2010 at 8:54 pm

   I have the pampered chef clay cookware. I like preparing a chicken orange rosemary:

   2-4 chicken breasts, no bones or skins
   2 oranges- cut one orange in half and squeeze saving the pulp, cut the other into slices.
   1 chopped garlic clove
   extra virgin olive oil
   fresh ground pepper
   fresh rosemary- chopped about 1 tablespoon and you will need 2 rosemary sprigs.

   in clay cookware sprinkle some extra virgin olive oil on bottom, put chicken in cookware, add chopped garlic, fresh ground pepper and chopped rosemary, pour orange juice along with the pulp over the chicken.

   Put in oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes basting with the orange juice from the pan.

   Once removed put chicken on a plate, cut the other orange into slices and cut one end so you can twist the orange slice. layer around the chicken and lay on top the fresh rosemary sprigs.

   I serve this with steamed rice and fresh asparagus or broccoli.
   References :

5. Posted by peppy_girl84 24th January, 2010 at 9:17 pm

   ROAST DUCKLING WITH CHAMPAGNE SAUCE
   INGREDIENTS:

   * 1 frozen duckling, thawed
   * 2 oranges, peeled
   * salt and pepper
   * 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
   * 3 tablespoons champagne
   * 3 egg yolks
   * 2 cups heavy cream
   * salt and pepper
   * orange segments for garnish

   PREPARATION:
   Wash duck and pat dry inside and out. Stuff with peeled oranges. Prick skin all over with fork. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Place on rack in roasting pan. Roast in a preheated 350° oven for 30 to 35 minutes per pound.

   Remove and cut into 4 sections; discard orange pulp. Arrange on a hot serving platter and keep warm while preparing sauce.

   Place cream and egg yolks in a shallow pan; heat gently. Add orange juice and champagne a little at a time. Add a little salt to taste. Allow sauce to come to a simmer; continue to heat for 15 seconds. Do not boil. Pour sauce over duck and garnish with fresh orange sections.
   Serves 2.

   Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe:
   Moelleux au Chocolat… A French classic that literally melts in your mouth!!! This dessert is usually made in individual ramekins, but see the serving ideas below for other possibilities.

   Preparation Time: 15 minutes
   Cooking Time: 10 minutes

   Ingredients (4 people):

   6 oz. Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate (or use your favorite 70% dark chocolate bar)
   6 oz. Butter (diced, room temperature)
   3 Eggs
   1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
   1/3 cup Flour
   Butter for Ramekins

   How to Make It:

   Preheat oven to 350°F
   1. Melt chocolate on low flame in a bain-marie (double boiler). When melted, take of flame, and…
   2. Stir in diced butter, until it melts.
   3. In another bowl, beat eggs and sugar, until it starts to whiten.
   4. Stir in melted chocolate and then the flour.
   5. Butter 4 individual ramekins, and pour in chocolate batter.
   6. Cook for about 10 minutes.
   7. Tip ramekins upside down onto dessert plates and serve.
   Voilà!

   Tips:

   You can definitely prepare your chocolate lave cake recipe ahead of time, and then bake 10 minutes before serving. I always do it this way!

   In terms of buttering the ramekins: butter the bottoms first, and then butter the sides, wiping from the bottom up to the top. It helps the chocolate to rise even more.

   In terms of baking time… well, it depends on how runny you want it! I like it with a super-liquid-oozing center — so do my guests! For this, you want the top to be cooked through, but the center to be liquid. You can check with a toothpick after 10 minutes of baking.
   If you don’t like liquid-center chocolate desserts, just cook for a little longer, and you will have an incredibly moist chocolate cake. So, either way, you can’t go wrong!

   Serving Ideas:

   You can, if you want, serve your chocolate lava cake recipe with a Crème Anglaise (English Cream) or a Coulis aux Framboises (Raspberry Sauce). Personally, I always serve it as is (no sauce). And honestly, everyone FALLS IN LOVE with this dessert!!! How could they not?!!!
   References :
   grouprecipes.com/s/chocolate-lava-cake/recipe/1/relevancy

6. Posted by jers 24th January, 2010 at 9:49 pm

   Italian Valentine’s Day Supper

   Spend your time with your loved one, not slaving over difficult recipes. Try this delicious and easy dinner as a fantastic Valentine day idea.
   Who wants to spend their time rushing and worrying about a fancy meal. Will the meat be tough? Will the souffle fall? Put those worries aside with this simple, but elegant meal. The most complicated recipe is the dessert, but that can be made the day before. This menu makes a fantastic Valentine gift.

   Salad: Fennel Salad with Mozzarella
   Pasta: Pasta Primavera
   Dessert: Budino al Cioccolato (Chocolate Pudding)

   Salad
   Ingredients

   1 Tbs sour cream
   1 tsp lemon juice
   3 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
   1/2 tsp salt
   1/8 tsp freshly ground, black pepper
   1 fennel bulb
   1 Tbs fresh dill, chopped
   1/2 pound fresh mozzarella
   Directions

   Trim the fennel bulb. Slice it very thin.
   Cut the mozzarella into 1/4 inch slices.
   In a large bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice, olive oil, black pepper, and salt.
   Add the fennel and toss.
   Places the mozzarella slices on plates and top with the fennel and dressing.
   Pasta
   Ingredients

   8 ounces of farfelle pasta (bow tie pasta)
   12 spears of fresh asparagus
   8 ounces of mild, fresh mango salsa
   6 ounces of Chèvre
   1/2 pound of frozen, cooked, peeled shrimp, thawed
   Directions

   Clean the asparagus and cut into 2 inch pieces.
   Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot, add 1 Tbs of salt, and drop in the pasta all at once, stirring until the pasta is submerged. If you have a smaller pot, you can use less than 3 quarts of water, but you must constantly stir the pasta for one minute.
   Add the asparagus to the boiling water during the last three minutes of cooking.
   When the pasta is cooked al dente drain.
   Heat the salsa in a large skillet over medium heat.
   After about 2 minutes add the Chèvre. Heat until smooth.
   Add the shrimp and stir gently until heated through.
   Pour the sauce over the pasta and toss gently.
   Dessert
   Ingredients

   4 egg yolks
   3 ounces of extra-fine sugar
   8 ounces of Ricotta cheese
   1 Tbs instant coffee
   2 Tbs boiling water
   6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
   1/2 pint whipping cream
   salt
   Directions

   Disolve the instant coffee in the boiling water.
   Melt the chocolate either in a double boiler or in the microwave. Set aside, but keep over warm water.
   Pour the cream into a cold bowl. Add a pinch of salt. Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Put it back in the refrigerator.
   Put the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and whisk until thick, light, and creamy.
   Beat in the Ricotta cheese and disolved coffee into the egg sugar mixture. Make sure the coffee isn’t too hot. You don’t want to curdle the eggs.
   Add the melted chocolate to this egg mixture.
   Fold the whipped cream lightly into the chocolate/egg mix. You don’t want to break the cells of the cream, but you want it completly mixed through.
   Spoon the mixture into tall stemmed glasses or a large decorative glass bowl. Chill for 3-4 hours before serving. You can decorate with cocoa and coffee beans.
   References :

What do you think?