I am going through my blog and found I have 44 unpublished posts since 2013. I just shared one. But, I also found a post about Valentine’s day. So, I am sharing because Valentine’s day is just around the corner. I am using the cake (above) I made about a week or two ago.
Flowers and chocolates are the most common buy for men to give to their other half or someone special in their hearts. What about women? What can we do for our partner on Valentines Day? Some might say well, it’s Valentine’s Day! Women are suppose to be wooed all over again. I hear you. However, to keep the spark alive, I believe it goes both ways. I believe both should make each other feel special. I think women ought to do something for their men as well. Yes, eating out is the most common thing we can do for our partner, but if you are like us who are on a budget, I plan to have a romantic dinner at home. Not only you both can relax and not rush through traffic to make it to your reservation, the minute your loved one comes home, you can pull out the chair and have him sit down for a lovely, romantic, elegant dinner at home instead of driving all over again and wait in line to be served. If you are planning for a romantic dinner at home, here’s my take on what I’m going to prepare this Valentine’s Day.
HIS AND HERS VALENTINE BREAKFAST
If you prefer something healthy, you can make a small heart charcuterie board adorned with all his/her favorite breakfast.
Or, an oatmeal served in a heart bowl topped with chopped chocolates. Or….
PANCAKE HEARTS
If your loved one or someone special is romantic, this breakfast will surely impress him/her. It will be the “best” part of his/her morning besides coffee. 🙂 You can either make it from scratch or use a cake mix. It’s up to you.
Ingredients:
- Strawberry cake or Red Velvet cake mix
- egg
- strawberry juice
- oil
Preparation Methods:
Follow the instructions on the box to make the batter. Heat skillet or electric griddle and lightly coat with oil or butter when hot. Place the heart shape pancake mold on the skillet. Scoop about less than 1/4 cup of the pancake batter into the heart mold. Cook until bubbles form. Remove the mold and turn on the other side and cook until brown. Serve warm with strawberry syrup or your favorite syrup.
ROMANTIC DINNER
There is something elegant and sophisticated about serving a tender steak to your loved ones, rib eye steak or tenderloin that is. Don’t you think? If your someone special crave for something hearty, steak is always on top of the list even at restaurants. Most of them would recommend steak during special holiday like Valentines Day. They would have it listed on their “romantic dinner” menu. You can prepare it at home and make it special, romantic dinning experience he’ll ever have.
Sometimes, it is the best to prepare at home if you want to please your loved one who’s a meat lover. It’s less expensive. It’s one way to make it up to him/her after a long, hard day at work. I am sure it will touch his/her heart and appreciate your effort. It will sure help ease his/her exhaustion from a long commute. A perfect dinner for him would be to serve his favorite food. You can bring out your lovely china to make it more elegant and have that “restaurant dinning experience” feel to it.
ENTREE
WALNUT AND RASPBERRY STEAK WITH SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS
This is my family’s favorite steak recipe. What a way to reminisce the good old days with my husband’s favorite steak recipe and serve it on Valentines Day. You can grill this on a barbecue grill or in a pan. Grilling it in a pan will come handy if you don’t own an indoor grill, especially during winter months.
Ingredients:
- 2- 6 ounces servings of Rib Eye Steak or Tenderloin Steak
- 16 ounce bottle of Ken’s Walnut and Raspberry Dressing, reserve 1/3 cup as dipping sauce
- a handful roasted walnuts and raspberries and cherries
- 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
- 2 cups dried Shiitake mushrooms, hydrated
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly cut
- 2 sprigs Italian parsley, chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- Romaine lettuce, cut in bite pieces
Preparation Methods:
Season the steak with salt and pepper. For easy clean up, place steak in a Ziploc bag. Add the remaining Walnut and Raspberry dressing. Marinate the steak at least 4 hours or overnight. Lay it flat on the refrigerator shelf. For best result, cook it on a grill, but if you don’t own one, you can grill it in a pan to desired doneness. Garnish with crumbled blue cheese and walnuts. Serve with the reserved dressing to the side.
For the Shiitake Mushrooms, sauté garlic until lightly brown. Add the Shiitake mushrooms and stir-fry until the mushrooms are tender. Add the walnuts, dried raspberries, dried cherries, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
If you can’t eat steak like me, you can just have the Shiitake Mushroom Salad with the addition of watercress and bean sprouts sauteed in Sesame oil. Serve with the Walnut and Raspberry dressing. Take it from me, the salad was quite refreshing and delicious!
KIDS CORNER
If you have children and can’t find a babysitter to babysit them, well, let them join in and serve them the same thing. Just improvise it by cutting the meat for them. My children love their steak well-done. I’ve read that well done meat is tough, dry and flavorless. Well, not in our home. Believe me, if you know how to flavor your meat and what kind of meat to serve, you will not end up with a dry, flavorless steak no matter what unless of course it’s burnt to a degree that it isn’t edible. The meat was perfectly cooked, flavorful and very tender. Served on bed of romaine lettuce and top with sauteed Shiitake mushrooms with Walnut and Raspberry dressing on the side. What a superb dinner!
The finale`!
DESSERT (Save the best for last)
TIRAMISU CUPCAKES ( I made them today 2/11/22)
Having dessert with a glass of champagne is probably the highlight and most romantic in the evening on Valentine’s Day. However, I don’t drink alcohol, so I am just going to serve a non-alcoholic beverage accompanied with our favorite dessert: Tiramisu. So, that’s what I’m serving for dessert. It would be a sweet treat for both of us. You can either make it homemade or store-bought. It’s entirely up to you. To make it more romantic, if you want a cake instead of a cupcake, you can cut the tiramisu cake with a heart shape cutter then cover it with chocolate ganache then decorate it. If your other half is a chocolate and tiramisu lover, I guarantee this will make her/him felt special. However, mine is not a chocolate lover. So, I settled for Tiramisu Cupcakes. I used my Coffee Cupcake recipe and just whip a heavy cream and mix it with mascarpone cheese and dusted with cocoa powder. Viola!
And if you are single and has no special someone in your life, don’t worry, you can have a lovely dinner for one! 🙂
A Valentine may love you for a lifetime, but God loved you before you were born and will love you for all eternity.
Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love…with loving kindness I have drawn you. Jeremiah 31:3
That is all for today. Thank you for stopping by and reading my post. I hope this post helps and gives you idea on what to prepare for your special someone. I praise GOD for this post and His faithfulness and mercy. Praying that you will experience the wonderful love of God this Valentine’s Day and always!
“We love Him because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)
Happy Valentine’s Day in advance! Until next time. God bless you.
~Anna
Anna's Cuisine 