Fancy Pants Valentine's Day Dinner Ideas

Seared Steak with Leek Mushroom Cream Sauce

1. I recommend using a filet or sirloin steak for this. Salt and pepper each side of the steak.
2. Melt 3-4 Tbsp butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the steaks for 2 min on each side
3. Place a wire wrack on a baking and sheet and put the steaks on top. Finish them off in a 400 degree oven for 8 min. This gives you a nice medium rare steak (depending on the thickness) If you like it more well done sear and bake for a few more mins.
4. Allow the steaks to rest for at least 10 min before cutting into them to keep the juices in.


Leek Mushroom Cream Sauce 
1. Clean and slice 5-6 button mushrooms and saute in butter over medium heat until soft, then set aside.
2. Thinly slice about 1 cup of leeks and saute in butter until soft and add to the mushrooms.
3. In a sauce pan melt 1 Tbsp butter and stir in 1 Tbsp flour to form a roux.  Let the roux cook a min or so to remove any floury taste.
4. Then add 1 cup milk and 1 tsp salt and stir.  Allow it to thicken.  Add the mushrooms and leeks and allow to thicken a little more.
5. Top your steak and enjoy!

**If you have left over sauce, it is really good over egg noodles! Just add a beef bullion cube and water or some beef broth to thin out the sauce and serve over cooked egg noodles.

Bacon Brussels Sprouts

1. Clean and cut the sprouts in half and remove a few of the outer leaves

2. Melt 1-2 Tbsp bacon grease and toss over the sprouts (Another great reason to always save your bacon grease. I keep a mason jar of it in my fridge for just such occasions) 

3. Spread the sprouts onto a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and bacon bits

4. Roast in a 425 or 450 degree oven for 10-15 min, until the edges start to brown. 

Stuffed Chicken, Artichokes with Hollandaise and Spinach Salad

Stuffed Chicken

1. Thaw a boneless skinless chicken breast per person. Place between 2 layers of plastic wrap and pound until flat. 

2. Remove the top layer of plastic wrap and sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper.  At one end place a thin slice of cream cheese and a few leaves of spinach

3. Fold the other end of the chicken over the top of the cream cheese and spinach and try to seal the edges as best you can. 

4. Sprinkle the top with salt, pepper, basil and oregano.

**You can use toothpicks to keep it together while baking if necessary. 

5. Place in a buttered baking dish and top each with a dollop of butter

6. Bake at 350 until the internal temp is 165 (30 min or so depending on size and thickness of chicken breast)

Spinach Salad

1. Wash spinach leaves and add to a bowl

2. Boil 2 eggs, peel and slice and add to the bowl

3. Slice 3 button mushroom and add to the bowl

4. thinly slice 1/4 of a red onion and caramelize in an oiled skillet over medium heat until brown and add to bowl

5. Sprinkle in bacon bits

6. Make dressing - 1/4 cup oil, 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp sugar and a pinch of pepper, Shake and pour over salad.  Toss and enjoy!

Artichokes with Hollandaise. 

I got this method of cooking artichokes in the microwave from the site below

https://thismodernwife.com/2013/04/25/10-minute-microwave-steamed-artichokes/

1. Cut off sharp points of outer leaves, the steam and the top.

2. Place prepared artichokes and peeled stems in a glass baking dish and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave for 10 min

3. Carefully remove the plastic wrap to avoid steam burns to your hands and face. The stems should be fork tender when they are ready. 

Hollandiase 

I use Julia Child's recipe from her cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  For this recipe I'm making about 2/3 of the original recipe.  

1. Melt 1/3 cup butter in a sauce pan. 

2. In a blender add 2 egg yolks, 3/4 Tbsp lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Blend for a few seconds

3. Slowly add the melted butter (This tempers the egg yolks so they don't cook but mix with the butter to become smooth and creamy)

4. Serve warm! See video above on how to each fresh artichokes. 

All Purpose White Bread

 

Ingredients and Directions

1. In your bread maker add: 1 1/3 cup water, 4 cups flour, 2 Tbsp sugar, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 3 Tbsp oil, 1 packet active dry yeast. 

2. Press start and let the bread maker do its thing

3. Let cook and slice. 

4. Use within a few days for best results. 

All Things Kefir

 Kefir has numerous health benefits.  I love to make it into Kefir Smoothies for my breakfast each morning to start the day off right.  Kiefer is derived from the Turkish word Keyif which means "feel good". 

I have had good success with a powered kefir starter but I wanted to try kefir from grains.  I documented my journey here.  

Kefir Smoothie Recipe

6 oz kefir

1/2 scoop collagen powder

2 scoops unflavored Whey protein

2 tsp fiber powder

2 Tbsp honey

Various Frozen fruits

Handful of spinach

5-6 oz coconut water 

Blend until Smooth

80's Iconic Sloppy Joe Sliders

 I made these for our 80's themed NYE Party this year.  

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 lb ground beef

1/2 onion, diced

1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic

1 cup water

2 Tbsp brown sugar

3/4 cup ketchup

1 Tbsp spicy brown mustard

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper to taste

slider buns

Directions 

1. Brown ground beef and drain grease. 

2. In a separate pan saute onion and pepper and garlic cloves until tender 

3. Add ground beef to onion and peppers, (discard garlic cloves) 

4. Add water, ketchup, mustard, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper and simmer until sauce becomes thick 

5. Serve on slider buns and enjoy and blast from the past. 

Healthy (er) Options

In this post I'm sharing several recipes that I would consider healthy options.  I like my food to taste good though, so hopefully you will see a healthy balance (pun intended) of both with these recipes.

Mango Flounder


1. Salt and pepper each side of your flounder fillets and lightly dredge (cover) with flour, fry in a small amount of hot oil on each side until lightly crisp and flaky.
2. For the Mango Salsa: dice sweet pepper (or jalapeno if you like a kick), onion, mango and cilantro. Combine in a bowl with lime juice and salt to taste.

Cilantro Lime Couscous
1. Make couscous according to package instructions
2. Add lime zest, lime juice and chopped cilantro
3. Stir to combine



Raspberry Pork 
1. Salt and pepper both sides of each pork chop and saute in a skillet until lightly browned.
2. Allow pork chops to rest 10 min before serving
3. For raspberry sauce: in a saucepan place 1 package of fresh or frozen raspberries, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup red wine vinegar and 1 tsp sage.  Turn on medium and allow to simmer until reduced to a thick syrup
4. Strain seeds and pour over pork chops
**Substitute fresh raspberries for seedless raspberry jam to avoid straining seeds

Lemon Rosemary Quinoa
1. Cook quinoa according to package instructions
2. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and rosemary
3. Stir to combine

Bakes Zucchini and Tomatoes
1. Thinly slice zucchini, tomatoes and onions
2. Place in an oiled baking dish with lemon zest, lemon juice and salt
3. Bake at 350 for 30 min. (if you prefer roasted bake at 425 for 20 min)

What the Kale Salad
1. Rinse and remove kale leaves from center stem, shop into bite size pieces and add to bowl
2. Rinse and chop romaine lettuce and add to bowl
3. Add: chopped broccoli, broccoli slaw, sliced almonds, sunflower seeds and dried cranberries
4 For dressing combine the following ingredients in a blender and blend for 30 sec.
       1/4 cup water
       1/4 cup white vinegar
       3/4 cup oil (vegetable or canola)
       1 tsp garlic powder
       1 tsp salt
       1/4 tsp pepper
       1 tsp celery seed
       1/2 tsp celery salt
       (pinch of onion powder for added flavor)
       2/3 cup sugar
       2 tsp horseradish

Pearled Couscous salad
1. Make basil and herb pearled couscous according to package instructions
2. Saute diced zucchini and onions until tender
3. Add to couscous and refrigerate until chilled
4. Add diced cherry tomatoes and Italian salad dressing
5. Stir and serve chilled