Love Bite #10: 3 Course Romantic Dinner!

Hello, today I actually thought pretty hard about what I wanted to write about regarding Valentine's Day. So since I love food and absolutely love to eat food, and even more cook food, I thought why not do it on cooking a romantic 3 Course Dinner for two! I found some amazing recipes and will be doing a dessert that I saw on Rachel Ray! So get your pen's ready and let's create some magic for Valentine's Day in under an hour and all for just under $30.00 for two!!

Love Bite #10: 3 Course Dinner for Two!

1st Course: Ceaser Salad with Cucumbers!

(My loves favorite, you can change this to make your significant other happy.)

$7.50 for two!!

You will need:

1 head of romaine lettuce

1 bag of crutons

2 cucumbers

1 bottle of ceaser dressing

1 container of parmesan cheese

Directions: Take your head of romaine lettuce and rinse it, roll it up and cut it into nice bite size pieces. Take your cucumbers, rinse them, peel them and slice them to liking. Place both the romaine lettuce and cucumbers into bowl and pour bag of croutons over top. Pour in bottle of Ceaser dressing and put a lid on the bowl and shake so the dressing mixes into all the ingredients. Depending on your time this can be made first and stored in the fridge or made second to last for absolute freshness! When served shake parmesan cheese over salad enjoy with a nice drink!

2nd Course: Pepper Crusted Filet Mignon w/ Light Mashed Potatoes & Sauteed Mixed Vegetables

(More recipes like this one can be found at www.delish.com/recipefinder) 

$16.00 for two!!

"Pepper Crusted Filet Mignon"-$7.00

(Prep Time: 15 minutes, Cook Time: 6-10 minutes)

You will need:

2 (5 to 6 ounces each) filet mignons (about 1 1/2 inches think)

Course salt and very coursely ground pepper

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Red Wine Sauce:
1 cup of red wine
2 tablespoons of butter, cut up
Course Salt

Directions: Season filets very generously on both sides with salt and pepper (especially pepper), patting in firmly. Heat oil in a small skillet over medium-high. Cook filets until desired doneness, 3 to 5 minutes per side (depending on thickness) for medium-rare. Remove strings from filets, and serve with Red Wine Sauce, if desired. 

-To make Red Wine Sauce: Place wine in a small saucepan; boil until reduced to 1/4 cup, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat; add cut-up butter, and swirl pan until butter is melted and sauce is thickened, about 1 minute. Season with coarse salt.

 "Light Mashed Potatoes"- $4.00

 (Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes)

You will need:

2 pounds Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 tablespoon of butter

3/4 teaspoons of salt

1/2 cup fat-free half-and-half, warmed

Directions: In 4-quart saucepan, combine potatoes and enough water to cover; heat to boiling on high. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 8 to 10 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender. Reserve 1/4 cup cooking water; drain potatoes. Return potatoes to saucepan. Mash with margarine and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Gradually add warm half-and-half, continuing to mash potatoes until smooth and well blended; add reserved cooking water if necessary. Transfer to serving dish. Makes about 4 1/2 cups.

 "Sauteed Mixed Vegatables"- $5.00

(Prep Time: 1 minute, Cook Time: 10-15 minutes)

You will need: 

1 tablespoon evtra virgin olive oil

1 small shallot, minced

4 cups of mixed froxen vegetables-corn, carrots, green beans

1/2 teaspoon dried dill or tarragon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Directions: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and cook, stirring, until softened, about 1 minute. Stir in frozen vegetables. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in dill (or tarragon), salt, and pepper. 

3rd Course: Waffle Brownies Topped w/ Fresh Strawberries & Cool Whip

 (Visit www.rachelrayshow.com/food/recipes for many more desserts like this one. This requires a waffle iron.)

$7.00 for two!!

 

(Prep Time: 5 minutes, Cook Time: 10 minutes)

You will need:

1 box of brownie mix

2/3 cup of vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 container of Fresh Starwberries

1 container of cool whip

2 teaspoons of sugar

Directions: Rinse strawberries and cut off the leaf part, slice in half and add a sprinkle of sugar, let sit until ready for use. Preheat waffle maker to medium-low. Prepare brownies according to mix directions, omitting any water or milk. Pour 1/2 cup of the mixture per square in the waffle maker. Bake for 10 minutes. Once baked, open waffle maker and turn off the heat. Let brownies sit until slightly cool, about 3 minutes. Add fresh strawberries and two scoops of cool whip! (Cool whip can be supplemented for two scoops of ice-cream!)

Be sure to visit tomorrow to read about "Love Bite #11: Creating the Mood!"

With LOVE,