Valentine Dinner 2012

Every year as a valentine give to my husband, I make him a nice dinner. We put the kids to bed early and then we sit down - just the two of us - to enjoy a nice quiet dinner at home.

While dessert is usually the same thing, I try to switch up the main course. This was my menu this year:

Tomato Basil Salad

Rolls (Rhodes frozen rolls - hey, they're easy and taste great)

Roasted Parmesan Asparagus

Herbed Wild Rice

Chicken Alabam

Molten Chocolate Cakes with fresh Whipped Cream

This has been a fun tradition for us. While at times I might be stressed out trying to get it all pulled together as I put the kids to bed...as soon as I sit down, I'm able to calm down and just enjoy the time with my hubby. Can't wait for next year!

Herbed Wild Rice

This side dish is very simple to make - however, it does take a long time to cook. Be sure to start early so that you're not waiting around for the rice.

Ingredients:

2 Tbs butter

1/2 cup chopped onions (or green onions)

1 cup wild rice medley (a combination of long grain brown, short grain brown, and wild rice)

3/4 tsp sage

1 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups chicken stock

3/4 cup water

Over high heat, sauté onions in butter until nice and tender.

Add rice, sage, thyme, and salt. Sauté for one more minute.

Add chicken stock and water to the pan. Bring to a boil. Once it is boiling, place the lid on the pan, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 1 and 1/2 hours or until rice is tender.

Remove from pan and serve while hot.

Chicken Alabam

I got this recipe from my mom and it is absolutely wonderful. The only reason I don't make it more often is because of the amount of cream in it. But, I decided that Valentine's Day was the perfect time to live a little and this became the main course of our dinner.

Ingredients:

8 chicken breasts

2/3 cup flour

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp thyme

7 Tbs butter

1/4 cup onions

2 cups chicken stock

1 cup light cream (or half-and-half)

1/2 tsp lemon juice

1 small jar pimentos

Mix flour, salt, paprika, pepper, and thyme in a plastic bag. Add chicken and shake to coat with four mixture.

Place chicken in a 9x13 pan and brush chicken with 3 tablespoons of melted butter. Or, you can just spoon it over like me - I didn't want my pastry brush touching raw chicken.

Broil chicken in oven until lightly brown.

Saute onions with remaining butter (4 tablespoons). Stir in extra flour mixture. Yep...you've just made a rue.

Add chicken stock and cop and stir until thick. Add cream and cook u neil thick again. Then add lemon juice and pimento.

Pour bechamel sauce (that's your sauce pictured above) over chicken. Cover dish and bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour 15 minutes.

When it is done, your chicken will be perfectly tender and your sauce will taste great poured onto a large pile of rice. Absolutely wonderful!

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

This post has at least three times more pictures than it does ingredients. But Chocolate Dipped Strawberries are just so beautiful - I couldn't help myself. They are also the perfect accompaniment to any romantic evening, and with Valentine's Day approaching I just had to make some.

Ingredients:

16 oz chocolate chips

2 Tb shortening

1 lb strawberries

toothpicks

floral foam block

Wash and completely dry the strawberries. You don't want any water getting into your melted chocolate so be sure they are dry. Make sure that you leave the stems on and place a toothpick into the center of the stem of each strawberry - you'll see why later.

Place the chocolate chips in a microwaveable bowl. You can use semi-sweet or milk chocolate - I've done it both ways, and I think I prefer the milk chocolate. However, these were semi-sweet and they were delicious as well.

Add the shortening and microwave on high for 1 minute.

Remove from microwave, stir and then continue to microwave for 30 second intervals until chocolate is melted.

You can do this on a double boiler, but the microwave was a lot faster.

This is where that toothpick comes in handy. Lift the leaves - holding the leaves and the toothpick above the strawberry - and dip the strawberry into the chocolate.

You want the red strawberry covered about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way up with chocolate.

You can twist the strawberry to get off any excess chocolate.

Now, place the other end of the toothpick into a foam block - the kind you use for flower arrangements. This is a great way for your strawberries to dry without becoming flat on one side.

Dip another strawberry and place it on the foam block as well. Don't let them touch! You don't want smudges in your chocolate.

Keep dipping and placing until your foam block is completely filled up. Be sure to start in the middle and work your way out. This will keep them balanced allow you to place new strawberries without disturbing the others.

Allow the strawberries to stay here until they are completely dry.

psst...See those toothpicks!

Once they are dry, you can pull them off and place them on a dish.

Aren't they beautiful? I had to get a lot of pictures because I knew that they wouldn't last long.

If you want to be really fancy, you can take some white chocolate and drizzle it over them.

But I'm rather traditional and enjoy the simple elegance of the red and brown.

So beautiful - so delicious.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Chocolate Goody Bars

I got this recipe from my sister-in-law, Stefannie. She is always making the most amazing desserts. Since acquiring this recipe, I've made it for many group gatherings and it is always a huge hit!

Just be warned that when you make it for your family only, you will be tempted to eat the entire pan!

Ingredients:

1 pkg fudge brownie mix (around 19.8 oz)

1/2 cup oil

2 eggs

1/4 cup water

1-16 oz can vanilla frosting

3/4 cup chopped peanuts

3 cups crisp rice cereal

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1-12 oz pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips

Grease a 9x13 baking pan. In a large bowl, stir together the brownie mix, oil, eggs, and water.

Pour and spread into pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 28 to 30 minutes.

Cool completely on a wire rack. Usually I'm running out of time, so I throw mine in the freezer for a while to help it cool down quickly.

Once it has cooled down - and not before! - frost with vanilla frosting.

Chop up those peanuts (or buy them pre chopped and save a step). I was using very precise measurements when I threw a handful of nuts on the cutting board and started to chop. : )

The nuts don't have to be exact, but you do need enough to evenly coat the top of the frosted brownies.

Sprinkle the peanuts evenly on the top.

Don't skip this step just because you may not like peanuts - the frosting and the peanuts are the glue that hold the two parts of this brownie together. And believe me, you will love the peanuts in this recipe!

Cover and chill in the refrigerator.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan combine peanut butter and chocolate chips.

Heat and stir over low heat until chocolate is melted. Put in cereal and mix to combine.

Spread mixture over frosted brownies.

Cover and chill in refrigerator until chocolate layer is set.

Once chocolate is set, cut into small squares and serve.

So yummy!

Coconut Cake

I was trying to organize all of my food pictures when I came across these. I made this cake a while ago - like beginning of summer a while ago, before nice camera a while ago.

But, since I probably won't make it again anytime soon, and everyone should absolutely have this recipe - I decided to post it.

Seriously, one of the best cakes ever!

Cake Ingredients:

3 sticks butter - at room temperature

2 cups sugar

5 extra large eggs at room temperature

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp. almond extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 cup milk

4 ounces sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans. Then line the bottom with wax paper or parchment paper. Grease them again and dust lightly with flour.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light yellow and fluffy.

Crack eggs into small bowl. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl once during mixing. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well. The mixture might look curdled; that's okay.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

With the mixture on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk to the batter in three parts, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Fold in the 4 ounces of coconut with a rubber spatula.

Pour the batter evenly into the 2 pans and smooth the top with a knife.

Bake in the center of the oven for 45 to 55 minutes, until the tops are browned and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool on a baking rack for 30 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto a baking rack to finish cooling off.

Now onto the frosting -

Frosting Ingredients:

1 pound cream cheese at room temperature

2 sticks butter at room temperature

3/4 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. almond extract

1 pound powdered sugar, sifted

6 ounces sweetened shredded coconut

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and almond extract on ow speed. Add the powdered sugar and mix until just smooth (don't whip!).

To assemble, place one layer on a flat serving plate, top side down, and spread with frosting. Place the second layer on top, top side up, and frost the top and sides. To decorate the cake, sprinkle the top with coconut and lightly press more coconut onto the sides. Serve at room temperature.

This cake is perfect for baby showers, bridal showers, or Sunday nights - really, anytime. Believe me, you should try it....absolutely divine!

The Steak

Grill Week

Day 6

The Steak

For the final day of Grill Week, I decided to go for the Big Daddy, the king of all barbecues - The Steak!

The first time I ever made a steak for my husband, I put it on the grill, flipped it over, then flipped it over again...and again...and...well, you get the idea. At this point my sweet fiance came running over (that's right, we weren't even married yet) and promptly informed me that you NEVER flip a steak more than once.

And so began our relationship and me NEVER cooking a steak again. Never. I've just watched him do it. And since he cooks them so well, I don't think I will ever cook a steak.

So, really this post will be typed by me, but dictated by my hubby. And he really is the best at cooking steak...so listen up!

Great Grilling Cuts of Meat:

Ribeye (as shown here - the Cowboy Ribeye with the bone in) - fantastic flavor - very tender

Filet - most tender cut of meat, more lean than other cuts

New York Strip - high quality cut - not as much fat as Ribeye so easier to trim

Porterhouse / T-Bone - basically a combo of Filet and New York described above

Sirloin - step down in quality, more affordable - still can be a great steak if done right

Ingredients:

Steaks - cuts of meat described above

Seasonings of your choice (my husband keeps his a secret) - but it could include:

Salt,

Pepper,

Onion Salt

Garlic Salt

Dehydrated Onions

Seasoned Salt

...or just cheat and grab the Montreal Steak Seasoning...

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Cooking Instructions

It's important to do two things in preparation for grilling steak:

1. Always grill the steak at room temperature. There is nothing worse than pulling out a frozen steak - or even one out of the cold fridge - and throwing it down on the grill.

2. Season your steak prior to putting it on the grill. I prefer to let it rest a little with the seasonings on both sides.

Now it's time to cook those steaks.

Always preheat your grill. Again you'll want to be using a hot grill - with little flame. Once you place them on the grill you'll want to close the lid and let them work on getting a good sear on the first side. The searing of the meat helps to lock the flavor and juices into the meat.

As you are cooking the steaks, you'll want to take a peek at the bottom to see how quickly they are cooking - and how done the steak is on the first side. Your decision of when to turn the steak will dictate the doneness of the steak. The quicker you turn the steak the closer to 'Rare' it will turn out.

Once you've reached the appropriate cooking time on the first side and turned your steak - work toward having the same level of cooking on the second side. This helps you to have an evenly cooked steak throughout.

Most experienced grillers know that the firmness of the meat when cooked can indicate how done a steak is. As a general rule - the more firm it feels, the closer to 'well done' it is. But also keep in mind that a high quality cut of meat, like a filet or ribeye, won't feel extremely firm until you've completely crispified it.

Once your meat is done, remove it from the grill and let it rest for a few minutes. This will help to finish the cooking process and keep the meat moist, juicy and flavorful.

Now it's time to eat!