February 14 is a very special date for couples. It is the day people celebrate Valentine’s Day, which is dedicated to love and romantic moments between couples who give each other flowers, chocolate, or stuffed animals. Another popular thing to do on this “day of love” is to go out to dinner. However, it gets pretty crowded and expensive in restaurants, and people always end up starving while they are waiting for a table. Still, there is no better way than to celebrate with a delicious meal, so a great alternative would be to make dinner at home. These recipes will certainly delight your taste buds. Here are some of the most popular Valentine recipes that will definitely have you feeling the love in the air.
First off, for dinner, comfort foods would be a great option for people to make for Valentine’s Day. Lasagna is probably the most common dinner that anyone can make. It only takes 1 hour to bake in the oven and is cheesy, gooey, and delicious. All you need is 3-6 uncooked lasagna noodles (no-boil noodles are recommended), 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil, ½ lb. ground beef, ½ cup diced white or yellow onion, 1 diced carrot, 1 minced garlic clove, 2 ¼ cups of any spaghetti sauce, 1 cup of full-fat ricotta cheese, 1 egg, 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese, ¼ and 2 tablespoons of shredded parmesan cheese, 2 tablespoons of chopped basil, and ½ teaspoon of salt. Preheat the oven to 375℉ and have a 9×5 loaf pan ready. After that, bring a large pot of water to boil and add the lasagna noodles with a big handful of salt. Cook until al dente for about 5-8 minutes and drain and cool. In a large skillet, heat the oil, then add the ground beef, onion, carrot, and a pinch of salt. Cook it until the meat is brown for about 5-8 minutes and drain off excess grease. Add garlic and cook for one minute. Taste it and adjust the salt. Stir in 1 and a 1/2 cups of spaghetti sauce and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and grab a large bowl and whisk together the ricotta, egg, ½ cup of mozzarella, 2 tablespoons of parmesan, basil, and salt. Spread ¼ cup of sauce onto the bottom of the loaf pan into a thin layer. Then add 1-2 noodles to cover the bottom. Spread half of the ricotta mixture on top of the noodles, then add half of the meat mixture on top then top with 1-2 more noodles. Repeat this one more time using up the remains of the ricotta and meat mixture. Top with the last 1-2 noodles then cover with the remaining ½ cup sauce and sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of mozzarella and ¼ cup of parmesan cheese. Then cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Lastly remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes (or until brown) and let it sit for about 15 minutes before serving.
If you want to keep with the Italian theme, you can cook Parmesan Risotto. It is just like cooking regular rice, only you stir in parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper after removing it from heat. All you need is 8 cups of Chicken Broth, ½ cup of chopped onion, ¼ cup of olive oil, 3 cups of Arborio rice, 2 garlic cloves, 1 cup of dry white wine or water, ½ cup of shredded Parmesan cheese or any type of grating cheese, ¼ teaspoon of salt, ¼ teaspoon of pepper, and 3 tablespoons of minced fresh parsley. It takes only 30 minutes of cooking time and it’s quick and easy. In a saucepan heat broth and in a Dutch oven saute onion in oil until tender. After adding rice and garlic, cook and stir for about 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat and stir it into wine. Cook and stir until all liquid is absorbed. Then add heated broth, ½ cup at a time while stirring constantly. Cook until the risotto is creamy and rise is almost tender for about 20 minutes. Lastly, add the remaining ingredients, cook, stir, and serve immediately.
Another idea for an elegant dinner to cook is steak au poivre. It is a healthy French dish containing 25 grams of protein. You need ¾ teaspoon of peppercorns, 1 pound of New York strip or beef top loin steak, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of butter, 3 garlic cloves, 2 fresh thyme sprigs. Now for the sauce you need 2 tablespoons of butter, 1 finely chopped shallot, 1 minced garlic clove, ¼ cup of Cognac, ¼ cup of heavy whipping cream, and ¼ teaspoon of salt. First use a mortar and pestle to crush the peppercorns, after pat steak dry, season with crushed peppercorns, and salt on all sides. Then heat oil in a cast-iron skillet over high heat and place steak in the skillet and cook it until a golden brown crust forms for about 3-4 minutes on each side. Add butter, garlic, and thyme into a pan. Use a spoon to baste steaks with butter for about 1-2 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and reduce skillet heat to medium and add butter, shallots, and garlic until slightly soft for about 2-3 minutes. Then stir in Cognac and let it simmer until most of the liquid has dissipated. After cream and bring to a simmer and cook it for 2-3 minutes then stir in the salt. Once ready, spoon the sauce all over the steak. But before eating the steak, make sure you have a side dish, which could be Marry Me Pasta. Which has 8 ounces of uncooked penne pasta, 1 pound of boneless skinless chicken breasts, ¾ teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoon of pepper, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 cup of heavy whipping cream, 8 ounces of mascarpone cheese, 8-½ ounces of julienned oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes (drained), 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh basil, and shredded parmesan cheese. Cook the pasta as said in instructions on the pasta box. Then drain and prepare the chicken by sprinkling with salt and pepper. Get a large skillet and heat oil to medium heat and pass over the chicken. Cook the chicken until the thermometer reads 165 degrees (4-5 minutes on each side). Remove the pan from heat and keep it warm. After reducing the heat to medium and in the same pan, whisk cream and mascarpone until it’s smooth and heated for 4-6 minutes. Stir in sun dried tomatoes and basil. Lastly, add pasta and stir to coat and cook until heated through. This is delicious and perfect for Valentine’s Day. It is famous for its name, since it is often used as a proposal dinner!
Lastly, an herb-stuffed roasted Cornish hen dinner only takes an hour and thirty minutes. The ingredients are 2 Cornish game hens, 12 fresh sage leaves, 4 lemon wedges, 6 green onions (make sure it’s cut into 2 inch lengths), 2 tablespoons of melted butter, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt or sea salt, ¼ teaspoon of coarsely ground pepper, and 6 small red potatoes (halved). Preheat the oven to 375 and gently lift skin from hen breasts to place sage leaves under skin. Place lemon wedges and a third of the onions in the cavities. Then tuck the wings under the hens and tie legs together. Once done place it in a small greased roasting pan. After combining butter, oil, lemon juice, and garlic. Pour half the mixture over the hens and prepare it with salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes and add potatoes and the remaining onions to the pan. Brush hens with the remaining butter mixture and bake until the thermometer (inserted into the thickest part of the thigh) reads 170-175 and potatoes are tender (cook for 40-50 minutes longer). Remove hens and serve. Make sure to stir potatoes and onions to coat with pan drippings. It has two servings that are perfect for you and your Valentine.
No dinner is complete without a delicious dessert! White chocolate raspberry cheesecake bars are sure to be everyone’s favorite! For the raspberry sauce you need 2 teaspoons of water, 1 teaspoon of cornstarch, 1 and ½ of fresh or frozen raspberries, and 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar. For the crust you need 22 regular Oreo cookies and 5 tablespoons of unsalted and melted butter. Last thing is the filling in which you will need 6 ounces of white chocolate (finely chopped), 16 ounces of full-fat brick cream cheese, ⅓ cup of granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract, ⅛ teaspoon of salt, and 2 large eggs. For the raspberry sauce you have to mix 1 teaspoon of water with 1 teaspoon of cornstarch in a small bowl. Set that aside and combine raspberries, granulated sugar, and remaining 1 teaspoon of water together in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir the mixture while it’s cooking and once it simmers add the cornstarch mixture. Then continue to stir and let it simmer for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes remove the pan from heat and press it through a fine mesh strainer to remove all the seeds. Let it cool before using it. Once it’s cooling, you can now make the crust and heat the oven to 350 F, put parchment paper in a 9-inch square baking pan, and set it aside after. To make the crust, put 22 full Oreos in a blender until it’s left into crumbs. After that you should have 2 full cups of crumbed up Oreos (250g). Pour them into a large bowl and add the melted butter and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, with medium pressure with your hand pat the crumbs down into the bottom to make a thick crust, bake for 8 minutes, remove from the oven and set aside (leave oven on). For the filling, melt the chopped white chocolate in a microwave and let it cool after. Then use a stand mixer or a handheld fitted with a paddle attachment and beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar together on medium heat in a large bowl for about 2 minutes. Add the flour, lemon juice, vanilla extract, salt, and beat till fully combined. Then on medium speed add the eggs one at a time and after everything is blended pour in the cooled melted white chocolate and beat until fully combined. Pour half of the cheesecake filling onto the crust and drizzle half of the raspberry sauce over the top. Bake for 32-36 minutes and cool for 45 minutes then chill in the refrigerator for 3 hours. This is an easy and time-efficient recipe that will still show your effort and thoughtfulness.
White Chocolate Red Velvet Cookies are a brilliant combination for Valentine’s Day. You’ll need 1 and ⅔ cups of all-purpose flour, ¼ cup of unsweetened natural cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, ¼ teaspoon of salt, ½ cup of unsalted butter, ¾ cup of packed light or dark brown sugar, ¼ cup of granulated sugar, 1 large egg, 1 tablespoon of milk, 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract, ¾ teaspoon of gel red food coloring, two 4 ounces of white chocolate (coarsely chopped), and 2-3 tablespoons of sprinkles. Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside. Using a hand/stand mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar for about 2 minutes. Then add the egg and vanilla extract and mix for about a minute. After pouring the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, add the milk and food coloring, and mix on low speed until combined. Cover the dough for 2 hours and up to 3 days. Preheat the oven to 350 F and line large baking sheets with parchment paper and set it aside. Scoop and roll the cookie dough (1.5 tablespoon of dough). Arrange it on the baking sheet and bake it for 11-13 minutes. Remove it from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes. Lastly, for the white chocolate dip let it melt in the microwave and dip half of the cookie.
Many people prefer vanilla over chocolate, so why not bake mini vanilla pound cakes? You’ll need 1 and ¾ cups of all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon of baking powder, ½ teaspoon of salt, 1 cup of unsalted butter (softened), 1 cup of granulated sugar, 4 large eggs, ½ cup of full-fat sour cream, 1 and ½ teaspoons of pure vanilla extract, seeds scraped from ½ of a vanilla bean, and ½ teaspoon of almond extract. For the Raspberry icing you need ½ cup of fresh raspberries, 2 teaspoons of granulated sugar, 1 and ½ cups of confectioners sugar, and 1 tablespoon of milk or heavy cream. Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease a mini Bundt cake pan. To make the mini cakes whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl and set it aside. With a handheld or stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together for about 2 minutes. While the mixer is running at low speed add the eggs one at a time, sour cream, vanilla extract, vanilla bean, and almond extract (mix until combined). Then slowly add the dry ingredients once it’s all combined the batter will be thick. Spoon batter on pan filling each one with Bundt cake cavity ⅔ full. Then bake for 20-25 minutes and remove it from the oven and cool it for 5 minutes. Lastly, to make the icing, toss the raspberries, granulated sugar together, and stir. Allow to sit for 5 minutes and strain the raspberries through a fine mesh sieve over a bowl. Use a spoon to press them through and whisk the juice into the Confectioner’s sugar and heavy cream. Then drizzle over cooled pound cakes. You should be careful when baking them. If you do not do it right, they’re going to come out dry. To make sure it is moist and flavorful out of the oven don’t leave it in too long.
For the simplest of desserts, but one that so many people enjoy, you can do strawberries covered in chocolate. These are signs of love and affection and all you need are strawberries and a good melting chocolate to dip them into!
So why not skip the restaurants, lines, and overpriced menus and treat your Valentine to a home-cooked meal that shows more heart anyway? It is a win all around.
