Delicious and Decadent Valentine Recipes
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Valentine’s Day means showing your love by creating a memorable dining experience with a variety of decadent foods.
Did you know... that more than 145 million Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year, which makes Valentine’s Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year (behind Christmas) - History.com
Cinnamon Roll French Toast Roll-Ups
Prep Time: 15 min.
Cook Time: 10-12 min.
Total Time: 25 min.
Servings: 8 roll-ups
Filling
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 T. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 T. brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Roll-Ups
8 slices sandwich bread
2 lg. eggs
1/4 C. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
2 T. butter (for cooking)
Optional Toppings
Powdered sugar
Vanilla icing or cream cheese glaze
Maple syrup
Filling: In a bowl, mix cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, brown sugar, and cinnamon until smooth and creamy.
Bread: Trim crusts from bread slices. Use a rolling pin to flatten each slice. Spread a thin layer of filling on each bread slice. Roll tightly and gently press seam to seal. French Toast Batter: Whisk eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt in a shallow bowl.
Dip & Cook: Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat. Dip each roll-up in egg mixture, coating lightly. Cook roll-ups seam-side down first, turning until all sides are golden brown.
Dust with powdered sugar or drizzle with icing. Serve warm with syrup for dipping.
Notes: Don’t overfill — a thin layer seals best. Cook seam-side first to prevent unrolling.
Tortellini with Tomato Cream Sauce
Prep: 10 min.
Cook: 15 min.
Servings: 6
1 pkg. (16 oz.) frozen cheese tortellini
1 sm. onion, chopped
2 T. olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1-1/2 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1-1/2 C. heavy whipping cream
1/2 C. grated Parmesan cheese
Additional grated Parmesan cheese, optional
Cook tortellini according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute onion in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 min. longer. Add tomatoes, spinach, basil, salt and pepper. Cook and stir over medium heat until liquid is evaporated, about 3 min.
Stir in cream and cheese. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until thickened, 8-10 min.
Drain tortellini; toss with sauce. Sprinkle with additional cheese if desired.
Heart’s Desire Pizza
Prep: 25 min.
Cook: 10 min.
Servings: 8 individual pizzas
1 tube (16.3 oz.) large refrigerated flaky biscuits
1 jar (14 oz.) pizza sauce
Optional toppings: Sliced ripe olives, sliced and quartered pepperoni, chopped fresh mushrooms, chopped green and sweet yellow pepper
1-1/2 C. shredded mozzarella cheese
1-1/2 C. shredded cheddar cheese
Cut eight 6-in.-square pieces of aluminum foil; place on baking sheets. Lightly coat foil with cooking spray; set aside.
On a lightly floured surface, roll each biscuit to a 5-in. square. Cut a 1-in. triangle from the center top and place on the center bottom, reshaping dough as needed to form a heart. Press edges to seal. Transfer to foil squares.
Spoon pizza sauce over dough to within 1/4 in. of edges. If desired, sprinkle with toppings. Top with cheeses. Bake at 425° for 10-15 min. or until golden brown.
Chicken Scampi
Prep: 10 min.
Cook: 15 min.
Servings: 2
4 oz. uncooked linguine
3 T. butter
2 T. olive oil
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 oz. each)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. coarsely ground pepper
1/2 C. chopped seeded tomatoes
2 T. lemon juice
1 T. minced fresh parsley
Grated Parmesan cheese
Cook linguine according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and olive oil; cook the onion and garlic until tender. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper; add to skillet. Cook until a thermometer reaches 165°, 3-4 min. on each side. Remove chicken and keep warm.
In the same skillet, combine the tomato, lemon juice and parsley; heat through. Drain linguine; toss with tomato mixture. Top with chicken and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Salmon Steak
Prep: 5 min.
Cook: 15 min.
Servings: 2
2 salmon steaks (8 oz. each)
2 T. butter, melted
2 T. lemon juice
1 green onion, sliced
1 T. minced fresh parsley
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1/8 tsp. lemon-pepper seasoning
Preheat oven to 400°F. Place salmon in a lightly greased 8-in. square baking dish. Top with butter and lemon juice. Combine onion, parsley, garlic salt and lemon pepper; sprinkle over salmon.
Bake, uncovered, until fish flakes easily with a fork, 15-20 min.
Marry Me Pasta
Prep: 20 min.
Cook: 15 min.
Servings: 4
8 oz. uncooked penne pasta
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 T. olive oil
1 C. heavy whipping cream
1 container (8 oz.) mascarpone cheese
1 jar (8-1/2 oz.) julienned oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
2 T. chopped fresh basil
Shredded Parmesan cheese
Fresh basil leaves, optional
Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente; drain.
Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken; cook until a thermometer reads 165°F., 4-5 mi. on each side. Remove from pan; keep warm. Reduce heat to medium-low.
In the same pan, whisk cream and mascarpone until smooth and heated through, 4-6 min. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes and basil. Add pasta; stir to coat and cook until heated through. Serve with chicken, Parmesan cheese and fresh basil leaves if desired.
Red Velvet Layer Bars
Prep Time: 15 min.
Cook Time: 35 min.
Total Time: 3 hrs.
Servings: 24-30 bars
1-1/4 C. all-purpose flour
1 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 C. unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3/4 C. granulated sugar
1 lg. egg
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 T. liquid red food coloring
1-1/3 C. sweetened shredded coconut
1 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 C. white chocolate chips
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 C. chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the bottom and sides of a 9×13-inch baking pan with aluminum foil (or use parchment), leaving an overhang on all sides.
Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl until combined. Set aside.
In a large bowl using a handheld mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the butter for 1 min. on medium speed until completely smooth and creamy. Add the granulated sugar and beat on medium high speed until fluffy and light in color. Beat in egg and vanilla on high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Beat in the food coloring until combined. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined. The red velvet dough will be quite thick and sticky.
Spread dough in an even layer into the prepared baking pan. It’s very sticky, so take your time pushing it to each corner of the pan. Bake for 8 min. Remove from the oven and leave the oven on.
Sprinkle the coconut over the cookie layer, followed by the chocolate chips, then the white chocolate chips. Pour the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the top. Sprinkle with pecans. Bake until set, about 25 min. Cool on a rack for at least 2 hrs. before cutting into squares.
Mayonnaise Cake
Prep Time: 20 min.
Cook Time: 35 min.
Total Time: 55 min.
Servings: 12
2/3 C. cocoa powder (plus a tsp. or two for the pan)
1 T. espresso powder or instant coffee
1 C. hot water
2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 C. granulated sugar
1 C. mayonnaise
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 C. all purpose flour
2-3 C. chocolate frosting or 2-3 T. powdered sugar
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13 cake pan with cooking spray and sprinkle the pan with a teaspoon of cocoa powder.
In a large mixing bowl whisk together the cocoa powder, instant coffee and hot water. Add the baking soda, salt, sugar, mayonnaise and vanilla. Whisk the mixture until it is smooth. Add the flour and stir until it is just mixed in.
Pour the batter into your prepared pan and smooth it out so that it is even in the pan. Bake for 25-30 min. Use a toothpick to check that the middle is baked through.
Cool completely in the pan before topping with frosting or powdered sugar.
Quote of the Week:
“Love shows itself more in adversity than in prosperity; as light does, which shines most where the place is darkest.”
~ Leonardo da Vinci
