Showing posts with label recipes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recipes. Show all posts
2/16/11
a lovely valentine
February 14th, 2011 - Our 5th Valentine's Day
Carl and I have many special days of love... the day we became a couple (May 15th 2006), the day we became a couple forever (August 9th 2008), and of course - Valentine's Day.
This year, we had our Valentine's date early (for practical reasons such as avoiding too many people and very long lines) - and we had dinner at Joe's Crab Shack in Sandy. Carl and I love seafood, and as much as we wanted to dine somewhere in Park City, we wouldn't trade good seafood with (expensive) fancy ambience. It was so worth it... the tunes of "eat at joe's" kept playing on Carl's head!
On V-day itself, I prepared a sort of fancy dinner for us at home... and we surprised each other with our gifts. Carl brought home a beautiful bouquet and chocolate truffles, and he also gave me a very very comfy pair of PJs and a framed plaque that says "I always keep falling in love with you!" My gift for him was a chrome watch from Fossil which I think he really liked.
We had a beautiful dinner in candle light and every time I'd bring out the next course, Carl would say, "wag na muna kasi matatapos na ang dinner pag kinain na natin." Yup - he didn't want it to end!
Valentine's Dinner Menu
Appetizer
Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
Baked Porcinis stuffed with crabs and cream cheese and topped with parmigiano reggiano
Salad
Baby Spinach and Cranberries with Raspberry Vinaigrette
Fresh baby spinach, dried cranberries, and almond served with tangy raspberry vinaigrette
Soup
Cheesy Broccoli Soup
Entree`
Tapas and Scallops
Beef tapas and pan-seared scallops served with greens and Spanish rice
Dessert
Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Valentine's Dinner Menu
Appetizer
Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
Baked Porcinis stuffed with crabs and cream cheese and topped with parmigiano reggiano
Salad
Baby Spinach and Cranberries with Raspberry Vinaigrette
Fresh baby spinach, dried cranberries, and almond served with tangy raspberry vinaigrette
Soup
Cheesy Broccoli Soup
Entree`
Tapas and Scallops
Beef tapas and pan-seared scallops served with greens and Spanish rice
Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
It was our longest dinner so far, and one of the best we've had!
Happy Valentines day everyone - Keep spreading the love!
10/9/10
i was in the mood (and more enthusiastic than most days) to cook
as you all know, i love to cook... but even though i love cooking, some days are just plain and boring in the kitchen. but last night, i was so psyched and overly enthusiastic that i decided i will make our weekend meals more interesting...
so...
last night became BURGER NIGHT...
last night i made Mushroom Burgers with Potato Fries, and instead of serving it with pickles i made Mango-Cucumber salad.
Ingredients: 1 mango (i like it when it's not quite ripe), peeled and cut into cubes; 1 cucumber, cut into cubes; 2 tomatoes, seeds removed and cut into cubes; 1 medium red onion, coarsely chopped; 1/2 cup green onions, juice of 2 limes, salt and pepper. Combine all ingredients and season with salt and pepper. CHILL before serving!
Carl was ecstatic - and I think I heard him say "This is the best burger I ever ate!" He was actually watching a re-run of Food Network's "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" and they were featuring the 'best burgers"... so I hope my burger was really good and he wasn't just having a hang over what he just watched. :) Sorry we didn't get the chance to take a photo of my burger and fries... i guess you've already figured out why...
It was quite time consuming to create our Burger Night, because I made my own beef patties and cut my own fries... but I guess that's what makes home-cooked feasts really yummy - all the love and the time that goes into the food!
So my awesome mood was carried over through today, and for dinner tonight i made Bacon-Wrapped Scallops with Honey-Lime Sauce, Garlic Roasted Asparagus, and (Fake-out) Java Rice.
Bacon-Wrapped Scallops: Wrap each scallop with a strip of bacon (secure it with toothpick if you want), season with salt and pepper, and sear both sides in butter, then continue cooking in the oven at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.
Honey-Lime Sauce: Whisk together 2 tbsp honey, juice of 3 limes, 1 tbsp. pineapple juice, 2 tbsp. water. and 2 tbsp. sugar. Cook over medium heat and stir until thick. Serve drizzled over scallops!
Garlic-Roasted Asparagus: Cut the tough ends of the asparagus, wash and pat dry, then arrange in a baking sheet. Mix coarsely chopped garlic, scallop/bacon grease, and salt and pepper together and drizzle over asparagus. Broil in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.
(Fake-out) Java Rice: Saute onion, garlic, and chopped ham in butter. Add cooked rice, ketchup and soy sauce. Season with pepper. Cook until fluffy. Serve warm.
I am a HUGE scallop fan, and today Carl said, "Ok lets go grab some of your scallops from Costco!" When he said that, my eyes just went 5 times bigger than normal!!! Ha Ha Ha! (I am literally laughing at myself right now, because I didn't care if Costco's scallops were not really the ideal kind that I'd prefer, I just want some scallops, period).
I just have to say that we had a really hearty dinner. Try it sometimes, food doesn't have to fancy. Its the effort that matters most :)
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