In years past, Valentine’s Day meant getting reservations at a nice restaurant. This year might include celebrating in the comfort of your own home, but you still can have a nice meal. Cooking for someone is a great way to show how much you love and appreciate them, and it is not as hard as you might think.
Steak
Just because a dish looks elegant does not mean it was difficult to prepare. Choose your preferred cut of steak, then heat a cast iron pan over high heat. When the pan is hot, add a tablespoon of butter (one per steak), then add the meat as soon as the butter is melted. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, and cook for approximately 2-3 minutes on one side before turning over. If the butter is gone before you turn the steaks, add more. Season the second side, and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Remove the pan from the burner and place it in a preheated 400-degree oven. Cook for about 10 minutes for medium rare, or longer, depending on the desired doneness. By searing the steak, you lock in the moisture. Serve topped with butter mixed with yellow or Dijon mustard. Add a baked potato or sweet potato, and a side salad.
Shrimp
Shrimp is easy to prepare, and can be presented in many ways. Boil it with Old Bay and garlic cloves, then serve with cocktail sauce (which can be made by adding horseradish to ketchup) for an appetizer. Instead of making traditional rumaki, a favorite appetizer from the 1970s with shrimp wrapped in bacon, try a quick and easy deconstructed rumaki. Add some olives and cheese cubes for an easy appetizer tray.
For a main dish, toss cold boiled shrimp into a salad with mangoes and raspberry vinaigrette. Cooked pasta is another great vehicle for shrimp. Eight ounces of your favorite pasta will feed two people. Add in veggies, such as spinach, broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, red or yellow bell peppers, or another meat, such as bacon. Cheese is another option. Finally, consider the type of coating or sauce you’d like to use. A simple garlic butter is tasty and easy. Add 4 tablespoons of butter to the pan with your pasta mixture, along with 2 teaspoons of minced garlic. Stir until the butter is melted, then top with grated Parmesan cheese. Whole garlic cloves can be used; be sure to remove them before serving.
Pork
Pork loin is another versatile meat. For yummy pork tacos using a slow cooker, top the meat with one packet of dry ranch seasoning and 2 tablespoons each of onion powder, garlic powder and dry chicken bouillon. Place six whole pepperoncini peppers around the pork, then top it with one stick of butter. Cook on high heat for 4-5 hours, depending on the size of the meat. When the pork is done, shred and place on a baking sheet in a 425-degree oven for about 30 minutes, to make the pork crispy and more flavorful. Serve in flour tortillas with homemade slaw (a bag of coleslaw mix tossed with your favorite vinaigrette) or cooked cabbage, and topped with your choice of cheese.
Pork tenderloin also can be sliced into medallions and baked, flat-side down, topped with raspberry-jalapeno jam (or your favorite flavor). Pork schnitzel can be made with the medallions, as well, but it really is easier to make using pork chops, to ensure they are the same size. Serve medallions or schnitzel with roasted red potatoes, pasta, sauerkraut and stewed apples.
Chicken
Chicken is a great option if you don’t have much time for meal prep. You can oven-fry your favorite pieces; just pat them dry before prepping them. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and place a cooling rack inside a baking sheet. Prepare your chicken by coating each piece in flour, mixed with seasoned salt and dry ranch or Italian seasoning. Dip the coated chicken in buttermilk, then dredge it in panko. Spray the cooling rack with cooking spray, and place the chicken on it, keeping the pieces separated, and bake for 30-45 minutes. The chicken is done when it is golden brown and the juices run clear.
Don’t Forget Dessert!
No Valentine’s is complete without chocolate, and preparing homemade candy will add a wow factor. Chocolate coconut candy is easy, and only requires three ingredients. In a medium bowl, stir one 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk with 3 cups of shredded coconut. Press the mixture into candy molds or ice cube trays, or form logs or balls by hand. Lay on a baking sheet covered with wax paper, and freeze for 30 minutes. Remove from the freezer, and, using a fork, dip each piece into melted chocolate. Use either melting wafers or almond bark, because chocolate chips don’t melt smoothly. Lay them on waxed paper to harden.
Another easy idea that will score you big brownie points is double chocolate cake with whipped peanut butter frosting. Prepare a box of your favorite chocolate cake mix, but add a box of chocolate pudding mix and a 12-ounce bag of chocolate chips. Bake according to the package directions, and allow to cool. Top with whipped peanut butter frosting.
The secret to a successful homemade Valentine’s Day meal is to cook something you and your special sweetheart like, whether or not it’s fancy. You can make the meal special by using the fancy dishes, and lighting candles. Happy Valentine’s Day!
– Tiffany Hughes, an Acworth resident and works for the Booth Western Art Museum.
Whipped Peanut Butter Frosting
Ingredients
• ½ cup of creamy or crunchy peanut butter
• 1 stick of butter, softened
• 2 cups of powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons of milk
Directions
Beat the peanut butter and butter in a bowl with an electric mixer for 2 minutes on medium speed, or until well blended. Add the powdered sugar and milk. Mix on low speed for 4 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Spread the mixture evenly over cake or brownies, and top with additional peanuts if desired.
Deconstructed Shrimp Rumaki
Ingredients
• ½ cup of creamy or crunchy peanut butter
• 1 stick of butter, softened
• 2 cups of powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons of milk
Directions
Cook bacon pieces in a large skillet. Remove from the pan when done, and lay on a paper towel to drain. Add the shrimp to the bacon renderings, and cook until pink (about 4 minutes). Add salt to taste.
Lay water chestnuts on a tray, then top each with a piece of shrimp. Stick a toothpick through a piece of bacon, then secure it to the shrimp and water chestnut. Repeat for each piece of shrimp. Once all the rumaki are assembled, drizzle with teriyaki dressing and serve.
Poppy Seed Chicken
Ingredients
• 5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cut into cubes
• 1 can of cream of chicken soup
• 8 ounces of plain Greek yogurt
• 1½ tablespoons of poppy seeds
• 2 cups of crushed butter crackers
• 1 stick of butter, melted
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and coat a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, mix together the chicken, soup, yogurt and half of the poppy seeds, then pour into the baking dish. In a separate bowl, combine the cracker crumbs with the melted butter and the remaining poppy seeds, and spread across the top of the chicken.
Cover and bake for 15 minutes, then uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
Pork Schnitzel
Ingredients
• 4 pork chops, fat removed
• ½ cup of flour or finely-ground cornmeal
• 4 tablespoons Montreal steak seasoning, divided
• ¾ cup of buttermilk
• ½ cup of panko breadcrumbs
• canola oil for frying
• lemon wedges for serving
Directions
Lay pork chops on a piece of wax paper. Use the bottom of a cast iron skillet, or a meat mallet, to flatten the chops to a half-inch thickness, and set aside.
In a shallow container, combine the flour and 2 tablespoons steak seasoning. Pour buttermilk into a separate shallow container. In the third container, combine breadcrumbs and remaining steak seasoning.
Place the cast iron pan on the stove and cover the bottom with oil. Turn heat to medium high. While the pan is heating, dredge each pork chop first in flour mixture, then buttermilk, then breadcrumb mixture. Place the meat in the pan once the oil begins to sizzle, and repeat. Cook for approximately 5 minutes on one side, then turn, and cook until golden brown. Remove and drain meat on paper towels. Serve with lemon wedges.
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