I'm cooking a special dinner for my fiancee on Monday night...?!
Answers: but I don't know what to cook. I need something easy but tasty!!! Any suggestions???
Go to your supermarket and buy a roasted chicken from the deli section. They also have several different types of salads and hot side dishes. The Hawaiian rolls that come in a package are delicious. They are somewhat sweet to the taste.
You can buy a pre made pie in the bakery or in the frozen section. OR serve ice cream in a pretty bowl.
*********CHICKEN CACCIATORE WITH NOODLES
1/4 c. oil
1 - 3 lb. chicken, cut up/boneless chicken breast
2 pt. jars Spaghetti sauce
1 tsp. pepper
1 clove minced garlic
12 oz. pkg. noodles
Parmesan cheese
Grated cheese
Heat oil in skillet. Brown chicken on all sides. Combine salt, pepper, sauce and garlic; pour over chicken. Simmer covered 25 minutes or until tender. About 10 minutes before chicken is done, cook noodles according to package. Drain. Arrange chicken on noodles. Sprinkle cheese over all.
Serve with Garlic Bread and Salad.
Bone in rib eye steaks, cooked on the grill or broiled.
Garlic mashed potatoes or twice baked potatoes.
Tossed mixed green salad.
A nice Pinot Noir or Shiraz to drink.
His favorite dessert.
Bert
This is very easy and tasty.
Buy two peices of halibut, butter, a lemon, and 2 bananas., and a medley of frozen veggies.
Coat a baking dish with butter, place the halibut in dish, add a pad of butter on each pc, cut lemon in slices and place 4 or 5 on top., slice the bananas in half lengthwise and place on top. Cover with foil and place in preheated oven on 300 and bake for about 30 minutes.
Have the frozen veggeis thawed and put in a heated pan with butter, salt, and a dash of pepper, saute til veggies are soft.
Serve both with ur choice of white wine, ask the wine seller for a suggestion for halibut if need be.
This is from a man's point of view and what I think would make for a special dinner: Meatloaf with smashed potatoes and steamed whole/French-style green beans or baby carrots. Spaghetti or Lasagna with a green salad or Cornish game hens with roasted potatoes and a colorful veggie. Serve any of them with a good wine, candle-light and put a table cloth on the table, use you best dishes and flatware to make it extra special.
Meatloaf
3 pounds lean ground beef
3 large eggs
1/2 to 3/4 cup Italian style bread crumbs
1 packet Lipton's Onion or Beefy Onion Soup Mix
1 can sliced mushrooms - drained
1/2 cup sliced black olives
2 tablespoons BBQ sauce
1 tablespoon A-1 sauce
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup shredded cheese - I use a combination of Cheddar, Italian Blend and Pepper-Jack cheeses or whatever I have on hand
Mix all ingredients, form into a loaf in a loaf pan, bake at 350 degrees F for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
OR
Spaghetti
Spaghetti Sauce Italiano
Prep: 25 minutes
Cook: 8 to 10 hours (low) or 4 to 5 hours (This can also be simmered on top of the stove if you don't have a slow cooker/crock pot)
Ingredients
1 pound Italian sausage - Sweet, hot or a combination
1 pound ground beef
1 cup chopped onion (1 large)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 14-1/2-ounce cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
2 4-ounce cans mushroom stems and pieces, drained
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup chopped green sweet pepper (1 large)
12 to 16 ounces dried spaghetti, cooked and drained
Finely shredded or grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
Directions
1. In a large skillet cook the sausage, onion, and garlic over medium heat until meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain off fat.
2. Meanwhile, in a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker stir together undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, mushrooms, bay leaf, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper. Stir in meat mixture.
3. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 10 hours or on high-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours. Stir in sweet pepper. Discard bay leaf. Serve meat mixture over hot cooked spaghetti. If desired, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Makes 6 to 8 servings.
4. Spicy Tomato-Cream Sauce: Prepare as above, except use hot Italian sausage and stir 1/2 cup whipping cream into sauce just before serving.
**************************************...
OR
Lasagna
Prep: 45 minutes
Bake: 30 minutes
Ingredients
1 pound Italian sausage - sweet, hot or a combination, or bulk pork sausage
1 pound ground beef
1 cup chopped onion (1 large)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning, crushed
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed (optional)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
6 dried lasagna noodles
1 egg, beaten
1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese or 2 cups cream-style cottage cheese, drained
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
6 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
Directions
1. For sauce, in a large saucepan cook sausage, onion, and garlic until meat is brown. Drain.
2. Stir undrained tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, fennel seeds (if desired), and black pepper into meat mixture. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Meanwhile, cook noodles for 10 to 12 minutes or until tender but still firm. Drain noodles; rinse with cold water. Drain well; set aside.
4. For filling, combine egg, ricotta, and the 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Set aside.
5. Spread about 1/2 cup of the sauce over the bottom of a 2-quart rectangular baking dish. Layer half of the cooked noodles in the bottom of the dish, trimming or overlapping as necessary to fit. Spread with half of the filling. Top with half of the remaining meat sauce and half of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers. If desired, sprinkle additional Parmesan cheese over top.
6. Place baking dish on a baking sheet. Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until heated through. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
7. Makes 8 servings
8. Make-ahead directions: Prepare as above through Step 5. Cover unbaked lasagna; chill for up to 24 hours. To serve, bake, covered, in a 375 degree F oven for 40 minutes. Uncover; bake about 20 minutes more or until heated through. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
OR
Crimson Cherry-Glazed Holiday Hens
4 or 8 servings
Prep: 30 minutes
Roast: 40 minutes
Ingredients
4 1-1/4- to 1-1/2 pound Cornish game hens*
6 cloves elephant garlic, peeled and halved
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup sliced or chopped shallots
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup red cherry preserves (with whole cherries)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degree F. Rub the skin of each hen with cut side of garlic cloves; reserve garlic. Tie drumsticks to tail. Brush hens with the 3 tablespoons melted butter and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Place hens on a rack in a shallow roasting pan; twist wingtips under the back of each hen. Place halved garlic cloves around the hens. Roast for 40 to 45 minutes or until juices run clear. (Garlic may turn green during roasting, but that?s OK.)
2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan cook shallots in 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat until tender, about 3 minutes, stirring often. Stir in preserves, vinegar, allspice, and cloves. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Boil gently, uncovered, about 20 minutes or until desired glazing consistency. Remove one of the pieces of garlic from the roasting pan; cool slightly. Finely chop garlic; stir into sauce.
3. To serve, transfer hens and garlic to a serving platter. Spoon glaze over hens. Makes 4 to 8 servings.
*Note: For smaller portions, split hens in half lengthwise. Ask the butcher to cut the hens in half for you and remove the backbone. Or, use a long heavy knife or kitchen shears to split the hens lengthwise. Cut through the breast bone, just off-center, and cut through the backbone; then discard the backbone. Place hen halves, skin side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Add the garlic to the pan and roast for 40 to 45 minutes or until juices run clear.
OR
Cornish Game Hens with Port Sauce
4 servings
Prep: 20 minutes
Roast: 55 minutes
Ingredients
2 1-1/2-pound Cornish game hens
1 tablespoon olive oil
Port Sauce (see recipe below)
Directions
1. If desired before roasting, slit hens in half. Using kitchen shears, cut out backbone. Lay hens open and use kitchen shears or a large kitchen knife to cut through the breast bone, just off center. Twist wings under backs. On a rack in large shallow roasting pan, place hens, cut side down. (Or roast hens whole, breast side up.) Brush with oil.
2. Roast halved hens, uncovered, in a 375 degree F oven for 55 to 60 minutes; roast whole hens for 1 to 11/4 hours or until drumsticks move easily in sockets and juices run clear.
3. While hens roast, prepare Port Sauce. Brush hens with sauce during the last 10 to 15 minutes of roasting. Final internal temperature should be 180 degree F. Makes 4 servings.
Port Sauce: In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup orange juice; 1/3 cup water; 1/4 cup port wine; 1/4 cup blackberry spreadable fruit; 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar; 2 tablespoons minced shallot or chopped onion; 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed; 1/4 teaspoon instant chicken bouillon granules; 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (if desired); and 1 bay leaf. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 to 7 minutes to reduce to 1 cup. Strain sauce; return to pan. Stir 2 tablespoons cold water into 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Add to sauce. Cook and stir until bubbly. Serve immediately or cover and chill for up to 2 days. In a small saucepan, reheat sauce over low heat.
using slow cooker, purchase 2 cornish game hens. (perfect for 2 people)place in slow cooker with a few red potatoes a small onion just for flavor.and fresh carrots(leave long), side with crescent rolls or sour dough rolls.lite salad, desert tray of sliced fresh fruit.
Make goulash, that's what I'm making for my new boyfriend tonight.
1lb. ground beef
bag of rigatoni noodles
jar of spaghetti sauce
onion
mozarella cheese
preheat over to 350
boil noodles
brown ground beef, drain excess fat
when noodles are done, combine the noodles, ground beef, jar of spaghetti sauce, some onion, grated mozarella, bake in the pan for about 20-30 minutes and voila! you're done!
It tastes so good and is SO easy!
Good luck, I hope it goes really well!
My suggestion,don't waste your time on cooking, these n that, u just ordered 2 big pizza al pepperoni,some coke n u will save more time to spend it together instead of thinking here n there.
have a nice time, g, luck.