Valentines Dinner..?!


Question: I plan on making homemade Mac-n-cheese (this is a delicious but timely recipie)with Heart-shaped Pasta, and Home-"baked" Heart-shaped Brownies. I am needing a manly main course, if a sauce would be included I prefer for it to be pretty simple. I haven't really made a Sweet-hearts dinner before, made plenty of dinners just not special ones. Also a veggie dish would be nice to hear about (not another starch though please).


Answers: I plan on making homemade Mac-n-cheese (this is a delicious but timely recipie)with Heart-shaped Pasta, and Home-"baked" Heart-shaped Brownies. I am needing a manly main course, if a sauce would be included I prefer for it to be pretty simple. I haven't really made a Sweet-hearts dinner before, made plenty of dinners just not special ones. Also a veggie dish would be nice to hear about (not another starch though please).

)Why don't you try a marinated steak? If you get something big enough you can always cut it into a heart shape (porterhouse or rib eyes are great for these. The smaller scraps can be quick cooked and used on the side for an "arrow" or just tossed to the dog...hey even the puppies need loving too. Or you could do a chicken dish...maybe with some prosciutto and provolone cheese rolled inside. Bake it at 375 until it's done (generally 30-45 minutes depending on how thick the chicken is) and give it a splash of wine sauce (you can get really great ones in the grocery store so you won't have to worry about overpowering the chicken)

As far as a veggie, I remember a meal my honey made with green veggies (ones like broccoli hold up well with cheese). He steamed them with some fresh garlic and onions and some sliced bell peppers. They were really great.

Just remember, no matter what you make, I'm sure the person you're making it for will love it.

Ditch the old brownie recipe and make this;
Chocolate Fudge n' Pudge
10 cups of chocolate chips (melt with 1 tablespoon milk for 25 seconds)
9 tbsp of cocoa powder
4 cubed butter
4 cubed goat cheese (helps stay moist)
5 cups brownie flour
1 tbsp baking soda

Mix all ingrediants into bowl, heat oven to 400 degrees. Pour batter into a baking pan and put in over til gooey.-Marty Jean Baker.

Make a stir fry!

For a manly dinner: buy some reasonably priced, thin cut steaks. Slice them up, and cook them in a large skillet. When they're done, add a package of frozen stir fry veggies (you can get them at any grocery store), and allow that to cook/steam. When they are done, add a packet of stir fry seasoning (again, you can get this at the grocery store), two tbs. of soy sauce, and two tbs. of honey. Cook for another minute or two, until everything is hot and mixed together. Serve on a bed of rice.

For a veggie dinner, just omit the meat part; cook the veggies, add the seasoning, soy sauce, and honey, and serve the same way.

It's healthy and very good.

Happy Valentines!

okay..trust me on this..a manly meal consists of steak!! and this is the easiest best steak recipe in the universe!! for veggies, i suggest steaming brocolli, and carrots but pouring some butter and salt over them,....that makes it taste sooo good!! u could serve fresh mashed potatoes too if u wanted..just microwve for 10 mins, peel off skin..then mash up..add in some butter and milk till creamy..dont forget salt and pepper

2 (2 inch thick) steaks beef tenderloin
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 teaspoon meat tenderizer

DIRECTIONS
Rub meat with olive oil and crushed garlic. Sprinkle with tenderizer. Cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat grill for medium high heat.
Brush grate with oil, and place steaks on the grill. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes per side, or until done.

CHICKEN PICCATA

2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, butterflied and then cut in half
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups all purpose flour, for dredging
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup brined capers, rinsed
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.
In a large 10 or 12-inch skillet over medium high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 3 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add 2 pieces of chicken and cook for 3 minutes. When chicken is browned, flip and cook other side for 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to plate. Melt 2 more tablespoons butter and add another 2 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add the other 2 pieces of chicken and brown both sides in same manner. Remove pan from heat and add chicken to the plate.

Reduce heat to medium low and add the lemon juice, stock and capers. Return to stove and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Check for seasoning. Return all the chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove chicken to platter. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to sauce and whisk vigorously. Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley.

-- Giada DeLaurentiis
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Chicken Scampi
(easy but delicious and elegant)

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp lemon juice
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, sliced lengthwise into thirds

In a skillet heat the butter and olive oil on medium high heat until butter is melted. Add parsley, basil, oregano, garlic and salt and mix together. Stir in lemon juice.
Then add chicken pieces and saute for 3 minutes or until white. Lower the heat and cook for about 10-15 mintues or until chicken is cooked through. More butter can be added if needed. Serve chicken over hot angel hair, or other pasta and pour some of the sauce over it all.

Make sure you have some bread to 'sop' up the sauce! This is really good and so quick and easy, but it has a nice presentation on the plate.
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Have you already made your mac & chz?! This is a FABULOUS recipe, I promise! (I used sourdough bread for the crumb topping and skipped the basil.)


Grown-Up Macaroni & Cheese

4 oz thick-sliced bacon
Vegetable oil
Kosher salt
2 cups elbow macaroni or cavatappi
1? cups milk
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
4 oz Gruyere cheese, grated
3 oz extra-sharp Cheddar, grated
2 oz blue cheese, such as Roquefort, crumbled
? tsp freshly ground black pepper
Pinch nutmeg
2 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed
2 Tbsp. freshly chopped basil leaves

Preheat the oven to 400oF. Place a baking rack on a sheet pan and arrange the bacon in 1 layer on the baking rack. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the bacon is crisp. Remove the pan carefully from the oven - there will be hot grease in the pan! Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and crumble when it is cool enough to handle.

Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt the butter in a medium pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or 2 more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, blue cheese, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and crumbled bacon and stir well. Pour into 2 individual size gratin dishes.
Place the bread slices in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until you have coarse crumbs. Add the basil and pulse to combine. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the top of the pasta. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

--Ina Garten, Food Network

The traditional accompaniment to mac-n-cheese is fried chicken, and a good vegetable side is broccoli (something reallt health and good with cheese).

For the chicken, in a brown paper sack put 1 cup flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, 1 tsp thyme, 1 tsp garlic powder and 1 tbsp paprika. Shake it up and then put 2-3 pieces of chicken pieces in the sack and shake it until they are coated. Shake off the excess flour. Repeat for all the pieces. Cook in one layer over medium high heat in 1/4 inch oil, turning only after the bottom side has browned completely. At this point you have a choice. You can lower the heat to medium and continue cooking and turning until the chicken is done (30 minutes or so) or you can put it in a medium oven (350-375 degrees) until it is done 45-60 minutes.

As for the broccoli, add the trimmed stalks to boiling salted water and cook 4 minutes. Drain and serve immediately. (Or shock in cold ice water, drain, dry and nuc for 60 seconds or so just before serving)

These pork chops are Grrrrrrrrrreat!

Mike’s Pork Chops

4 boneless pork chops 1/2-3/4” thick
? C parmesan cheese, finely grated
1C plain or Italian bread crumbs
2 eggs
6T oil
1T butter

Wash pork chops, pat dry
Salt and liberally pepper the pork chops
Dip in parmesan cheese, coat well, shake off any excess
Dip in eggs both sides, get off excess
Dip in bread crumbs

Put oil and butter in pan
Put on medium to medium high
Let oil and butter heat up

Put pork chops in skillet; cook 6-7 minutes on each side until crisp. Don’t keep flipping them. Cook one side then the other.

Remove and serve

Buy a pre-cooked roasted chicken from the deli section of your grocery store. They also have wonderful side dishes and salads.

But if you want to do the cooking yourself, look in on the following:

Dinner recipe videos, click this link:
http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/CookingScho...

Foil-Pack Dinners (video):
http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/cookingscho...

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Caesar Salad
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Chocolate Passion Bowl (see video recipe):

http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/cookingscho...





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