Assuming many of us buy into the adage that dining out on VDay is about as bad an idea as going out for Mother’s / Father’s Day Brunch, or NYE and similar holidays, what’s on the menu - if you are planning a special meal for your PIC, beloved BFF or GF?
As for casa lingua, I’ve had a couple of pounds of scallops in the freezer that I’ve been meaning to use up. They’re frozen per pound, but even one pound of scallops is far too much food for us two, and our grass widower pal we were hoping to have over happens to be coupled still (his boo’s departure got delayed by the snow storm), and my recluse introvert friend has a cold. Gah.
Otherwise, I’d likely have made that fabo shaved celery salad with toasted hazelnuts, ricotta salata and chopped dates as a starter & seared scallops over lemon crème fraîche linguine with trout roe for the three of us.
However, now that it’s looking like a romantic tête-a-tête, I may have to pivot. We always have an abundance of shrimp in the freezer, so that or a splurgier purchase (crab, oysters, etc.) are possilibities
Dessert is yet to be figured out, as that is generally not a priority in our household. Might get a fancy cheese instead.
What culinary treats are you lavishing on those near and dear to YOU?
Still using up leftovers, so that’ll be dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow.
For dinner tomorrow - it’s Wednesday, so it’s Prince Spaghetti Day (although I don’t buy that brand) so probably sketti and sawce, maybe a crusty, buttered roll.
For the boyz in my life - they’ll get the next can of food - I believe Duck is on the menu for them. Which means they’ll be eating better than I will. But I love 'em to bits, so if it’s duck, it’s duck.
Harters
(John Hartley - a culinary patriot eating & cooking in Northwest England)
5
Herself and I have been a couple since we were in our teens. We’ve done OK, I think, as we’re now in our 70s. We’ve never done Valentines Day, not even in those heady days of the late 1970s.
Last year, we decided to have a short break on the North Wales coast, completely forgetting one night was 14/2 and we couldnt get in any of the decent restaurants. Ended up having a vile meal in the pub next door to where we were staying. There may be a similar quick trip later this week - but only if the weather improves.
But, as for tomorrow , a lamb, leek and pearl barley casserole. Romantic it ain’t. Bloody tasty though - so the love of my life assures me it will be. Scraps of leftover Cheshire cheese - Mr Bourne’s Mature and his Blue - for afters.
Congratulations! It’ll “only” be 25 years this September since we first met, and I am intent on celebrating that occasion for sure.
As for VDAy… TBH, it’s just an excuse for us to have a festive meal on an otherwise insignificant, lame-o winter Wednesday. But we do the same for xmas and Easter, even tho we are a couple of heathens.
I suppose we are simply EOE(aters)
2 Likes
CCE
(Keyrock the unfrozen caveman lawyer; your world frightens & confuses me)
7
Leftovers. A lot of meats this past week were half-price or considerably reduced, and I overbought. Most of them had SB dates of 2/10-2/12, so I’ve just finished cooking the last of them (except I still have 2 racks of ribs downstairs, but they’re good for another few days).
Sliced roast beef, 2 kinds of chicken, thick boneless pork chops (cut from pork loin roast), pulled pork…
Shrimp here too… but I am gonna be experimenting with an existing recipe to simple it up, from fried and sauced… to marinated and grilled. Hopefully it turns out to something comparable.
I work 'til 8:45 on actual Valentine’s Day, so we can’t go out, which we would do otherwise, because I like it. So we’re going out the next night, for Shanghainese food - Valentine’s Day/Lunar New Year combo!
Thanks. The original recipe came from the McCormick Spices of the World Cookbook, and I’ve been messing with it continuously over the years. It’s a basic Americanized lasagna.
I use a jar of marinara sauce instead of making my own sauce liked I used to, and mix a pound of crumbled cooked Italian sausage into the sauce. I don’t use a bechamel sauce because I don’t care for it.
I add a package of frozen, thawed, and squeezed dry chopped spinach into the combined ricotta, shredded mozzarella, and parmesan cheese mixture and add a little nutmeg.
I use 6 cooked lasagna noodles and make two layers of three noodles each. (I don’t like a lot of pasta.) And I don’t use uncooked/no boil noodles because I like the texture and taste of the cooked ones better, even though it’s a pain to cook them.
I grease a 9 x 13 pan with olive oil and put a couple of tablespoons of sauce in first and spread it around to keep the noodles from sticking.
I bake it at 350 for 35 - 45 minutes and then let it rest for about 10 minutes before cutting. Sometimes I try baking it covered for part of the time and then uncovered for the rest.
So it’s nothing fancy, and I 'm sure you could tweak your own favorite recipe by using the Italian sausage instead of ground beef, and adding the spinach.
Good luck!
I’m thinking of making a classic favorite: homemade pasta with a rich tomato basil sauce and meatballs. It’s hearty and delicious, perfect for a romantic night in. And for dessert, maybe something chocolatey or fruity, depending on what we’re craving.
I was thinking of using up some scallops in my freezer too but when I asked my husband what he wants he said chili Rellenos. He knew that was part of this weeks dinner plans anyway so I guess he was trying to make things easy for me. So I’ll make that with some black beans. I might make corn tortillas to make it feel a little special. For dessert I’m going to make bread pudding with some of the panettone I made at Xmas. I froze some for this purpose. I’m thinking of adding some lemon curd to it. Using this recipe as inspiration but making individual portions. Panettone Bread Pudding with Lemon Filling Recipe | King Arthur Baking
It’s all in the eye of the beholder(s).
