Romantic Valentine's Day Desserts

Looking for a good dessert for Valentine's Day I went through my archives and found a few that I thought would be perfect. 

These lava cakes are good and simple to make. 

Apple Pie Egg Rolls are a creative dessert.

Zeppole- Fried Donuts

What are you planning for dessert on Valentine's Day?

Valentine's Day Printables

Its the week of Valentine's Day and I'm so excited for a three day weekend with my Hubby just relaxing and enjoying each other.

I wanted to think of some fun decorations that I could put out on Sunday to surprise him. I created these two printables that you can easily print off and put in a frame for instant free decorations.

Click here for printable PDF

Click hrer for printable PDF

What are some fun ways you decorate for Valentine's Day?

Simple Dinner For Two

Valentine's day is coming up and what I am most looking forward to is a romantic dinner for two. Great food, wine, romantic table with Hubby across from me there is nothing better. This will be our sixth Valentine's together, we have had some wonderful meals together. One year we had a homemade fondue night, a steak surprise dinner, a couple fancy night outs, all were delicious. This year we are creating a four-course meal together, each making two of the courses. Hubby is in charge of appetizer and soup, I am making our main course and dessert. I can't wait to share with you in the coming weeks what we make.

Today I want to share with you an easy, classic dinner for two that anyone can make. Steak with caramelized onions and mushrooms, asparagus and a side salad. Pair with your favorite drink, a sweet dessert and you have a delicious meal.

For the steak:

Pick your favorite cut. Get this from a good butcher so it is a good quality.
Season with salt and pepper.
Make sure the meat is at room temperature before cooking.

You can grill your steak if the weather is nice, February can be tricky with the weather. If it is not an option to grill here is a wonderful way to cook it in the oven with a cast iron skillet.

Don't cook it more than medium rare for the best flavor and texture.

For the onions and mushrooms:

Ingredients

• 1-2 medium sweet onions
• 1 8oz pack mushrooms
• 2 tsp of oil or butter
• ¼ cup of red wine (cooking wine is fine)

Directions

1. Slice the onion very thinly and the mushrooms into ¼ inch slices.
2. Heat the 1 teaspoon of oil in a pan without nonstick coating, when it is hot add in the onions. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes without disturbing them.
3. Once the 30 minutes is up, stir to check the texture you are looking for soft but not mushy. When the texture is where you like them remove the lit and let sit for 5 minutes. You should start to see some slight browning around the edges when you do stir them. Repeat this until the onions are a nice golden brown color. If it is taking too long adding a bit of sugar will help speed the process up but you need to stir more often to keep it from scorching.
4. When the onions are getting close to being done heat the other 1 teaspoon of oil in a skillet.
5. Add in the mushrooms when the oil is hot, cover and let them sweat until most of their moisture is out, about 10 minutes.
6. Once they have shrunk and are tender add in the red wine. Let simmer until all the red wine is soaked up.
7. Serve immediatly along side your meat. 

For the Asparagus:

You can grill or roast it and have a great flavor. 
Season with olive oil salt and pepper and you are good to go with either method.

Don't forget the dessert. There are many great desserts here in my Recipe Box on the dessert page. 

Now go make a memorable Dinner for Two! These recipes are simple with big flavor that is sure to impress anyone. Something to remember for a great meal choose something that you both enjoy but don't have all the time.

Married Monday: Fun Valentine's Day Gifts for Husabnds

Valentine's Day is getting close and if you are like me you are trying to think of a great gift for your husband. I love buying and giving gifts, the happiness on their face and their genuine appreciation makes me so happy.

Hubby is my favorite person to buy for but sometimes it is hard to think of a great idea. Especially when he can't even think of anything he wants. That is when it is time to get creative. If he doesn't need any essentials and has everything he's been wanting then it's time to look for fun gifts.

Valentine's Day we don't normally do big gifts. Instead, we spend time together, have a nice meal, and maybe exchange something small. So I started to make a list of fun, simple gifts that are perfect for husbands.

• Love notes- Get romatic and leave him sweet notes to find throughout the day.
• Coupons- Create some fun coupons for massages, favorite food items, a chore free day etc. I did this for Christmas and it was a big hit.
• Food- food is one of our love languages. It really works for most any occasion. A favorite dessert, a meal all about him, or even a surprise of his favorite fast food item.
• Create your own 6-pack, or drink pack- For those who like trying different things many liquor stores have a spot you can mix and match to create your own set. I think this is a fun gift that you can customize to what he likes or choose ones that have a meaning to the two of you.
• Personalized key chain- This one sounds a bit lame but there are some fun keychains out there that fit so many personalities. I love having a couple key chains to switch out.
• Coffee mug- Design your own using Sharpies and bake the mug or pick a cute one out. Pinterest has a lot of cute options.
• 52 reasons I love you- I love the idea of getting a card deck and writing one reason you love him on it.
• Luggage tags- going for vacation this summer wouldn't it be great to have personalized luggage tags so he can find his easily.
• A simple sweet card- sometimes simple is the best way to go. Purchase a sweet card write a little I love you note and you are set.
• A movie night bucket- get a new movie he's been wanting to see, popcorn, candy and a note saying you will watch it with him. Doubles as a date and gift, perfect

There you have it 10 simple inexpensive ideas to gift your husband for Valentine's day. For us at least, Valentine's day is more about the thought and togetherness then gifts. I rather spend an evening enjoying a home cooked dinner together then a big extravagant gift any day. How do you like to spend valentines with your husband? I would love to hear from you.

Just In Time For Valentine's Day

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, at Pre K we had our party yesterday and the schools are having theirs this afternoon. Now while we don't celebrate with extravagant gifts, we do enjoy a day together with great food. I am looking forward to a long weekend with my hubby and a day of hanging out, going on a hike, eating at a new restaurant and a home cooked meal with a movie.

I think the day is overly commercialized and superficial. I think it is fun for kids to have a day to talk about love and friendship. I like the day as an extra day to shower your spouse or significant other with love. That does not mean you need to spend a lot of money, you just need some heart felt gestures. Like a home cooked meal or simply just hanging out together.

Here are a few Valentine's post I did last month. Yes you still have time to do these! Enjoy ( Click the Picture)

Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas for Him

   

   Valentine’s Day is getting close; how it is already February I’m not sure I feel like December never happened.  With the day approaching I started to think about what exactly I wanted to get Hubby this year. We don’t typically give each other a large gift for Valentines, we do though have a nice dinner together, watch a movie and just enjoy our time together.  I have been known to give food as a gift most years that we’ve been together, such as cupcakes, cookies, pies and other things that I thought he would like. I have gotten flowers, a teddy bear, cards and possibly a necklace (we can’t remember the occasion it was given to me).

Cupid Candy: A Twist on Puppy Chow

It’s almost Valentines and we all know that means candy! I have done a little twist on Puppy Chow that is just perfect to share with your Valentines.