Going All Out On Valentine's Day

I've been so busy...it's been hard to post, but I did take pictures of my Valentine's Day meal, at least the set up and dessert. I got so caught up in getting it on the table that I didn't get shots of the shrimp and flank steak courses. But I really went all out and here are some shots. It's worth making things special sometimes. SP loved it and so did I.

I served spitfire shrimp, grilled flank steak and onion and five cheese twice baked potatoes. For dessert, we had slices of this decadent flourless chocolate cake with a scoop of coffee ice cream and some chocolate whipped cream. It was enough calories for a week, but it was goooooooood!

I'll write up the recipes another time, or ask me for them.

Chicken Parmesan with Rigatoni

SP and I cooked in on Saturday. I love grocery shopping with him. I really don't like to grocery shop, but it's fun when I go with him. We stopped at Jewel and picked up what we needed for dinner and breakfast, and he had taken some chicken breast tenders out of the freezer already.

I made my red sauce, which is basically a little bit of meat (like ground pork or sausage), two ribs of celery finely chopped, a small onion or half of a large onion finely chopped, and some garlic sauteed in olive oil. Then I add one large can of tomato puree and two small cans of tomato paste. To that, I add four cups of water and bring it to a boil. I add some fresh parsley, oregano, basil, salt and pepper and a dash of red pepper flakes. Then I reduce the heat and simmer the sauce for a few hours, stirring to avoid burning.

While the sauce simmered, I heated some olive oil and canola in another skillet over medium low heat. I dredged the chicken tenders in egg, and then I lightly patted them in Italian bread crumbs that I seasoned with a little more parsley and California garlic blend. I turned the heat up slightly and seared the chicken tenders on both sides for about three minutes or so, each side. Then I removed them to a coated baking casserole to finish them.

I coated the chicken tenders with sauce from my simmering pot, and a layer of Romano, parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. I placed them in the oven on 350 for 45 minutes. When they were brown and bubbly, I pulled them out of the oven to rest while we cut the bread and finished boiling the Rigatoni in a large pot of salted water.

The chicken was juicy and tender, with a slightly crispy breading, and the sauce coated the pasta and chicken nicely. It was a robust and somewhat healthy meal. We sopped up the leftover sauce with fresh Italian bread. This is comfort food at home, folks.

The bonuses? It was inexpensive, and we both had lunch for today at work. It heated up really well, too.

Braised Pork Roast with Apples & Cranberries

Today I coated a two pound pork roast in sage, salt and pepper and then seared it to a nice caramel dark brown in a very hot skillet with a few tablespoons of canola oil..about ten minutes. I then removed it to a crock pot heated to high. I added a sprig of rosemary to top off the roast. Then I deglaced my pan with about 3/4 c. dry white wine, 1/2 c. OJ and 1 c. chicken stock. I added a sprinkling of cracked black pepper as well. Just as the mixture started to come to a boil, as I made sure to scrape all the tasty bits off the bottom of the pan (this is where the flavor comes from), I added about 1/2 c. of brown sugar and brought the mixture to a full boil to thicken slightly, mixing the ingredients well.

I poured the contents of the pan over the roast. Then I added a couple of handfuls of dried cranberries to the pot, along the sides of the roast. It's in the crock pot now (this will cook on high for four hours or on low for 8), and when SP gets here, I'll peel, core and slice apples slightly bigger than usual and arrange them in the crockpot for the last hour, or until they are tender.

When the entire dish is done, I will remove it to a platter, reserving the liquid and arranging the fruit along the sides of the sliced roast. In a large saucepan, I'll make a bit of a roux, with a tablespoon of butter and flour each, and mix them until they are starting to turn color. Then i will add the contents of the crockpot to create a tasty gravy.

While all of that is finishing up, I'll make some mashed potatoes and a salad to serve with dinner. We'll drink the leftover wine with our meal. This should be good. I was inspired by a recipe I saw online last week, but couldn't find when I wanted to make this. I read a couple of other recipes and think I get the gist.

You could braise this and add other dried fruits or veggies or a combination of both. Braising works very well for tougher cuts of meat, and it creates layers of flavor. Try it with chicken, beef roast, lamb...whatever you like.

Go Steelers!

SP loved it...he said it is one of the best meals I've made for him. He requested that I make it again. It was pretty good. You can taste the fruity flavors in the meat and it's extremely tender and juicy.