Pictures of a Fabulous Valentine’s Dinner

I previously mentioned how the two of us were putting together the dinner. It was fun and not one cross word in the kitchen. True!

We started out with two (2) appetizers. Don made garlic and butter fried shrimp with hot sauce and crackers. Let me tell you, NO ONE can cook shrimp as good as that was; only Don.

I made a shrimp and avocado creme brulee. I’ll bet no one has had this before. It is so darn yummy I will definitely be making that one again. The Havarti cheese sauce really makes it and the sugar topping pulls it all together.

We took a small break and then had a New York Sirloin Steak with a Lobster Mornay sauce. Along side that was rainbow carrots with a mushroom stuffed baked potato.

It is a good thing we took our time over this meal. So far it is two hours and counting. A glass or two of Sangiovese red wine went perfectly.

That done and the dishwasher working, we decided to have a slice of my blood orange pound cake with a blood orange sauce. You will see by the two pictures just how that went.

Now, that was fabulous, made with love and a lot of care but…..it is back to the diet today.

Pizza Burgers

In the dog days of summer, the barbecue is still king. Try these out for size. Young and old alike will definitely enjoy these,  wanting more.

 

  • 2 medium size tomatoes
  • 1 yellow or green pepper
  • Vegetable oil
  • 4 homemade burgers (frozen in a pinch)
  • 1 tsp. mixture of dried basil and organo
  • grated mozzarella cheese

Lightly oil grill and heat the barbecue to a medium temperature. Slice the tomatoes in half and squeeze out the seeds and juice and discard.

Core and seed the pepper and cut into quarters. If using onions (purple), cut into thick rounds. Lightly brush the vegetables with oil and place on the grill. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place the burgers on the grill. Barbecue with the lid down until the veggies are becoming lightly charred. The peppers and onion will take twice as long (up to 7 minutes) as the tomatoes.

Cook the beef for 6-8 minutes on EACH side. As soon as they are removed from the grill, sprinkle each burger with lots of cheese . Chop the veggies coarsely and place in a bowl. Add the seasonings and mix together. Spoon some on each burger.

These will be best and taste best  if served on grilled squares of  focaccia bread. Now, who wants a glass of wine?

Later…

 

Lunch on the Run Martini

My husband’s oldest son says I never put on a real martini.  This one is for you and let me know how you like it. I promise this one won’t hurt….private joke, hey Trev.

 

  • 4 partsGrey Goose Vodka
  • 1 part Dry Vermouth

In a shaker filled with crushed ice, shake really well and strain into a chilled martini glass.

Now for the lunch part…..garnish with a Kalamata olive, a green olive, a cocktail onion and a cucumber slice. Who says I’m not looking after you.