We all need to keep the fires burning and this is a great date night dinner for two. Add your own Appies, then your salad or soup starter and then go for the good stuff. Dessert is your choice. (wink, wink, says me with a smile).
Use any veggies you will want for your dinner, but these are so delicious.
- Fingerling potatoes, skins on
- baby beets
- small turnip
- baby carrots
- cherry tomatoes (optional)
- small onion, peeled and quartered
Peel these and cut in half where you can, chunks where needed and rub with olive oil. Place on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt, pepper and herbs. Just make sure the sizes are equal so they all cook at the same time.
Place in a preheated 400 degree oven, cooking until the vegetables are tender and have begun to caramelize, about 15 minutes. Now prepare the fish during this cooking time and carry on, using the same pan.
- 500 gram Trout fillet, pat dry, all bones removed
- Herb de Provence
- freshly ground pepper
- pinch of salt
On the same baking sheet, lay the trout, skin side down in the center, moving the vegetables aside, and lightly rub olive oil over the flesh. Sprinkle the herbs, salt and pepper over the fish and bake for another 8-10 minutes until a knife point inserted in the thickest point for about 10 seconds comes out warm.
Serve with lime wedges.
Set the table with a tablecloth (washed and ironed), light the candles and serve the chilled wine of your choice.
You are so welcome and make these date nights at LEAST once a month.
New Year’s Eve For Two
New Year’s Eve is celebrated (or not) by one and all…sometimes it carries bitterswet memories and at other times it bring immense hope for the new year ahead.
We don’t go out on New Year’s Eve. We always found that a roomful of strangers is far more intimidating than a well planned, fun-for-two dinner at home.
Don’t get me wrong, we go to extremes here too. Table set, food planned and clothes changed for a festive dining experience.
As you can see, the table is laid for a celebration.
We began our dinner with shrimp, sauteed in butter and herb de provence. Don had two sauces: a seafood sauce that he made and one made that was so delicious you could have used it instead of even a Hollandaise on eggs in the morning. I suggested to Don that it was so good, one should actually bathe in it. I will post the recipe tomorrow. Watch for it.
Our dinner consisted of a Filet Mignon Steak, perfectly BBQ’d, roasted butternut squash, garlic mashed potatoes and in the individual gravy boats, a perfect bernaise sauce to pour as needed (uh….wanted). Paired with this was a glass – or two – of Sangiovese red wine.
Dessert was a little homemade and store bought. It doesn’t matter, it was presented in a pleasing way and tasted even better. PC’s cheesecake lollipops are simply devine and should and could be used anytime.
Coffee and a small glass of ice wine perfected the evening for us. See? Anyone can make an evening at home just a little more special. It just “takes 5” and you can see the results.
Did we make it to midnight? Just barely…Happy New Year.