My BEST ideas for Valentine's Day

Candy, flowers, jewels, movies and dinner out - are things I like for Valentine's Day. Yep, all of them. But there are a few flaws in the old-standby.  While I always enjoy eating out, I don't ever enjoy a crowded restaurant or a crowded movie theater.  And there is something unsettling when a month later, you go and pay the credit card bill and find all your gifts on there.   My husband knows me so well. He was at the Jewel buying me some flowers for Valentine's Day and he ran into a couple we know. The man jokingly said, "you are so busted, my wife is totally going to tell your wife that you bought those at the Jewel." and Matt calmly said, "Go ahead, she would be ticked off if I bought them any other place!" He is so right. 


Yes, it's true, I'm extremely driven by thrift. I think it's a curse sometimes. But I also enjoy doing something for my kids or my sweetheart that is a little more creative too. So with a few Valentine's shows for my business under my belt, I offer you a few ideas that you might enjoy. And if you are the fan of the week on Facebook (Like me at Confessions of a Direct Seller)... I have a special Heart-shaped prize this week! 


My best small treat: 
Left-over candy canes, dipped in white chocolate (or almond bark) See picture. So easy. So inexpensive. The shelf life of a candy cane is well over a year, so they are almost always still good well through Valentine's Day! If you don't have any left, and the clearance sections at Wal-mart are out too... just Chocolate Dip SOMETHING. It's always good. 


My best idea to pack in a lunch box: 
With the help of a large heart shaped cookie cutter, make any sandwich into a heart-shaped sandwich - 
Or if you have PChef Creative Cutters - cut out a heart in the middle of one of the slices of bread, and it will show a bit of what is inside through. (Maybe not good for a lunch box PB & J, but lunch meat will be safe. Cookies are also always a nice treat- pick up some break-and-bake if you are short on time, add a couple tablespoons of flour to the sugar cookie dough and roll out. 


My Valentine's Best Meal: 
This one is tricky. You know your Valentine best. Does he or she love Mexican? Go for Enchiladas... Does he love Italian? Go lasagna. Does she love heart-healthy? Go grilled chicken and a fabulous salad with nuts and berries. *Message me for recipes. But this post is about MY Valentine... and he loves a good SHISH Kabob. And the best part about this one, is that if I get it ready to go, he will cook it! If it is too cold to grill, then go for the broiler. Dont' want to broil? Go skewer-less and use the grill pan on your stovetop.  The key is in the marinade. Add on some rice and some rolls and you have an awesome meal. 


Steak and Mushroom Skewers
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (125 mL) balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil
2 tsp (10 mL) dried thyme leaves
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground black pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 lb (450 g) boneless beef top sirloin steak, cut 1 in./2.5 cm thick
1 package (8 oz or 228 g) mushrooms

Directions:
1.  In large bowl, whisk together vinegar, oil, thyme, garlic pressed with Garlic Press, salt and black pepper; set aside. Cut bell pepper and steak into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces. Place bell pepper, steak, mushrooms and marinade into large resealable plastic food storage bag. Seal bag and turn to coat. Marinate in refrigerator 1-3 hours.

2.  When ready to grill, prepare grill for direct cooking over medium coals. Alternately thread steak and vegetables onto Skewers. Lightly grease grid of grill. Place Skewers on grid of grill. Grill, uncovered, 8-10 minutes for medium rare to medium doneness or until meat is evenly browned and vegetables are crisp-tender, turning occasionally.

Yield:  4 servings

Nutrients per serving:  Calories 290, Total Fat 15 g, Saturated Fat 4 g, Cholesterol 60 mg, Carbohydrate 12 g, Protein 27 g, Sodium 350 mg, Fiber 2 g  (C)The Pampered Chef, Ltd. 2012 Pampered Chef


My best Valentine's Dessert
Nothing says love like cherries and chocolate. And nothing is easier than a trifle (see the blog post about trifles)...   You can buy the brownies if you aren't a big baker. Sam's club sells a nice sheet of them for a few bucks. But seriously baking a 9x13 pan of brownies is pretty easy, people. The rest is a piece of cake. (I mean trifle). 


Black Forest Trifle
Ingredients:
1 pkg (18-21 oz) brownie mix (plus ingredients to make cake-like brownies)
2 bars (1.55 ounces each) milk chocolate candy, divided
3 cups cherry pie filling
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup cranberry-cherry juice
2 cups cold 2% milk
2 pkg (3.3 oz each) white chocolate instant pudding and pie filling
1 container (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions for cake-like brownies; spread batter over bottom of Large Bar Pan. Bake 18-20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.

2.  Loosen brownie from sides of bar pan and invert onto flat side of Large Grooved Cutting Board. Cut brownie into 1-in. cubes; set aside. Chop 1 1/2 of the chocolate bars using Food Chopper. Reserve remaining chocolate for garnish.

3.  Combine pie filling and almond extract in Small Batter Bowl; set aside 1/2 cup for garnish. Stir juice into batter bowl.

4.  Pour milk into Classic Batter Bowl; add pudding mix and whisk until mixture begins to thicken. Fold in whipped topping.

5.  To assemble trifle, place half of the brownie cubes into bottom of Trifle Bowl. Layer with half of the pie filling mixture. Sprinkle with half of the chopped chocolate; top with half of the pudding mixture. Repeat layer one time.

6.  Make chocolate curls with reserved chocolate using Vegetable Peeler (see Cook's Tip). Garnish top of trifle with reserved pie filling mixture and chocolate curls. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.

Yield:  16 servings

Nutrients per serving:  Calories 380, Total Fat 14 g, Saturated Fat 5 g, Cholesterol 45 mg, Carbohydrate 59 g, Protein 4 g, Sodium 300 mg, Fiber 0 g

Cook's Tips:  To make chocolate curls, hold the Vegetable Peeler across the short side of the chocolate bar. Using even pressure, push the blade away from you to create curls.

This trifle can be assembled several hours before serving, or even the night before.  
(C)The Pampered Chef, Ltd. 2012 http://www.pamperedchef.com



Happy Valentine's Day to my beloved friends!  Enjoy creating SOME element of your Valentine's Day - and get your RED BOX movie the day before to make sure it will be there!
Kathy