Recipe(tried): Romantic Chocolate Valentine's Day Dinner for Two....

Hello Everyone!

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, how exciting! Remember getting and giving Valentine's cards when you were in school? I remember one particular teacher I had in grade school that had us bring in a shoe box to decorate as a mailbox for all our cards. We enjoyed that so much that when I became a grade school teacher I also did the same with my students. They really enjoyed that along with the party we would have with cupcakes and cookies and red punch! Plenty of love to go around...

I gave my DH two menus to choose from and he chose the one I am posting.we can always have the other one. It was Fettucini with Seared Scallops in a sweet red-bell pepper sauce.

I have been busy all day having fun making Valentine's Day cookies and planning a surprise for my DH's lunch tomorrow!

So, I wish you all a very happy and loving Valentine's Day.

Love & Hugs, Gina

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THE MENU....

Pepper-Crusted Filet Mignon with Bernaise Sauce
Smashed Garlic Sour Cream Potatoes
Sugar-Glazed Oven Roasted Carrots
Romaine Salad with Heart-Shaped Beets, Bleu Cheese and Honey Mustard Dressing

Chocolate Strawberry Heart-Shaped Ice Cream Sandwiches
Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

The Recipes....

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PEPPER-CRUSTED FILET MIGNON WITH BERNAISE SAUCE
Source: Martha Stewart
Serves 2

2 filet mignons (5 to 6 ounces each, about 1 1/2 inches thick)
Coarse salt and very coarsely ground pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil

Season filets very generously on both sides with salt and pepper (especially pepper), patting in firmly.

Heat oil in a small skillet over medium-high. Cook filets until desired doneness, 3 to 5 minutes per side (depending on thickness) for medium-rare.

Remove strings from filets. Serve with Bernaise Sauce, if desired.

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ROMAINE SALAD WITH HEART SHAPE BEETS,
CRUMBLED BLEU CHEESE AND HONEY MUSTARD DRESSING
Serves 2

torn Romaine salad for two bowls
1 can beets, drained
heart shaped cookie tin cutter
honey mustard dressing
bleu cheese
garlic-cheese croutons
dried cranberries
salad almonds

Arrange salad in two serving bowls. Sprinkle almonds, cranberries and croutons over. Using 2 slices of beet, cut out 2 hearts using the heart tin cookie cutter, place two beet hearts on the salad. Sprinkle with bleu cheese and drizzle 2 Tbsp. honey mustard dressing over.

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CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY HEART-SHAPED ICE-CREAM SANDWICHES
Source: Martha Stewart
Makes 24

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon milk
2 to 2 1/2 pints strawberry ice cream, slightly softened

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, vanilla, and sugar. Add eggs and milk, and mix until combined. Add reserved flour mixture, and mix on low speed until incorporated, scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula at least once. Divide the dough in half, and shape each half into a flat disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap, and chill until firm, about 1 hour.

Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface; use an offset spatula to unstick the dough every few turns of the rolling pin. Roll dough to an 1/8-inch thickness. Cut dough using a variety of heart-shaped cookie cutters from 2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter, making sure there is a top and bottom cookie for each sandwich. Place hearts on a parchment-lined baking sheet; chill until firm, about 30 minutes.

TO BAKE:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Remove from refrigerator; use a fork to prick holes all over the surface of the cookies.

Bake until firm, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool slightly on baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

TO ASSEMBLE:
Using half the cookies, spoon softened strawberry ice cream about 1/2 inch thick on each underside. Place matching cookie on top of ice cream, top-side facing out. Transfer immediately to freezer to harden; repeat with remaining ingredients. Serve directly from the freezer. Sandwiches can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for 3 to 4 days.

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CHOCOLATE DIPPED STRAWBERRIES

I bought 1 pound of the reddest strawberries I could find and a little round container of melting dipping chocolate. I will prepare the berries early in the day and store in the fridge. These are for watching a movie later on at night.

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