Our First Valentine's Dinner

Our first valentine's day together as a married couple was wonderful despite the fact that I have a sinus infection and a bad cough.  Grant and I are very blessed to have a wonderful house to live in, a supportive family, and a cute little puppy to make us laugh. We do not have very much money but we have each other and I can cook. Thus, we stayed home and I made dinner and skipped the presents. I decorated our porch and to quote Grant "made our porch into a restaurant." Enjoy these recipes as much as we enjoyed our night.

Purple Passion Mixed Drink


Ingredients:

Vodka (as strong as you want)
1 Liter Sprite
2-3 Cups Orange Juice
2-3 Cups Grape Juice
1 Can of Cherries
1 Lemon
1 Lime

Instructions:
Combine in punch bowl or pitcher over ice adding Sprite last.


Black Bean Soup
from Williams-Sonoma Soup Book

Ingredients:

2 cps dried black beans
2 Tblsp canola oil
2 yellow onions, finely chopped
1-2 jalapenos, seed and minced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small red bell pepper, diced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried coriander
1 tsp dried oregano
8 cps water
1/2 small ham hock or ham bone
2 Tblsp fresh lime juice
2 Tblsp minced cilantro
Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Cover the beans with cold water by 3 inches. Soak for at least 4 hours.
2. In large soup pot over medium heat, warm oil. Add onions and saute for 3 minutes. Add jalapenos, garlic, bell pepper, cumin, coriander, and oregano. Saute, stirring frequently, for 7-10 minutes until they are softened.
3. Add the beans, water, and ham hock, cover partially, and simmer over medium heat until the beans are soft (1-1.5 hours). Remove from heat and remove ham hock.
4. In blender or food processor, puree soup in batches until desired consistency is reached. Add the lime juice, cilantro, and salt and pepper.
5.Serve with salsa, sour cream and cilantro garnish.

6-8 Servings

THE MAIN COURSE

Grilled Lemon Potatoes

Ingredients:

2 Russet Potatoes, halved lengthwise
1/2 cp butter or margarine, melted
2 Tblsp Lemon Juice
1.5 tsp Lemon Pepper
1/8 tsp garlic powder

Instructions:
1. Deeply score cut sides of potatoes with a knife. Cover skin side with foil
2. Combine remaining ingredients. Brush cut sides with mix.
3. In a skillet on low medium heat place potatoes, foil side down.
4. Cook for 40 minutes, basting with butter mix every 10 minutes.
5. Turn over and cook for 10 minutes. Turn back over, baste with remaining mix and cook for 10 more minutes.
6. Remove foil and serve

2-4 Servings


Fresh Steamed Green Beans

Ingredients:

2 Servings of Fresh Green Beans
Salt

Instructions:
1. Cut the stem end of the bean off.
2. Using a steamer put an inch or so of water in the bottom pan and boil.
3. Put the steamer on the pan with the beans inside, continue boiling the water.
4. Steam for 10 minutes, salt to taste, and serve.

2 Servings


Pork with dried fruit and herbs

Ingredients

2 LB Pork Loin, boneless
1/2 cp dried Apricots
1/2 cp dried Cherries
1 1/4 cp dry red wine
1 stick cinnamon
2 cloves of Garlic
Your favorite herbs
Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
2. In a small sauce pan on medium heat, warm the wine. Add the dried fruit, herbs, garlic, and cinnamon.
3. Keep on medium heat for 25 minutes taking the cinnamon stick out after 15 minutes. Stir frequently.
4. Meanwhile, butterfly cut the pork. (Click here to learn how to butterfly pork loin)
5. Remove fruit mix from heat and spread over butterflied pork. Roll the pork (like a newspaper) and tie around each end with sewing string.
6. Put in non stick baking pan (cake pan) and bake for 35-40 minutes.
7. Slice and serve

4 Servings

DESSERT

Red Velvet Trifle

Ingredients:

1 Red velvet cake mix (or devils food cake mix and red food coloring)

The ingredients required for the cake mix

1 large box of chocolate pudding mix

The ingredients required for the pudding mix

1 large tub of cool whip

1 can of cherries

1/4 cup of Chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Prepare cake and pudding mix to instructions on the box. Allow cake to cool completely and pudding to set.

2. Choose what you want to put the trifle in. (I used our champagne flutes for dinner and put the rest in a large Tupperware container)  Put half the chocolate chips in the container spreading evenly, add 1 layer of cake, 1 layer of layer of pudding, 1 layer of cool whip, and the cherries on top. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top. (do additional layers if desired)

3. Put the fridge and chill for a few hours before serving.

8-10 servings