A Sweetheart Dinner

My husband and I refuse to go out on a holiday especially Valentine’s Day. I don’t know why people think you have to celebrate a holiday on the actual day. Growing up my mom always told us as long as we where all able to get together to celebrate it didn’t matter what day it landed on. Yes we’ve had Christmas in February before, but the point was we where all together and not rushed off to another event. Since I was doing a week of post on Valentine’s ideas we celebrated a little early.

I’m an easy going girl, I always tell my husband he got lucky with me. I like home made gifts, I hate shopping unless it’s a craft store or grocery store, I don’t have a shoe addiction, and I’m not as girly…I’m most comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt. I grew up around hunting and fishing, something do gross me out, but I’m aware of where food comes from and that it doesn’t just fall out of the sky. Anyway, as you all know I keep him happy and well fed! haha This meal was to be no exception, he had to grill the steaks during an artic blast, but I gave him some new warm side dishes which he loved. A little wine never hurts either!

I was just going to post the recipe for the potatoes, but I thought I would do the asparagus as well since they are super easy.

I really love this heart pan, but it never dawned on me to use it for something other then sweets. On the potatoes recipe I used used 1 potato which filled 4 hearts. Mine stuck a little so make sure you really give the pan a good spray.

Sweetheart Potatoes
(Adapted from Wilton)

Printer Friendly Version

1 pound (approx. 2 medium) baking potatoes, cut into 1/8 in. slices
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon thyme (optional)
Pepper to taste
1/4 cup finely shredded medium sharp cheddar cheese
Non-Stick Spray

Preheat oven to 400 ° F.

Spray Mini Heart pan with non-stick spray.

Stir seasonings into melted butter.

Using 2nd smallest Heart Cutter from the Nesting Heart Cookie Cutter, cut 6 little hearts out of potatoes. (I just arranged 2 slices of potato instead of using cookie cutters.) Place it in center of each cavity.

Brush with seasoned butter.

Divide remaining potatoes among the size cavities. (I added a sprinkle of cheese between each layer.)

Make 3 layers in each one and brush between layers with seasoned butter.

Immediately after brushing with seasoned butter, sprinkle with a small amount of cheese.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until fork tender.

Let potatoes set for 5 minutes before taking out of pan.
Invert to remove.

Place on a platter and decorate with fresh herbs stems and leaves (optional). Makes 6 hearts

The asparagus where fantastic! Hubby couldn’t believe that there’s just 3 ingredients. I think it’s best to toss the asparagus in the breadcrumbs instead of just pouring on top, I also used too much since I didn’t measure! Thick asparagus would do best this way, but they are delish!

Roasted Asparagus with Crispy Breadcrumbs
(Adapted from Buddy Valastro)

Printer Friendly Version

1 pound medium-thick stalks aspragus
extra virgin olive oil
coarse Kosher or sea salt
¼ cup breadcrumbs
chunk of Parmesan for grating

Preheat oven to 450° with a rack set in the middle. Rinse and pat dry the asparagus.

One spear at a time, snap off the bottoms of each stalk where it wants to breaks naturally. Place the asparagus on a sheet pan and toss the asparagus with enough extra virgin olive oil  just to coat – about 1 tablespoon. Add a generous pinch of salt and toss to coat.

Sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly across the spears and place the sheet tray in the oven to roast for 7-10 minutes.

Remove the asparagus from the oven when the breadcrumbs are golden brown and the asparagus tips are starting to brown. Grate Parmesan over all the spears and serve.

Best wishes to you and your Valentine! I Hope your day is filled with love!!