Valentine Day Recipe Roundup from 101 Cooking for Two

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Welcome to the Valentine Day Holiday recipe roundup, you can have a great homemade “better than restaurant quality” Valentine dinner with a little planning and less work. Let’s make this year something special.

Don’t you just love Valentine’s Day? Full of love and good will along with great food. But I hate the crowded restaurants. We can do much better at home. Let’s review some of my top recipes that are easy to make.

Main Course

In our house, the main course for special meals means meat, usually beef. Although pork and chicken are great and I love Italian and Mexican, here are my top beef recipes. I also include a couple of enhancements.

Let’s talk about beef just a bit. Prime is the very top 2% of the market. Excellent but expensive. I have a good source now but it is $35 per pound, but I only need two 8 oz fillet, so it is prime for me this year. Choice is the most common and is excellent also and is about half the cost of prime. Next is Select. Just say no.

You will notice most of my meat recipes use 7:2:2 which is my homemade seasoning. The numbers are the ratio of salt: pepper: granular garlic. Click the link for more details.

Pan Seared Oven Roasted Filet Mignon – Always an excellent method that is almost fool proof.
How to Grill a Filet Mignon on a Gas Grill – Add a little of that grill flavor to this most excellent cut.
Pan Seared Oven Roasted Strip Steak – The strip steak version of the filet recipe. Great simple method with excellent results. Always one of the top recipes on the site.
How to Grill a Strip Steak on a Gas Grill – Give that strip steak that extra grill taste. Worth the little extra work.
How to Grill a T-bone or Porterhouse Steak – A Tutorial – I do all my porterhouse on the grill. It is just so much better to grill than sear on the stove with the bone.
The Best Steak Marinade I do this frequently on strip steaks to kick them up a notch.
Blue Cheese and Garlic Compound Butter My wife’s favorite thing. I think it is ahead of me sometimes.

Veggies and other side dishes

Side dishes make or break the meal. Here are some of our favorites.

Baked Bacon Green Beans One of last years top recipes. My wifes favorite.
Parmesan Garlic Baked Potatoes – Probably our starch side dish for Valentine’s.
Old Fashion Cheesy Potato Casserole – A family favorite but may be a bit big for a for two dinner.
Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower – We’re having this Saturday so it is out for Valentine’s
Simple Stove Top Fresh Green Beans with Almonds – Excellent and the probable veggie side dish.
60 Minute Yeast Dinner Rolls – Show them how great you bake even though you can’t.

Desserts

Easy Chocolate Chip Cheesecake – Always a great treat but more than we want for two of us but make ahead if you’re having a family meal.
Simple Flourless Chocolate Cake – Last year’s recipe of the year. Maybe I was having a chocolate day when I did the ratings but an excellent ending to any meal.
Easy Berry Crumble Make ahead and pop it in the oven at the start of the meal. Done exactly when you need it.