This year Valentine’s Day falls on a Tuesday night, not the ideal date night! Do yourself a favor, save the night out for later and cook at home!!  Here are some tasty ideas for your sweetheart supper; there are also some delicious chocolate desserts to share!!  

Beef Filets with Mushroom Sauce

2 beef tenderloin steaks (4 ounces each)

1 ¾ cups sliced baby portobello mushrooms (about 4 ounces) 

½ cup dry red wine or reduced sodium beef broth

1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

½ cup reduced sodium beef broth

1 teaspoon ketchup 

1 teaspoon steak sauce

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoon ground mustard

¼ teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon minced fresh chives, optional

Place a large skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat; brown steaks on both sides. Remove from pan.

Add mushrooms and wine to pan; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Cook until liquid is reduced by half, 2-3 minutes. Mix flour and broth until smooth; stir into pan. Stir in all remaining ingredients except chives; bring to a boil.

Return steaks to pan; cook, uncovered, until meat reaches desired doneness (for medium-rare, a thermometer should read 135°; medium, 140°), 1-2 minutes per side. If desired, sprinkle with chives.

Serves 2, each serving contains; Calories 247, Fat 7 g., Cholesterol 51 mg., Carbohydrate 7 g., Protein 27 g. Sodium 369 mg.  

Smothered Pork Chops with Broccoli and Mushrooms

1 pound cremini mushrooms, halved or quartered

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 large head broccoli, cut into florets

4 small bone in pork chops

2 large shallots

1 tablespoon flour

¾ cup dry white wine

1/3 cup chicken stock

2 tablespoons sour cream

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon thyme leaves

Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss together mushrooms and 1 tablespoon oil on a large rimmed baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 10 minutes. Push mushrooms to one side and add broccoli to pan. Toss with 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast until vegetables are golden brown and tender, 12 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat remaining tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season pork with salt and pepper. Cook until internal temperature on an instant-read thermometer reads 140°F, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a platter and tent with foil; reserve skillet.

Add shallots to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add wine and simmer until thickened, 2 to 4 minutes. Add stock and simmer until thickened and reduced to about 1/2 cup, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream, Dijon, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Serve pork topped with pan sauce and roasted vegetables alongside.  Serves 4.

Salsa Verde Shrimp and Rice

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 poblano pepper, seeds removed and chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup long grain wild rice

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 16 ounce jar salsa Verde

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 pound shrimp, cleaned and tails removed

1 ½ teaspoons cumin

¼ cup freshly chopped cilantro

1 lime, juiced and additional lime for serving 

In a large deep skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion and pepper and cook until soft, 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute more. 

Add rice and toss to toast for 1 minute. Add broth and salsa and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook, covered until rice is almost cooked through and with just a slight bite to it, about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure rice isn’t sticking to bottom of pan. 

In a medium bowl, add shrimp and season with cumin, salt, and pepper. Add shrimp to skillet and stir into rice. Cover and continue cooking until rice is completely tender and shrimp is pink, about 5 minutes. 

Add cilantro and lime juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with lime wedges.  Serves 4. 

Spinach and Feta Stuffed Chicken

8 ounces fresh spinach (about 10 cups)

1 ½ teaspoons, cider vinegar

½ teaspoon sugar

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

½ teaspoon chicken seasoning

3 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese

1 teaspoon olive oil

¾ cup reduced sodium chicken broth

1 teaspoon butter

Preheat oven to 375°. In a large skillet, cook and stir spinach over medium-high heat until wilted. Stir in vinegar, sugar and pepper; cool slightly. 

Pound chicken breasts with a meat mallet to flatten slightly; sprinkle with chicken seasoning. Top chicken with spinach mixture and cheese. Roll up chicken from a long side; tie securely with kitchen string. 

In an ovenproof skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; add chicken and brown on all sides. Transfer to oven; roast until a thermometer inserted in chicken reads 170°, 13-15 minutes.

Remove chicken from pan; keep warm. On stovetop, add broth and butter to skillet; bring to a boil, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Cook until slightly thickened, 3-5 minutes. Serve with chicken.

Serves 2, each serving contains; Calories 253, Fat 14 g., Cholesterol 86 mg., Carbohydrate 5 g., Protein 26 g. Sodium 601 mg.  

Always a Favorite Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes

1 cup chocolate chips, semi-sweet

1/3 cup salted butter, cut into cubes

2 large eggs

2 large yolks

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup confectioners’ sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 425 F. Grease four 6 ounce ramekins or three 8 ounce ramekins with non-stick cooking spray and dust with cocoa powder, tapping out the excess cocoa powder. This will help the lava cakes come out easily when inverted. 

Melt the chocolate and butter in a medium heat-proof bowl and set aside to allow it to slightly cool. You can melt the chocolate either on the stove or in the microwave. 

To Melt the Chocolate on the Stove; Bring 2 inches of water to a low simmer in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Then turn the heat to low and place medium heatproof bowl of chocolate with butter on the mouth of the pot. Make sure that there is a gap of a few inches in between the bottom of the bowl and the water (You can also place a bowl on a steamer attachment on top of your pot). Stir the chocolate constantly as it melts. Stir until the chocolate is completely smooth and melted. This should take a few minutes.

To Melt the chocolate in the microwave: The second way to melt chocolate (and an easier way) is in the microwave. Place the medium heatproof bowl of chocolate and butter into the microwave and microwave in 20 second intervals. Remove the bowl at each interval and stir well. Repeat until the chocolate has completely melted. Stir until completely smooth.

In a medium mixing bowl, use an electric hand mixer or a whisk to beat together the eggs, egg yolks, vanilla extract, sugar, and salt, on low speed, until combined, about 1 minute.

Pour in the melted chocolate into the egg mixture, along with the flour. Use a rubber spatula and fold it in until fully combined. Note that the batter will be thick but should not be lumpy.

Place the ramekins on a quarter sheet baking pan and divide the batter between them. Bake for 12-14 minutes until the edges look solid and firm. The tops will still be soft with a slight jiggle in the center. Do not overcook as overcooking will cause the center to completely solidify and not be gooey

Allow the cakes to cool in the ramekins for 1 minute, then cover each with an inverted plate and use an oven mitt to flip them over and release the cakes onto the plate.

Add toppings (such as a scoop of vanilla ice cream, dusting with powdered sugar, garnishing with fresh fruit, or a drizzle of caramel sauce or chocolate sauce). Serve immediately.

No Bake Chocolate Raspberry Truffles

8 ounces dark chocolate chips

4 ounces heavy cream

2 tablespoons raspberry jam (or strawberry if you prefer)

½ cup dark chocolate cocoa powder

Place chocolate in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.   

Pour heavy cream into a shallow saucepan or cooking pot and heat over medium-high heat until almost boiling. Once you see it begin to steam and form small bubbles on the side, pull it off and immediately pour it over the chocolate.

Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes, then stir together. The mixture should be extremely smooth, with all the chocolate melted. If needed, microwave the cream and chocolate together in 15 second increments, stirring when finished, until completely smooth.

Add raspberry preserves/jam and stir to combine. Place uncovered in the refrigerator for 2 hours, or until the chocolate ganache has hardened and is scoopable.

Line a large half pan baking sheet or tray with parchment paper.  Use a melon baller or a tablespoon to scoop out small portions of the ganache. Use your hands to roll them into 1-inch balls. Place on the baking sheet and freeze for 15 minutes.

Place cocoa powder in a small bowl. Drop each truffle in the cocoa powder and roll until completely coated. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Easy Chocolate Mousse for 2

1 large egg yolk 

1 tablespoon powdered sugar

½ heavy cream

5 ounces milk chocolate chips (a full ¾ cup)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

First, separate the egg and have the egg yolk ready in a bowl nearby.

Next, pour the heavy cream in a medium bowl, and place it in the fridge with the electric beaters. (We're pre-chilling to speed up whipping time).

The rest of the recipe needs to be completely quickly.

Next, melt the chocolate: In a medium glass bowl, add the chocolate chips and butter. Turn the microwave power down to 50%, and microwave for 20 seconds. Stop and stir. Repeat until about ⅔ of the chocolate chips are melted. For the remaining chips to melt, slowly and gently stir the mixture with a wooden spoon. The residual heat of the bowl will melt the rest. The mixture should be smooth. (If the mixture is pasty or grainy, you have burned the chocolate, and you must start over). Stir in the egg yolk.

Once the chocolate is melted: work quickly! Whip the cream in the pre-chilled bowl using an electric mixer on high with the pre-chilled beaters. Once the cream has soft peaks, add the powdered sugar and add all of the melted chocolate. If the chocolate has started to firm up slightly, you're fine--just work fast.

Beat the chocolate into the cream mixture until fully incorporated, about 15 seconds maximum.

Divide the mousse between two serving dishes. 

Serve immediately, or chill it for up to 3 days but bring it to room temperature for an hour before serving (it will harden as it chills).