Valentine's Dinner: Salmon Pesto Pasta and Mango Shortbread Bars

(I will warn you now my picture skills need some work!)

We are not a couple big on crowds, so dinners at home on holidays is our style and we always try something new. I asked for ideas on a cooking board I frequent and found this salmon recipe with very positive reviews. Everyone was right - this pasta is delicious with a perfect combination of flavors. The dessert is not new to us, but is one of the hubby's favorites and he has been asking me to make it for months so I thought Valentines Day was a good time.

One of the most fun parts of the night was I decided to bring out our "fancy china" for the first time. I decided since we are not really in the era of our lives for hosting holidays and fancy dinner parties, I should stop waiting and use the china for just the two of us!

Dinner: Salmon Pesto Pasta

Source: The Way the Cookie Crumbles

Ingredients
1 lb salmon
1 lb pasta (we used thin lunguini but anything would work)

2/3 cup heavy cream (recipe used evaporated milk to add healthiness, we went all out with heavy cream)
1/2 cup pesto (can be made from scratch as the original recipe says, personally I just used out of a jar!)

1 Lemon

Salt

Pepper

Grated parmesan cheese

Directions

1) Start water boiling for pasta with a small amount of salt and olive oil in the water. Cook pasta al dente, drain and return to the same pot. (do steps 2 and 3 while the pasta is cooking)

2) Season salmon with salt, pepper and lemon zest then rub with olive oil (place on baking sheet lined with aluminium). Turn on broiler put salmon on middle rack for 10-15 minute until cooked through and flakes away from the skin with a fork. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Remove from oven and break apart with a fork (skin should stay behind on the pan)

3) Heat cream on low heat until just simmering. Add a small amount of salt and pepper for flavor.

4) Pour the cream over the pasta and mix. Stir in the pesto next and top with the salmon. Serve with grated parmesan cheese for topping.

I served this with steamed broccoli and a salad of romaine, apples and walnuts with a rasberry vinagrette (care of Paul Newman).

Dessert: Mango Shortbread Bars
Source: All Recipes

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups butter
1/2 cup white sugar
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour

4 cups sliced mango
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Sprinkle of ground nutmeg

Directions
1) Cream together butter and 1/2 cup sugar. Add flour and mix (the mixture will be crumbly).

2) Press 2/3 mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 glass pan.

3) Combine mango and the last 4 ingredients. Place in the pan.

4) Place remaining mixure over the mangos and press lightly.

5) Bake in 350 degree oven for 1hr until golden brown. Allow to cool, cut and serve.

Perfect served with tea!

New Year's Eve Dinner

I decided to start this bog while cooking our New Year's Eve dinner. When we got married we started a tradition of spending the night in and trying new dishes. I realized how much I love spending time in the kitchen trying new things and wanted a way to remember my adventures - hence the blog. So I will start with our New Year's Dinner this year and will be updating as I try new things!

Appetizer: Roasted Artichoke and Spinach Dip
Source: Good Things Catered

Ingredients:
2 (14 oz) cans of premium artichoke hearts
3 Tbsp olive oil
salt and ground black pepper
16 oz. baby spinach leaves
1 medium onion, minced
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1/4 c. mayonnaise
4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/2 c. assorted cheeses, grated (I used pecorino, parmesan, asiago, mozzarella, and fontina)
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp minced thyme leaves
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees, drain artichoke hearts and mix with 1 Tbsp oil, salt and pepper.
Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes (until brown on the edges). Once the artichokes are cool, coarsely chop. Turn the oven down to 400 degrees.

While the artichoke hearts are browning, saute the onion and garlic until softened, add the spinach and saute until wilted.

Place the spinach, onion and garlic in a bowl and add mayo, cream cheese, cheeses, lemon joice, thyme and cayenne. Gently stir in the artichokes. Add salt, pepper and more cheese as needed for taste. Place in a baking dish and bake uncovered until golden brown (should take around 20-30 minutes).

Serve with chips or crackers...whatever floats your boat! We liked it with stone crackers.

Review: This was fantastic, the only things I would do different next time is make sure not to cut the artichokes too small as they kind of got lost in all the flavors and textures, add some different cheeses (I only had romano and parmesan) and decrease the Cayenne pepper a little.

Main Dish: Shrimp Scampi over Bow Ties
Source: Adapted from Barefoot Contessa on FoodNetwork.com

1 pound bowtie pasta (or whatever type you like)
3 tablespoons butter

2 1/2 tablespoons Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste
3 cloves minced garlic
About 16 shrimp (1 pound), peeled and deveined
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves (we used dried as we did not have fresh)
1/2 lemon, zest grated
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/4 lemon, thinly sliced
1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

Directions
Boil Pasta as directed until al dente. While pasta is cooking melt butter and olive oil on medium-low heat in a large pan. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the shrimp, salt and pepper. Saute until the shrimp turn pink (about 5 minutes). Remove from the heat, add the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon slices, and red pepper flakes.

Toss with the pasta and serve - we topped with parmesan cheese and a little extra red pepper flakes for the husband!

On the side we served a salad of spinach leaves (left over from appitizer recipe), strawberries and oranges tossed with lemon juice and olive oil. It was an attempt to add a little healthy to the meal!

Review: Very good - might add a little more garlic next time but otherwise a nice light sauce to allow you to enjoy the pasta and shrimp.

Dessert: Crepes with Nutella, Banana and Strawberries

Source: Mommy (the recipe our family has been using forever - found in a magazine ad 30 years ago)

Mix 3 beaten eggs, 2/3 cup flour, 1/2 tsp salt and 1 cup milk. Be sure to use either a blender or immersion hand blender to make sure everything is well mixed. Refrigerate for at least an hour. Butter a shallow frying pan or crepe pan and place on medium heat. Pour 1/4 cup batter and swirl until thin. Cook until dry (a few minutes depending on your pan - just wait for the top to not look liquid anymore and the bottom to turn tan), flip and cook for one more minute.

At this point you can do whatever you like with the crepes. I spread the warm crepes with nutella, filled with banana and strawberry slices, folded over the sides, heated for a minute and then served.

In my opinion the best part of this meal (supported by the fact they were eaten before I could remember to take a picture)! The nice thing about this recipe is the crepes can be used for savory or sweet fillings.