Valentine’s Day is a day for celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. It is a day for couples to enjoy each other’s company and make lasting memories. Couples go out and celebrate this day, planning a romantic date in a hotel, restaurant, cafe, or movie theatre.
However, this valentines day, you might want to cuddle up with your partner and have a cosy, intimate date at your home. You might want to enjoy each other’s company and make lasting memories. As we say, food is the way to reach someone’s heart.
Thus, you can prepare some tasty savoury dishes and desserts for a proper meal. These dishes are easy to prepare and will create a special and memorable evening for you and your sweetheart. Hey! Remember, be it a date at a hotel or home, you need to pick some unique valentines day gifts for your partner to complete the day.
So, put on your aprons and get ready to cook up a storm!
1. Stuffed Bell Peppers
One of the delicious and lip-smacking recipes that you can make on valentines day is stuffed bell peppers. It requires very less cooking time and turns out to be amazing.
Let’s have a look at the ingredients and their preparation:
Ingredients:
- 4 large bell peppers of any colour
- 1 cup cooked rice
- 1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup corn kernels
- 1 large diced tomato
- 1 teaspoon chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut the bell peppers in half lengthwise, removing the seeds and membranes.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooked rice, black beans, corn, diced tomato, chilli powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Mix well.
- Spoon the mixture into each bell pepper half, mounding it slightly.
- Place the stuffed peppers on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes.
- Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese on top of the peppers. Bake for an additional 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Serve hot.
2. Apple Pie
Valentine’s date has to have a dessert even if celebrating at home. Thus, apple pie is something your special one would love. This can be easy to prepare and can be a tasty dessert at the end of the meal.
Ingredients:
- 2 refrigerated pie crusts
- 6 cups thinly sliced apples
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 egg, beaten
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Roll out one pie crust and place it in a 9-inch pie dish. Trim the edges and set them aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the sliced apples, sugar, lemon juice, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Toss to combine.
- Pour the apple mixture into the pie crust and dot the top with butter.
- Roll out the second pie crust and place it on top of the apples. Trim the edges and crimp to seal.
- Cut a few slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape. Brush the top with the beaten egg.
- Bake the pie for 45-50 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.
- Let the pie cool for 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, if desired.
3. Grilled Portobello Mushrooms
If you want to make a healthy yet a little different dish, you can prepare grilled portobello mushrooms. These are quite delicious and are one of the quickest recipes to prepare. Thus, it can add nice flavours to your home date on Valentines day.
Ingredients:
- 4 large Portobello mushrooms
- 4 tablespoons of olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)
Instructions:
- Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
- Clean the Portobello mushrooms and remove the stems.
- Brush the mushrooms with olive oil on both sides, and season with salt and pepper.
- Place the mushrooms on the hot grill, gill side down. Grill for about 5 minutes on each side, or until tender.
- Serve the mushrooms with a side of roasted vegetables and garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.
4. Cheesecake
Cheesecake is something that’s almost everyone’s favourite. And when you prepare it on valentines day, your special one is going to love the efforts that you have put in there. It will just melt in your mouth and leave a sweetness.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups gram cracker crumbs
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 4 packets of cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- In a large bowl, combine the gram cracker crumbs, 1/3 cup sugar, and melted butter. Mix until well combined.
- Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pan.
- In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add 1 cup of sugar and vanilla extract, and continue to beat until well combined.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, making sure to fully incorporate each egg before adding the next.
- Stir in the heavy cream.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared crust.
- Bake the cheesecake for 45-50 minutes, or until the edges are set and the centre is still slightly jiggly.
- Let the cheesecake cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
5. Spinach and Feta Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Ever thought of preparing a dish with sweet potatoes? Well if you are a little confused, we have the perfect dish for you that you can prepare on Valentines day. It is spinach and feta cheese stuffed sweet potatoes. A small experiment you can do this time and tadda! it will turn out to be one of the tastiest dishes.
Ingredients:
- 4 medium sweet potatoes
- 2 cups fresh spinach leaves, chopped
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/4 cup of heavy cream
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Wash the sweet potatoes and poke each one a few times with a fork.
Bake the sweet potatoes on the prepared baking sheet for 40-45 minutes, or until tender.
When the sweet potatoes are done, remove them from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes.
Cut each sweet potato in half lengthwise and carefully scoop out the inside into a large bowl.
Add the chopped spinach, crumbled feta cheese, heavy cream, salt, and pepper to the bowl with the sweet potato. Mash everything together until well combined.
Spoon the mixture back into the sweet potato skins.
Return the stuffed sweet potatoes to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
Serve hot.
In Brief
When you are cooking for your significant other for Valentine’s date, it will impress him/her. From collecting valentine gift ideas for her to planning a cosy date at home, you need to look after everything. From stuffed bell peppers to grilled portobello mushrooms, there is something for everyone to enjoy. Apart from cooking savoury, you can also prepare desserts to make your home-cooked Valentines Day dinner a sweet and memorable experience. So, get creative in the kitchen, and have a Happy Valentine’s Day!