Valentine's Day has brought on a whole new meaning this year with our own little cupid to boot. Luke is five months old and as fun as ever. We are not to the age where we can do a lot of the cute Valentine things you see for kids, but I did get him a cute book and a balloon. Boy, does this boy love his balloon. I tied it to his crib so he can see it often and he gets the biggest kick out of touching it and making it make noise.
So yes, this year brings a new (little) person to show love on. Of course the big deal with V-day to me and Josh is the dinner. Josh usually cooks, but this year I wanted to treat him. I stay at home with baby boy, so I had plenty of time to make a three-course meal. Not an ordinary thing in this house, I might add. Unless you count my pre-dinner and post-dinner snacking. Oops!
I picked up some heart-shaped pasta the other day at World Market and finally came up with an idea to use it. Josh and I are both pizza lovers, especially out-of-the-ordinary pizzas, or fancy pizzas, if you will. So I turned one of our favorite pizzas into a pasta dish, because I can't miss out of the opportunity to use heart-shaped pasta!
Heart-Shaped Pasta with Prosciutto, Fresh Tomato, and Arugula
(Adapted from Eric S. Lee's Sweeping Her Off Her Feet With Food)
Ingredients
6 ounces heart-shaped pasta or pasta bowties, cooked al dente, and drained (reserve 1/4 cup pasta water)
1/3 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup white wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc)
1 cup chicken brother with 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in
6-8 paper thin slices prosciutto, cut into 1" ribbons (you can ask for it this way at the deli counter)
2 small Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 or 2 cups roughly chopped arugula
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons shredded Parmesan
Instructions
Preheat large saute pan on medium-high heat
Heat oil, then add garlic and saute until it begins to soften, about 30 seconds
Add white wine and cook until reduced by half (this take at least 5 minutes, keep an eye on it)
Add broth with dissolved cornstarch and bring to a boil.
Add reserved pasta water, prosciutto, and tomato and cook for about 30 seconds.
Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.
Fold in pasta and arugula. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with parmesan.
I married a cheesecake addict, so I searched and searched for the perfect cheesecake recipe to make for my husband (and of course, the dessert addict, yours truly.) This one rocked our world and then some. So much that I forgot to take a picture of the completed masterpiece until we already dug in. The vanilla bean is what makes this SO delicious!
Vanilla Bean Cheesecake with Strawberries
(From Everyday Occasions)
Ingredients
Crust:
8 graham crackers
4 tablespoons of butter
Filling:
2 blocks of 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup of sour cream
1 tablespoon of vanilla bean paste or the seeds from 1 vanilla bean
Prepare the crust by breaking graham crackers and putting in a food processor to make fine crumbs. Melt butter and stir into graham cracker crumbs with a fork. Pack the mixture into a cheesecake pan packing it up the sides, as well. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.
For the filling, whip together cream cheese and sugar in a stand mixer. Add sour cream, eggs, and vanilla bean. Whip until smooth. Pour filling into the crust and smooth out carefully with a baking spatula.
Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes (the larger the pan, the less time it will take to bake. Look for slightly brown edges and solid consistency. You should be able to wiggle the pan and nothing jiggles.) Allow to sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours uncovered, the wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours-overnight.
Happy Valentine's Day!
Heart-Shaped Pasta with Prosciutto, Fresh Tomato, and Arugula
(Adapted from Eric S. Lee's Sweeping Her Off Her Feet With Food)
Ingredients
6 ounces heart-shaped pasta or pasta bowties, cooked al dente, and drained (reserve 1/4 cup pasta water)
1/3 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup white wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc)
1 cup chicken brother with 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in
6-8 paper thin slices prosciutto, cut into 1" ribbons (you can ask for it this way at the deli counter)
2 small Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 or 2 cups roughly chopped arugula
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons shredded Parmesan
Instructions
Preheat large saute pan on medium-high heat
Heat oil, then add garlic and saute until it begins to soften, about 30 seconds
Add white wine and cook until reduced by half (this take at least 5 minutes, keep an eye on it)
Add broth with dissolved cornstarch and bring to a boil.
Add reserved pasta water, prosciutto, and tomato and cook for about 30 seconds.
Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.
Fold in pasta and arugula. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with parmesan.
I married a cheesecake addict, so I searched and searched for the perfect cheesecake recipe to make for my husband (and of course, the dessert addict, yours truly.) This one rocked our world and then some. So much that I forgot to take a picture of the completed masterpiece until we already dug in. The vanilla bean is what makes this SO delicious!
Vanilla Bean Cheesecake with Strawberries
(From Everyday Occasions)
Ingredients
Crust:
8 graham crackers
4 tablespoons of butter
Filling:
2 blocks of 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup of sour cream
1 tablespoon of vanilla bean paste or the seeds from 1 vanilla bean
Prepare the crust by breaking graham crackers and putting in a food processor to make fine crumbs. Melt butter and stir into graham cracker crumbs with a fork. Pack the mixture into a cheesecake pan packing it up the sides, as well. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.
For the filling, whip together cream cheese and sugar in a stand mixer. Add sour cream, eggs, and vanilla bean. Whip until smooth. Pour filling into the crust and smooth out carefully with a baking spatula.
Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes (the larger the pan, the less time it will take to bake. Look for slightly brown edges and solid consistency. You should be able to wiggle the pan and nothing jiggles.) Allow to sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours uncovered, the wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours-overnight.
Happy Valentine's Day!
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