Recipes for Valentine's Dinner

Wrap up a romantic Valentine's Day with an intimate affair fashioned around candlelight, music, flowers and sensuous food. Want to heat things up long before dinner reaches the table? Invite your sweetheart into the kitchen to help you with the cooking. Pour a glass of Champagne--a splendid aperitif--and share the pleasure of creating a memorable evening together.

Seafood Stuffed Avocados


INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup flaked cooked crabmeat
1/2 cup cooked small shrimp
2 tablespoons peeled and diced cucumber
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
1 pinch salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 pinch paprika
1 avocado

DIRECTIONS
In a bowl, mix the crab, shrimp, cucumber, mayonnaise, and parsley. Season with salt, and pepper. Cover, and chill until serving.
Slice the avocados lengthwise, and remove the pit. Scoop out the flesh of the avocado, leaving about 1/2 inch on the peel. Spoon the seafood mixture into the hollowed centers of the avocado halves. Sprinkle the tops with paprika.

Filet Mignon with Rich Balsamic Glaze


INGREDIENTS
2 (4 ounce) filet mignon steaks
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper to taste
salt to taste
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup dry red wine


DIRECTIONS
1.Sprinkle freshly ground pepper over both sides of each steak, and sprinkle with salt to taste.
2.Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Place steaks in hot pan, and cook for 1 minute on each side, or until browned. Reduce heat to medium-low, and add balsamic vinegar and red wine. Cover, and cook for 4 minutes on each side, basting with sauce when you turn the meat over.
3.Remove steaks to two warmed plates, spoon one tablespoon of glaze over each, and serve immediately.

Easy Asparagus


INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup sliced purple onion
1 clove garlic, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
lemon pepper to taste
10 spears fresh asparagus
2 tablespoons white wine
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon crushed whole wheat crackers

DIRECTIONS
1.Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Mix in onion and garlic, and season with salt, pepper, and lemon pepper. Cook and stir until tender. Place asparagus in the skillet, and cook 8 minutes, turning occasionally to coat with seasonings. Sprinkle wine into the skillet, and scrape up any browned bits.
2.Transfer asparagus to a shallow dish. Drizzle with remaining mixture in skillet, and dust evenly with Parmesan cheese and crushed whole wheat crackers.

Strawberries Flambeed in Vodka with Hot Ice Cream
INGREDIENTS
2 large scoops vanilla ice cream, softened
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup white sugar
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
2 fluid ounces vodka

DIRECTIONS
1.Stir together the vanilla ice cream and hot pepper sauce in a medium bowl. Place in the freezer until firm.
2.Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Stir in the sugar until dissolved, then add the strawberries. Cook, stirring occasionally until the strawberries are hot. Pour the vodka over the berries, and carefully light with a match. Let the flames burn off, then remove the pan from the heat.
3.Scoop the hot ice cream into two bowls, then divide the strawberry vodka sauce between them. Serve immediately.

Dinner and Movie
Turn down the lights, snuggle with your honey and enjoy classic tales of romance on the silver screen:

~An Affair to Remember
~Casablanca
~Moonstruck
~Sabrina
~Sleepless in Seattle
~The Princess Bride
~When Harry Met Sally