I remember our first married Valentine's Day so clearly. We were broke as could be and couldn't afford to go out on a fancy date, so I decided to make our evening at home extra special. I spent hours in the kitchen of our Tiny House, making our steak dinner and baking a cinnamon roll apple pie while my husband patiently waited for the meal to be served. It might not have been the most relaxing Valentine's evening, but I took great joy in doing all this for my new husband, and in the end, it became a memory that I still cherish today.
Whether you're looking to save some money like we were back then, or just prefer to skip the crowded restaurants, a romantic Valentine's dinner at home is always a great option! In today's article, I've put together an entire meal plan for you from the blog - a couple new recipes and a couple from the archives - to help inspire you if you'd like to plan your own special dinner.
APPETIZER ~ Blackberry Salad
ENTREE ~ Rosemary Garlic Steaks
Ingredients:
- 2 steaks (your preferred cut, though we have usually done ribeyes)
- 1 stick salted butter
- 2-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- Minced garlic (at least half a teaspoon per steak)
- Salt and pepper
Instructions:
- Pre-heat your oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit.
- While oven is preheating, season your steaks with salt and pepper to taste, on both sides. Arrange the steaks on a wire rack on top of a metal baking sheet (you can also bake them straight on the cookie sheet if needed)
- When oven is preheated, place steaks in oven for 20 min.
- Remove steaks from oven and finish them one at a time in a hot iron skillet. Add a generous portion of butter (a couple tablespoons), a small spoonful of minced garlic, and a sprig of rosemary to the pan and let the butter melt before adding the steak. Cook each steak on both sides until they reach your desired "doneness" level (i.e. rare, medium, well done, etc.), spooning the garlic butter over the steaks regularly as they cook. The garlic and butter can burn quickly and start to smoke, so be careful!
SIDE DISHES:
~ Loaded Mashed Potatoes
~ Ratatouille
Ingredients:
- 3 roma tomatoes
- 1 zucchini, sliced into thin rounds
- 1 squash, sliced into thin rounds
- 1 onion sliced into thin rounds
- 14 oz can of tomato sauce
- Balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 tsp of salt
- 1/2 tsp of basil
- 1/4 tsp of thyme
- 1/2 tsp of oregano
- 1/4 tsp of black pepper
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cook onion and garlic in 2 tbsp of olive oil for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add tomato sauce, salt, and other seasonings and simmer for 12-15 mintues.
- Meanwhile, cut your vegetables into thin rounds.
- Pour sauce into a 2-3 quart baking dish (round, preferably).
- Arrange sliced vegetables in a spiral pattern in the dish on top of the sauce, alternating the veggies in a spiral pattern as you go. Drizzle balsamic vinegar across the top of the veggies. You can also sprinkle them with more seasonings at this stage.
Cover and bake for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
DESSERT: (three options because dessert is my favorite and I couldn't pick just one!)
