Romance…it’s not just for Valentine’s Day anymore! To be honest, I’ve never been a big Valentine’s Day person, even during the past 10 years when I’ve consistently had someone to call my Valentine. But date night and cooking something special? That I can get behind. Due to a prior obligation on Friday night, we planned to celebrate the holiday on Saturday evening. Last night I cooked up a variation of this Pioneer Woman Shrimp Scampi which I served over the garlic and lemon fettuccini we picked up at the Troy Farmers Market last month. I also roasted some sliced beets, as it occurred to me that some sort of vegetable would probably be wise. For dessert Brian helped me test out Serious Eats Chocolate Buttermilk Pudding, which took longer to make than advertised (largely because a watched pot never boils), but was definitely tasty.
As usual, I have no shortage of holiday related links to share with you this week. Granted, some of them are pretty Valentine’s Day-centric, but I would argue that they’d be great at other times of the year as well. Or save them for next year!
First, a couple articles about keeping the holiday Earth-friendly and considering where your gifts come from, which is something I’ve been trying to do more and more lately:
Ask Umbra: What Should I Get My Sweetie for Valentine’s Day from Grist
Watch the Chocolate, Skip the Gold Jewelry: Your Last-Minute Guide to an Ethical Valentine’s Day from Salon
And now, for the recipes:
Serious Entertaining: A Romantic Valentine’s Day Dinner for Two (Serious Eats)
22 Valentine’s Day Dinners for Two (Serious Eats)
8 Valentine’s Recipes to Cook Together (Food52)
Heart Shaped Cinnamon Sugar Tortilla Chips (Shutterbean)
Beet Colored Red Velvet Pancakes (Kitchen Vignettes)
How to Make Chocolate Soufflé + 3 Tips for Soufflé Success (Food 52)
14 Chocolate Cakes (Food 52)
Vegan Turtle Brownies (Honey Stuck)
Top 13 Vegan Desserts of 2013 (Oh She Glows)
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake (Smitten Kitchen)
Chocolate Hazelnut Linzer Hearts (Smitten Kitchen)
Valentine Rawlos (My New Roots)
Deep & Dark Chocolate Quinoa Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting (Everybody Loves Sandwiches)
Vegan Chocolate Biscuits ({Never}Homemaker)
Red Velvet Cake Ice Cream (The Marvelous Misadventures of a Foodie)
Blood Orange Granita with Vanilla Bean Cream (Katie’s Kitchen)
Reader submitted ideas for Date Night from Healthy Living Blogs
February Sponsor Shout Out
I wouldn’t be anywhere without the support of my readers and sponsors. Each month, I’ll be taking a moment during one of my highlights posts to make sure that you know about the great businesses and bloggers who are supporting Relishments through sidebar ads. Want to get in on the action? Check out my sponsor page – and remember, blogger spots are free!
Lindsey from The Crafty Practitioner was kind enough to advertise her blog on my site again this month. Her blog is a great combination of parenting, design, crafts and life.
Putting Up with Erin is a great canning blog I only discovered because she signed up for a blogger ad spot on my page. Since then I’ve really enjoyed saving the recipes she’s shared for a time when fresh, local produce is more readily available around here.
Please show your support and take a moment to visit the blogs advertising on Relishments.
Nice looking meal Em!
I came home to fresh baked sausage and spinach pizza and brownies on Valentines Day. Very yummy and special when you know your Valentine is making something nice and tasty that she knows I’ll enjoy. We had a very nice dinner out on Sunday after the Valentines crowd was gone. So two nice date nights!