Valentines

Wondering what to cook for Valentine’s day? romantic breakfast idea with flowers.

Lovely pastries, for Valentine's Day recipe for two

Valentines hearts

Ingredients

refrigerated pie crusts

Flour for rolling out dough

1/2 c. strawberry jam

Egg wash1/4 c.

Granulated sugar, for sprinkling

Directions

Step 1Preheat oven to 375°. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 pie crust. Using a paring knife, cut out long heart shapes, about 4". Transfer hearts to baking sheet. Reroll extra dough to make more hearts. (You should have enough dough to make about 6.)

Fill the center of each heart with a very small dollop of strawberry filling. Fold the corners of the longer side into the center, then fold the remaining corner to meet in the center so that the dough looks like an open envelope. Press down lightly on dough to seal. Use a small heart cookie cutter to stamp out remaining dough into hearts, and place a heart in the center of each

Freeze for at least 30 minutes. 

Brush envelopes with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until envelopes are golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Shepherd’s Pie

The Best Classic Shepherd's Pie - AKA Shepards Pie or Cottage Pie. Ground Beef (or lamb) with vegetables in a rich gravy, topped with cheesy mashed potatoes and baked decorated with tomatoes and coriander.

Ingredients

Meat Filling:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 cup chopped yellow onion

• 1 lb. 90% lean ground beef -or ground lamb

• 2 teaspoons dried parsley leaves

• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves

• 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

• 2 garlic cloves -minced

• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 1 cup beef broth

• 1 cup frozen mixed peas & carrots*

• 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels

Potato Topping:

• 1 ½ - 2 lb. russet potatoes -about 2 large potatoes peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter -1 stick

• 1/3 cup half & half

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Instructions

MAKE THE MEAT FILLING

Add the oil to a large skillet and place it over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add the onions. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.Add the ground beef (or ground lamb) to the skillet and break it apart with a wooden spoon. Add the parsley, rosemary, thyme, salt, and and pepper. Stir well. Cook for 6-8 minutes, until the meat is browned, stirring occasionally. Add the Worcestershire sauce and garlic. Stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute.Add the flour and tomato paste. Stir until well incorporated and no clumps of tomato paste remain.Add the broth, frozen peas and carrots, and frozen corn. Bring the liquid to a boil then reduce to simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.Set the meat mixture aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

MAKE THE POTATO TOPPING

Place the potatoes in a large pot. Cover the potatoes with water. Bring the water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are fork tender, 10-15 minutes.Drain the potatoes in a colander. Return the potatoes to the hot pot. Let the potatoes rest in the hot pot for 1 minute to evaporate any remaining liquid.Add butter, half & half, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mash the potatoes and stir until all the ingredients are mixed together.Add the parmesan cheese to the potatoes. Stir until well combined.

ASSEMBLE THE CASSEROLE.

Pour the meat mixture into a 9x9 (or 7x11) inch baking dish. Spread it out into an even layer. Spoon the mashed potatoes on top of the meat. Carefully spread into an even layer.If the baking dish looks very full, place it on a rimmed baking sheet so that the filling doesn’t bubble over into your oven. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes.** Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Sparking Cocktail

Sanguinells Fizz

This is a sophisticated sparkler to celebrates all the sweet, tart & bitter qualities of blood orangs. And will transport you to a fragrant

Sicilian orange grove in time.

• 40ml blood orange juice

• 5ml teaspoon Campari

• 10ml limoncello

• Well-chilled Prosecco or dry sparking wine

To top blood wheel, to garnish

Instructions

Pour the first three ingredients into a ice-filled cocktail shaker and shake well. Strain into a glass top with Prosecco and garnish with a blood orange wheel.

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