Romantic and Affordable Valentines Dinner

 

How about an intimate romantic Valentine's Dinner for two?

It's almost Valentine's Day!! And we are NOT going out to dinner..Hurrah!  So you think I'm crazy?! I'm not really!  Let me explain.l  My hubby and I have gone out to dinner several times over the years, but our favorite way to celebrate Valentine's is just to have a romantic, intimate dinner for two. 

 

I think our budget had something to do with this preference.  Somehow, when you add up the babysitting for five children, flowers, candy, cards, and then add a nice steak dinner on top of all that...it's starts to add up to something rivaling the national debt!! 

So we started (well, I started) to come up with some creative alternatives...and they have been fun, but I'm NOT going to spread the stories all over the internet!! Ha!  We really now prefer having dinner at home, but of course the big question has always been--What do we do with the kids??  When they were younger, we just fed them pizza and whisked them off to bed. Yes..they always went to bed on time because we MADE them go to bed regardless of age...from newborn to 22.  That is a whole other topic for discussion and if you would like a post on that, I'd be happy to explain another time.  If this isn't possible for you, then maybe a babysitter would still be required.

At any rate, I would like to help you put together an easy and romantic Valentine's Day dinner. First, we go shopping for groceries.  Items needed:  2 steaks, 2 baking potatoes, a package of frozen whole green beans, melting chocolate, strawberries, and something nice to drink..your preference.  (Be sure you have butter, cooking oil and toppings for baked potatoes on hand.)

 

7:00PM  Wash the potatoes, dry them, rub them with a light coating of butter. Poke them a few times and set them on the oven racks at 350...no foil necessary!!  This way they will be done by the time you finish the dinner.

7:10PM  Blanch (pre-cook part way) the green beans in a steamer basket or the microwave. Don't cook all the way...just a few minutes.

 

 7:15 PM Take the steaks out of the package and rub with salt, pepper, and garlic powder if you have it. Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate to cook later.

 

7:20 PM  Wash the strawberries and Pat them dry. DON'T REMOVE THE STEMS like I did. 

 

7:30 PM  Lay out the supplies for making Chocolate covered strawberries.  Lay parchment paper, foil, or saran wrap on the counter to lay the strawberries. 

 

7:35 PM Set the table nicely.

7:35 Melt the chocolate in a microwave safe container according to the package instructions..basically zap for 20 sec. Stir..Zap...Stir until melted.  

7:40 Start the charcoal briquettes if you don't have a gas grill!  If there's too much snow at your house...then you will want to broil them--you can broil them at the same time that you roast the green beans.

7:45 PM Dip the strawberries one at a time into the melted chocolate and lay on the paper to harden. It only takes a few seconds.  There done! Put in a pretty bowl or on a nice plate.

8:00 PM  Put the greenbeans in the oven to roast at 350 and take the potatoes out. Keep the potatoes warm.

8:05 PM  Turn on grill and grill steaks. (If hubby can help..then great--let him!)

8:20 PM Now light the candles..and tell hubby that dinner is ready! 

Have a very Happy Valentine's Day!