VALENTINE'S DAY DINNER

My Valentine's Day party this year came from a lack of a Valentine and excessive boredom at work. Add the discovery of some great crafting blogs, and you have quite an event. I got a lot of my ideas from  Hostess with the Mostess and then designed things on my own. 

Cupcake Toppers 

Paper Flower Tutorial

Hanging PomPom Tutorial

We also had some great food, if I do say so myself. The recipes are as follows:

We started with Italian Sausage Soup, which is a recipe from AllRecipes.com, but I changed a bunch of things, so I'll just list the recipe with my notes, but you can get the recipes from the website also.

Italian Wedding Soup

Serves 6-ish

• 1 pound Italian sausage (Half Sweet, Half Spicy)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 (14 ounce) cans beef broth
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 small zucchini, cubed
• 2 cups frozen spinach, somewhat thawed
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup of orzo noodles
• 1 egg
• 3 tbs bread crumbs

1. In medium bowl, combine meat, garlic, egg, bread crumbs,shape into 3/4 inch balls
2. In large saucepan, heat broth, salt and pepper to boiling
3. Add orzo pasta, chopped carrots, zucchini, onion and meatballs. 
4. Return to boil, then reduce heat to medium. Cook at slow boil for 10 minutes, or until pasta is al dente. Stir frequently to prevent sticking.
5. Turn off stove and mix in spinach.

Next, we moved onto salad. I made a regular garden salad with my favorite dressing recipe: Greek House Dressing. I significantly cut the oil it calls for because I don't think it's necessary, but it's up to you.

Greek Salad Dressing

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups olive oil (I use about 1/2-3/4 cup)
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon dried basil
1 tablespoon pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
2 cups red wine vinegar

Combine all ingredients and serve on salad.

Eggplant Parm

Ingredients

• 3 eggplant, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 4 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 6 cups spaghetti sauce, divided
• 1 (16 ounce) package mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Slice eggplant and place on paper towels. Lightly sprinkle with salt and leave for 30 minutes to extract moisture
3. Dip eggplant slices in egg, then in bread crumbs. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes on each side.
4. In a 9x13 inch baking dish spread spaghetti sauce to cover the bottom. Place a layer of eggplant slices in the sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Repeat with remaining ingredients, ending with the cheeses. Sprinkle basil on top.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until golden brown.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Ingredients

• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 6 slices Swiss cheese
• 6 slices ham
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Bread Crumbs
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Pound chicken breasts if they are too thick. Place a cheese and ham slice on each breast within 1/2 inch of the edges. Fold the edges of the chicken over the filling, and secure with toothpicks. 
3. Mix the bread crumbs and paprika in a small bowl
4. Dip chicken pieces in eggs and then in bread crumb mixture
5. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the chicken until browned on all sides. Remove from heat and place in pan for the oven.
6. Mix together the wine and bouillon. Pour mixture over chicken and bake for 30 minutes.
7. Remove the toothpicks, and transfer the breasts to a warm platter. 
8. Blend the cornstarch with the cream in a small bowl, and whisk slowly into the skillet. Cook, stirring until thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste and pour over the chicken. Serve warm.