The Taste of Love

"I don't like food, I LOVE it! If I don't love it, I don't swallow" ~ Anton Ego (Ratatouille)

Strawberries are red

Blueberries are blue

dip them in chocolate

what a perfect Fondue!

Sorry, but with it being Valentine's day week, I just had to! For most, love and food go hand in hand. Of course, with over 189 million long stem roses and 35 million heart shaped chocolate boxes being sold in the United States alone (according to SheKnows), how could love not be in the air? All facts and joking aside, Valentine's day truly is a day to celebrate. But before I share some of my favorite love recipes, let me give you a little history on why the actual Valentine's Day is pretty neat. 

According to the History Channel and History.com, the month of February has been celebrated as a month of love for quite some time. In the Catholic Church (where we get our Saints), three Valentine or Valentinus are recognized as martyrs (people who were killed for their faith or beliefs). One legend goes like this (read the whole history article here):

One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. 

Harsh! Although I must say it would be easier on the heart to not have a soldier bound to someone - of course, distance is said to make the heart grow fonder!

Another of the Valentine legends also includes the 'possible' first ever Valentine card - of sorts. 

According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first "valentine" greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl--possibly his jailor's daughter--who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed "From your Valentine," an expression that is still in use today. 

(A fun little video thanks to Russell Nold!)

All of this is thought to have happened around A.D. 270! So love has been shared this month for a LONG time! Of course, breaking away from the Christian version of St. Valentine, there is also the theory that the Catholic church chose to celebrate the death and burial of St. Valentine during February to steer attention away from the Pagan holiday of Lupercalia, which celebrated the ides of February. The Pagan's celebrated this month as a month of fertility, dedicating it to Faunus, the God of Agriculture, as well as Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome. 

Either way, love was the over-arching idea for this month of February, and since the death of St. Valentine, notes and tokens of love have been shared throughout the world. 

One of the great 'tokens of love' in my mind, is the creation of a good meal for those you care about. Putting time into a meal, making sure it is perfect for your significant other, takes your heart and places it on the plate, within each stir and each spice. For the significant other in my life, the perfect meal is savory crepes. Joined with a good bottle of red wine (we are partial to cabernets) and followed up with a dark chocolate fondue, this meal is sure to make him smile from ear to ear. Here is my recipe, given to me by my mother, as well as my favorite things to put inside!

Basic Crepe Recipe

2 cups flour

1 cup milk

5tbs melted butter (non salted)

3 eggs

1/4 cup white sugar

Pinch of salt

Dash of lemon juice

*Mix all ingredients until well blended. Heat a large frying pan slightly buttered, on medium heat. Pour some batter in, spreading it around until there is a thin layer covering the pan (be sure there is enough room to flip!). Once you have flipped it, let it cook for just a moment, then add your favorite savory ingredients. Here is what I use:

Chicken Breast (grilled or pan-seared earlier)

Spinach

Sauteed red onions

Gruyere cheese (place thin slices of this down first to let it melt a bit)

A nice drizzle of basalmic vinegar

Fold your crepe and be sure to serve hot! Delicious!!!

Chocolate fondue is quite simple. Even if you don't have an authentic pot, using a microwave safe bowl and finding a way to elevate it and place a tea light underneath, will give you the same result. Use whatever fruit you like for dipping (and marshmallows as well of course!) and the following for the chocolate:

Pour 4-6oz (or so) of semi-sweet chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl with a bit of heavy cream poured over it. Microwave for 1minute and take out to stir. If it still needs more time, microwave in 30second intervals, stirring each time before the next round. With a tea light placed an inch or two below the bowl, your chocolate should stay warm enough to stay melted. Using skewers of your choice, stab, dip, eat! (This is the fun time to feed each other as well). 

Well there you have it, a little history and a Valentine's meal made out of love. Hope your Valentine's day is a fun one regardless of how you celebrate!

Happy Cooking!

Grammy Goodies

This Sunday the birds will be out-sung by the best in the music business as the Grammy's take center stage. While I'm not sure of anyone who has 'Grammy parties' (I've heard of over-the-top Oscar parties), I thought I would share some gluttonous favorites from some stars that have been nominated for this years awards. I have found (and tested) recipes, and will give the little changes I recommend for each as we go. I couldn't pick all of those stellar musicians nominated, so I decided to go with some of my most (and even a least) favorites.

Drumroll please. . . . and the winner is -

Beyonce Knoweles (nominated for best traditional R&B album) - Beyonce claims her gluttonous guilty fair is Popeye's restaurant (I'm with you Beyonce, I can't help but get a bite of Cajun lovin' when I see one!). Make your own Popeye's right at home with my homemade chicken fingers found in my quick bites section. Just be sure to add some cayenne pepper (to your taste) to get that soulful touch!

Usher (nominated for best R&B album) - now here is a man who has made me (and countless other women) swoon with his smile and suave dance moves. Let me melt your heart a little more ladies by telling you that his favorite meal is mom's home cooked spaghetti. Usher, I will be your spaghetti mamma any day.
While making truly homemade pasta is a labor of love, I promise it is well worth it. With a food processor and a pasta maker (or the pasta fixture for your standing mixer), as well as time to dedicate to it, you can have delicious (really, it is so much better than store bought) pasta to go with your mom's best red meat sauce. For the pasta you will need:

2c. cake flour
1c. all purpose flour
*you can use all all purpose, or put in whole wheat, I have just found this combination to mix and hold the best
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4c. olive oil (I always use extra virgin)
pinch of salt

Place all in your food processor and turn on. If you feel the dough is to dry, drizzle in some water, but be sure to eyeball it so you dont get too mushy. Once the dough comes together, bring it out onto a floured surface and knead the dough for 8-10minutes. Next, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 20minutes. Once this time has passed, you are ready to roll and go!

Michael Buble (best traditional pop vocal album) - Oh Michael. Being a lover of Jazz and smooth, seductive voices, Michael makes me melt every time I hear him. 'Everything' makes my heart flutter every time. Michael's date food of choice is a good ol' hamburger (it's what he would pick on his ideal date). For your own delicious burger, find some great lean ground meat (92% or higher) and mash in some pressed garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, onion and diced mushrooms, form a patty and grill to your perfection! Top with your favorite toppings (I like avocado, bacon and tomato personally) and enjoy!

Carley Rae Jepson (best pop solo) - OK, this is one of my not-so favorites but she likes pizza and I love making homemade pizza. I'll admit that I cheat with the dough, I just can't seem to master that. Whole Foods makes a fantastic whole wheat dough. I roll that out and make one of two pizzas: Margarita or BBQ chicken. That means all you need are some fresh basil leaves, big slices of beef tomatoes and sliced fresh mozzarella. For BBQ you need some strips of chicken, diced red onion, cilantro and BBQ with some shredded mozzarella sprinkled on top. Bon Appetito!

Taylor Swift (record of the year) - I just had to end with this All-American Sweetheart. What would a sweetheart want for some sweet indulgence some some sweet cinnamon rolls or cookie dough (no baked cookies, just the dough). This recipe is one I have not gotten to try (my weekends and week days are chock full currently), but as soon as my life gets a little less crazy, I will be making these. I'm curious to see what the 'secret ingredient' really does. Check out the recipe for amazing cinnamon rolls here.  My go-to recipe for cookies (or just cookie dough, which I definitely eat plenty of while I make them), is from my Chocolate Snowball cookbook from the fantastic Deer Valley resort Pastry Chef Letty Flatt. The only change (really addition) I make is adding a pinch of cinnamon. Just barely detectable, but enough to just give it a small spice. Here's Letty's traditional recipe.

Happy Cooking!