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Cook Your Way to Your Man’s Heart this Valentine’s Day

They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. So this year for Valentine’s Day I thought, why not put together a super sexy menu and cook my man an AH-mazing heartfelt dinner? Now, I know lots of men are meat and potato guys … and as DE-lish as a rib-eye with garlic mashed potatoes sounds, my hubby isn’t the one who wants to feel sexy in Valentine’s Day lingerie that night. So I decided to give it a bit of a healthier twist: lean filet mignon with sweet potato mash and roasted Brussels sprouts. YUM! For dessert, I chose to keep it simple and classic since the meal will be pretty filling: chocolate covered strawberries. They’re super easy, so so, so festive, and easy to decorate and do yourself! The meal may sound a little daunting, but I broke it down step by step so you can have a stress-free Valentine’s Day! Here are the recipes:

Appetizer: Pear, Walnut and Gorgonzola Salad

Ingredients:

  • 6 cups mixed greens
  • 2 pears, cored and diced
  • ½ cup of candied walnuts
  • ½ cup dried cranberries
  • 2oz gorgonzola
  • Raspberry champagne vinaigrette

Directions:

  • Place greens in a large bowl
  • Top with pears, walnuts, and cranberries
  • Toss with vinaigrette and top with gorgonzola to finish

Entrée: Filet Mignon

Ingredients:

  • 2 8oz filets
  • 2 tspns olive oil
  • ¼ tspn onion powder
  • 2 tblspns minced shallot
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  • Place oven rack in highest position and set oven to Broil
  • Rub steak all over with olive oil
  • Sprinkle with onion powder, salt and pepper
  • Place steaks on broiler pan and broil 5-7 minutes
  • Turn steaks over and sprinkle tops with shallots
  • Broil for an additional 5-7 minutes

Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ pounds brussels sprouts
  • 3 tblspns olive oil
  • ¾ tspn kosher salt
  • ½ tspn freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
  • Cut off the brown ends and pull of any yellow outer leaves
  • Mix them in a bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper
  • Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 35-40 minutes, until crisp on outside and tender on inside
  • Sprinkle with more kosher salt and serve

Sweetheart Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

  • 4 sweet potatos
  • ½ cup orange juice
  • 2 tbspns brown sugar
  • 2 tspn ground cinnamon
  • 1 tspn chili powder
  • ¼ tspn salt

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees and bake for about 1 hour, or until soft
  • Remove and let cool slightly
  • In a bowl, whisk orange juice, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and chili powder
  • Scoop out the insides and place in large bowl
  • Pour orange juice mixture over sweet potatoes, mash and serve

Dessert: Chocolate Covered Strawberries

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