Valentine's Dessert

On the left: chantilly cream (a heavenly light and sweet cream) with a raspberry drizzle. My mom used to make this for Valentine's when we were kids. I didn't really remember it until I tasted it but it was really good and SUPER SUPER EASY. Beat cream cheese, vanilla, and sugar. Separately beat whipping cream until firm and then fold into the cream mixture. Very light, very tasty cream. Heavenly!

In the middle: a chocolate espresso cake dome filled with a blackberry mousse and a blackberry cream drizzle on top. Although we agreed that it was the prettiest of the three it wasn't as deliciously tasty as I'd hoped. Good though...

On the right: a meringue cookie with a pastry cream and strawberry compote. There was also a chocolate drizzle on top. Although it wasn't very pretty, it was tasty. Although, it takes a little work and we've had it before. If I were to pick just one to have again, it'd be the chantilly cream.

Valentines Dinner

I unfortunately work late every Monday night so Matt and I are going to celebrate Valentine's out of order. Tonight (Sunday) we made a new steak dinner with a very nice bottle of wine we bought in Napa Valley. The steak was marinated in a chimichurri sauce for 4 hours. It was made of fresh oregano, fresh parsley, fresh cilantro, jalapenos, and some basic things like salt, oil, vinegar, etc. Matt grilled them and they were really good. I loved how deep the marinade actually penetrated. I must admit that I was slightly skeptical because it was so chunky and I'm used to liquid marinades but it worked beautifully.

We served it with an ancho chili risotto cake that was very tasty. Although, I used WAY to much oil and they didn't get to cook long enough before they started to fall apart. May we'll try again some other time. I really don't care to fry things though.

Matt doesn't know it yet but I've planned quite the dessert. I plan on posting a picture in a little bit so I'll write about it then.

Superbowl of Food

I cannot believe how much food we had at the house for Superbowl.
Our Menu:
Smoked Brisket, Jalapeno Cheddar Sausage, Chicken Wings, Meaty Rotel Dip, Strawberry Pecan Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette, Stuffed Peppers, Baked Potato Salad, Chicken Bacon Ranch Buns, Mexican Cornbread, French Bread, Chocolate Cookie Towers, and Creamy Lemonade Pie.

What People Brought:
Goat Cheese with Blackberry Pepper Jelly, Cream Cheese with Crab Meat and Cocktail Sauce, Pizza Hut's Dunking Strips, Cheesy Bread Puffs, Ranch and Spinach Dip, Chips, and 2 Raspberry Pies,

Favorites?
Our friend Chelsea's Baked Potato Salad is so good. You bake the potatoes and cube them. Mix with sour cream, Ranch powder, real bacon bits and cheese. Sooo tasty.

The Chocolate Cookie Towers were definitely a hit. The dough was WEIRD - sticky and not very floury. But you chill it and roll it out. Although I was very skeptical about if they would turn out right or not they literally melted away in your mouth. So imagine 5 of those layered with a chocolate pastry cream (basically a highly decadent chocolate pudding) and homemade whipped cream. Yum Yum Yum

Last but not least was the Lemonade Pie. I've already made it again for my parents and sister (I'm writing from Little Rock right now). It's a vanilla wafer crust with a hint of mint. Fill with a whipped cream sweetened with sweetened condensed milk and a slight lemon flavor. Then swirl in the blueberry sauce and freeze. You should really try this recipe. It was pretty easy and very tasty. It will be perfecto on a hot summer day.