The way to a man's heart...is through his stomach!

Clockwise: V-Day, 2008--Alex and I, V-Day, 2002--B and I in Alabama, V-Day, 2010--Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake

Well, another Valentine's Day has come and passed and I can honestly say that the best part of Valentine's Day is what I am going to bake. Sorry folks..I'm not a very lovey dovey schmuck...and neither is Brian (believe it or not hehe). We don't buy each other gifts anymore and we definitely don't go out to eat. But I do believe in making a thought-out, unique dinner that is a little bit more special than normal. I set the table and we actually sit at it.. And I always make a very unique dessert. We also have another milestone to celebrate. On February 16th, B and I got engaged at Disney World. Can't believe it's been eight years!

The first time I realized that men cared about how well you cook was in 7th grade. We had some sort of festival in my social studies class where we had to bring an international dish. I had a crush on a Hispanic boy...so my international dish was Chicken Enchiladas--HA! I carefully made them..and the Hispanic boy who never gave me attention certainly gave me attention that day. He was quite impressed. Mom used to make the high school coaches and LHS football players treats and dinners. And because of their love for Martha's food, they were always hanging around--which I loved! Throughout college and "BB" (Before Brian), I got my own apartment and attempted to make a few meals for a few boyfriends and male friends. I have to say..I usually did pretty well! Mom's shish kabobs and the enchiladas were always hits. On that engagement weekend Valentine's Day in Alabama in 2002 (a few days before we left for Floria), it was just the beginning of my attempts to make thought-out, romantic dinners. That night, I made some sort of Shrimp Scampi and Pasta dish, carefully picking out the best ingredients I could find at the Wal-Mart in Enterprise--EEK! But my special treat was a Strawberry Shortcake with Chocolate Sauce. I realized then there is something really delicious about strawberries, chocolate, and ice cream.

Over the years, B has been gone to Iraq for two Valentine's Days..almost missing three (he came back a few days before V-Day in 2005). I will never forget the last Valentine's Day I was by myself in Northern New York. I had my dear friend Alexandra over for the day. We went to the salon and had our hair done..we went out for some girly drinks, and we had a nice dinner at my house. I made a dish--Spinach Penne Pasta with Broiled Chicken Parmesan-- that I have made before..and it always impressed house guests. Brian loves it as well. It looks pretty and it tastes wonderful. Plus, it's a nice balance of appealing to ladies..and being filling enough for a guy :). This dish is definitely "dressed to impress" and one of my favorite dishes that guests love.

As I mentioned earlier, I realized that the dessert was my most special part of the Valentine's meal. Over the years, I've made Brian cheesecake many times...because that is his favorite. Unfortunately, it's not mine. For Alex, on our Deployment Valentine's Day, I made up something that really impressed her..and I think would impress any woman. So guys...listen up! (Do any guys read my blog?!) I wanted to create something with strawberries, brownies, and ice cream--and I wanted it to look fancy. So, I made a Brownie Strawberry Dessert-ini. It was FABULOUS! It was so simple..and anyone can do it--trust me.

Tonight, B and I had our Valentine's Dinner. You might ask why I made it tonight. You might think we are celebrating the engagement anniversary...not so. Sarah had her once in a very rare blue moon night of drinks with Brian and our friend Matt. And..let's just say I cannot handle drinking like I used to :(. So, unfortunately, I was in no shape to make a special dinner Sunday night. But, tonight, I was able to make it..and he said it was as good as any dinner you would get at Roy's or Ruth Chris. SO, I think in eight years, I've moved up in the romantic cooking world--yay! We had a really great aged ribeye (thank God for Central Market and Whole Foods in Austin), artichoke risotto, garlic broccoli, and ciabatta bread. As usual, I had to do something awesome for a dessert. And that I did.. I made a triple chocolate layer mousse cake (pictured above). Needless to say, this cake was very difficult to make and I would only recommend if you plan ahead and have a lot of patience with it. It was delicious and it beautiful.

And I realized that the artichoke risotto (which was B's favorite in the meal) is kind of like marriage. It takes patience, care, and attention. Ahhh! I can't believe these words are coming out of this anti-schmuck's mouth! So, here's three of my favorite "loving" recipes from Valentine's Days present..and past. They'll win over any man (or woman's) heart!!


Sassy Recipes of the Week:

Artichoke Risotto

3 tablespoons of butter
1/3 cup of finely chopped shallots
1/4 cup of a dry white wine (I used Chardonnay)
1 cup of arborio rice
20-24 ounces of chicken broth
1/2 cup of fresh grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup of chopped artichokes (drain and pat dry)

**This dish requires constant stirring and attention..thus the marriage reference! This is a wonderful compliment dish for a great steak.

In medium pot, bring chicken broth to boil. Set aside. Place butter in separate dutch oven and put over medium heat. Cook shallots in butter till lightly browned--1 minute. Add rice to butter mixture. Stir constantly till rice is lightly browned--2-3 minutes. Carefully and slowly add white wine and stir till rice absorbs liquid. Add one cup of the broth slowly to the rice mixture. Stir constantly till all liquid is absorbed--about 5-7 minutes. Repeat this process 4-5 times till all of the chicken broth is gone (one cup at a time). When all the broth is absorbed, test the rice. It should be soft. If not, add another cup of broth and repeat process. Stir in cheese and artichokes, stirring for 2-3 minutes over low heat. Serve immediately.


Spinach Penne Pasta With Broiled Chicken Parmesan

PASTA:

1 box of penne or bowtie pasta
1 32 ounce box of chicken broth
1 package of baby spinach
2-3 cloves of fresh garlic--use fresh--the jarred kind just does not provide the same flavor
3 ounces of light cream cheese
3/4 cup of feta cheese
1/3 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese
pepper

CHICKEN:

2-3 cups of any Italian marinade
4 chicken breasts, sliced and pounded thin
1/2 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese
Italian seasoning

Marinate chicken breasts for several hours in Italian marinade beforehand. Cook pasta in chicken broth, according to box directions. While pasta is cooking, place garlic in a medium sized food processor and process till finely chopped. Reserve a half cup of the spinach and set aside. Add rest of spinach to processor, and process till spinach is almost a creamy texture. Add all cheeses and a few shakes of pepper and process till sauce is a thick, green cream mixture. When pasta is almost al dente, dip a third cup measuring cup into the chicken broth/pasta water and slowly add to spinach sauce. Process again till smooth and creamy. Set aside.

Place chicken breasts on greased, foil lined broiler pan. Place in oven under high broiler heat. These breasts, if sliced thin, will cook for 5-7 minutes so watch carefully. Flip after half of chicken is cooked (white). Sprinkle breasts with parmesan cheese and italian seasoning. Place under broiler and bake for another 7-8 minutes, till chicken is cooked thoroughly and cheese is a nice golden brown.

Towards the end of the chicken cooking time, drain pasta. Roughly chop reserved spinach and toss with hot pasta. Stir in spinach sauce. Add additional chicken broth if pasta is too thick.

Serve pasta in individual pasta bowls and place sliced chicken breasts on top. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. If serving two, save the rest--it makes great leftovers.

Brownie Strawberry Dessert-ini

**This is so easy, anyone can do this!

1 batch of brownies, homemade, storebought or box. **Box mix brownies are great and easy. Cook in the biggest pan recommended, according to directions. Do not slice!
1 small container of fresh strawberries, washed and sliced
2 tablespoons of amaretto
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 pint of favorite vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup of jarred hot fudge sauce
Miniature chocolate chips
Fresh Whipped Cream (optional)

Place sliced strawberries in glass bowl and toss with sugar and amaretto. Cover dish with plastic wrap and place in fridge for an hour before serving dessert. Make brownies according to directions. Let cool. Heat hot fudge sauce, according to package directions. Set aside. Use a large heart shaped cookie cutter and carefully cut out 4 heart shaped brownies--save scraps to munch on throughout week :). Place heart brownie in a pretty martini glass--mine laid against the side of the martini glass. Place one small scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side of the brownie. Cover with a spoonful of strawberries and amaretto sauce. Lightly drizzle hot fudge sauce and sprinkle with miniature chocolate chips. Dollup with a little whipped cream. Serve immediately.

The REAL Story On Me and Paula Deen

** I am sorry I have been MIA and late posting my blog. I had a colonoscopy a few weeks ago and my stomach has not been the same since. So, the idea of food and cooking has made me feel ill at times! I'm slowly getting better though. :)**


If you know me at all, you know that I LOVE Paula Deen. You may have read my first blog, “My Obsession With Southern Cooking”. When I moved down to Alabama, I became enriched with the southern culture, including cooking. I believe that within a week or two of moving down to Alabama and getting settled in, I started watching the Food Network. And with the Food Network came this lady that reminded me a little bit of my mom, southern style. That was, of course, Paula Deen. Her food was simple and real, wholesome and fattening. This was in 2006, before she really got too crazy with all of her business adventures. She had two restaurants, a handful of cookbooks, and one show on the Food Network--Paula's Home Cooking. And I learned that Paula's hometown, Albany, GA, was not too far as the crow flies from our town in Alabama. As I mentioned in my Southern Cooking blog, I loved her two original Lady and Sons cookbooks and I find them to have some of the best southern style recipes. So, every day I watched her religiously and tried many of her recipes, still using the local southern influence to inspire me.

Brian and I went to Europe in June of 2006 and were fortunate to fly out of Charleston for the flight. We had a few days to spend in Savannah and Charleston. This is when I fell in love with Savannah and I still say to this day "the best part of our European vacation was Savannah, Georgia"... We didn't have time to eat at her restaurant though. Many months later, we moved to NY and I was determined to get back to Savannah and to continue my love for Paula even in the extreme north. I will sheepishly admit that I wrote her a letter and she replied immediately with an autographed photo, which I proudly displayed on my fridge. During an after church dinner at the house, my new friend, Christin James, told me SHE loved Paula as well. This made me even more determined to get to Savannah. When Sarah wants something, she gets it!!! Three months later after B deployed to Iraq, I convinced my parents to accompany me on a trip to Savannah and Charleston. And, I wanted to treat my mom to a Mother's Day lunch at The Lady and Sons. After being completely and utterly stuffed, we all agreed that she had a buffet filled with the richest, most tasty foods ever. We also ate at Uncle Bubba's and found it to be almost as great if not better than the other restaurant. I was in heaven and both were everything I hoped they would be.

But BEFORE I even made the trip to Savannah, I started researching Paula Deen's website. I was determined to get more...I was going to MEET Paula Deen! At this point, in May of 2007, Paula was really starting to get popular. She had a magazine, an increasing amount of cookbooks, and a second show, Paula's Party. On her website, she was advertising they were taking applications for audience members. I hastily called Christin and within an hour or two we had typed up our "reasons" for wanting to be on the show. Of course, we had to use the Iraq card...and Christin's anniversary was the same weekend as one of the tapings. Words cannot describe how elated we were when I got the call saying we were accepted and scheduled for the June 16 taping. Meanwhile, the producers called me and asked how we could plan a suprise anniversary wish to Christin from Jason, her husband. Long story short, we headed down to Savannah and Christin did not have a clue that the producers had arranged for Jason to do a videotaped message and they were going to prepare her dream wedding reception dinner, filet mignon and lobster. Three weeks after my trip to Savannah with my folks, I was heading back to be on Paula's Party.

Early that morning, we arrived at the site of the taping, Uncle Bubba's Oyster House. We were treated so wonderfully and were placed right in the front row. We sited several celebrities (Billy Joel's wife and wedding planner David Tutera). The producers reminded us repeatedly to always wash our hands if we were on tape and they encouraged us to ask questions. I remember when they asked us if any of us would NOT eat caviar...Christin nudged me and said "don't you DARE say yes!" The taping began...it was lengthy and just plain silly at times. We were all driven to tears when Christin was finally called up and they played Jason's message. There were many memories of the day..but two stick out in my mind. First, Paula was walking away and I got her attention. We told her we "bonded" through our fascination of her..she was so sweet and kind to talk to us. The second moment was after the show--we were given beautiful flowers and we got to meet Paula's husband, Michael Groover. What a wonderful guy...he was so kind and down-to-earth. Overall, it was an amazing day we both will not forget. The show aired on September 9th and Christin and I hosted a watching party. I made all of the food from the show..and Christin was on the verge of giving birth to Nathaniel (she did two days later).

But my story with Paula is not over... A month later after we returned from the show, I got an email asking if I had any recipes that could be featured on Paula's NEW show, Paula's Best Dishes. I shared the recipe that is one of Martha's most popular and requested recipes--Cream Cheese Bread. A day later, I got a call from the producer saying that my recipe was chosen and they were going to book my flight soon. I was pretty estatic. To know that I was going to make my recipe WITH Paula..ON TV...I just could not wait. Unfortunately.... I got a call a week before my flight saying that the Food Network didn't approve it. This broke my heart. I saw it as an opportunity to really get my foot in the door in the southern cooking world. At the time, there was talk that our unit would move to Savannah..and I thought I could be the sugar mama in the family by owning my own bakery in Savannah!! It was not meant to be though and I still hold hopes for that opportunity.

So..I am not going to post my favorite recipes by Paula Deen. There's nothing I would do to change them and they are a little lengthy. Surprisingly, my favorite recipes AREN'T too southern or rich. But, they are amazing and great for company.

Baked Spaghetti http://www.pauladeen.com/index.php/recipes/view2/baked_spaghetti/

**This is honestly one of the best recipes ever..much better than traditional baked spaghetti recipes. It's my favorite for company.

Tastes Like Lasagna Soup http://www.pauladeen.com/index.php/recipes/view2/tastes_like_lasagna_soup/

**It really does taste like lasagna..and it's much easier! My favorite soup recipe of all time.


And finally..here is the recipe I think Paula would love. It contains all of her favorite ingredients: butter, sour cream, and cream cheese. This was the recipe that was going to be featured on her show.

As Paula would says..."Best Dishes!"

Sassy Recipe of the Week:

Cream Cheese Bread
Bread:
1 8 oz. carton of sour cream
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c margarine
1 tsp. salt
2 pkg. yeast
1/2 c warm water
2 eggs
4 c flour

Filling:
2 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
3/4 c sugar
1 egg
1/8 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla

Frosting:
2 c powdered sugar
3 oz. package of cream cheese
1/2 stick of softened butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Enough milk to make spreadable

Melt first four ingredients of bread ingredients in a pan. Put on heat and mix together till melted and smooth. Cool these ingredients till lukewarm. Meanwhile, mix yeast mixture and warm water in large bowl. Let sit for five minutes. Add eggs and cooled sour cream mixture. Stir in flour till smooth. Cover tightly. Refrigerate at least four hours.

Beat filling until ingredients are smooth. Divide dough into 3 or 4 pieces. Roll out into 8x12 pieces of dough, very thin. Spread equal parts of filling over bread to 1/2 inch of edge. Roll up tightly, sealing edges and placing edges down on lightly greased cookie sheet. Make slashes across top of roll. You may also make individual rolls. Form small balls and make an indention on the top with a spoon. Put one spoonful of filling on top of roll. Cover with plastic wrap and let raise 45 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Frost with frosting.