Yummy recipes for a romantic night in!

I love to eat. Second to travel, it may be my most favorite thing to do. Moreover, I like to cook and bake. My ideal weekend night does not consist of getting dressed up and going out for a fancy dinner, it consists of me in my comfy clothes and wearing my 'Italia' apron slaving away over a hot stove. I love the process from beginning to end. I love searching for a recipe (which I undoubtedly will change completely before my cooking is done), making my shopping list, shopping for fresh ingredients (especially in the summer when I can go to the farm!), and making a complete meal for my husband and I to savor and enjoy paired with a yum bottle of wine. In this day and age with so many people working long hours and driving kids to soccer (baseball, basketball, karate etc...) practice, it seems that take out food is the way most people eat most meals. This is a bit more that a Frugal Life suggestion- while it is definitely cheaper to eat in than out most times- I highly suggest you try this just as a fun change in lifestyle! Spend the afternoon alone or with your partner and cook up a really special meal to enjoy. Have a fancy date night in.... get out your fine china that you are saving for when the queen comes to dinner, use those pretty cloth napkins and napkin rings you got at your wedding shower, light some candles and pop open a good bottle of your favorite wine. Below is the complete menu & recipes that I created for this past Sunday night's dinner. Looked fancy- but was so easy to make! We paired this dinner with a bottle of 2007 Louis Jadot Macon Villages Chardonnay (great wine and very affordable at about $11.99 a bottle). Enjoy!

Menu

Cheese platter of water crackers, grapes, honey & a "blue cheese" style cheese from Valley Shepherd http://www.valleyshepherd.com/

Cornish Game Hens with Cornbread Stuffing (adapted from Ina Garten's recipe)
Fresh Corn Salad (adapted from Ina Garten's recipe)
Garlic Bread (because we eat bread with everything)

Strawberry and Banana Fondue
(used my tealight lit fondue maker. You can purchase these at any Bed Bath and Beyond or Target...)

Cornish Game Hens with Cornbread Stuffing

Ingredients

1 large Spanish onion, sliced
2 Cornish hens
Cornbread Stuffing, recipe follows- I used a mix to make my cornbread- the kind in the bag that you add milk, egg and butter to)
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Place the sliced onion in the bottom of a roasting pan. Remove the giblets from the hens, and rinse them inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outsides dry. Place the hens on top of the sliced onion.

Pack the cavities of the hens with the cornbread stuffing.

Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the hens. Rub the hens with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roast the hens for 30 minutes, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh.


Cornbread Stuffing :

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup yellow onion, chopped
2 1/2 cups cornbread
1 celery stalk, diced
1/4 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Melt the butter in a large saute pan. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat, until translucent. Break the cornbread into pieces and place the pieces in a large bowl. Add the onion mixture to the cornbread. Add the celery, chicken stock, parsley, salt and pepper, and mix together.

Yield: 2 servings

Fresh Corn Salad

Ingredients

5 ears of corn, shucked
1/2 cup small-diced red onion (1 small onion)
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup julienned fresh basil leaves
Directions

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the corn for 3 minutes until the starchiness is just gone. Drain and immerse it in ice water to stop the cooking and to set the color. When the corn is cool, cut the kernels off the cob, cutting close to the cob.

Toss the kernels in a large bowl with the red onions, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Just before serving, toss in the fresh basil. Taste for seasonings and serve cold or at room temperature.


Garlic Bread

Ingredients

6 large garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup good olive oil
1 loaf ciabatta bread
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the garlic in the bowl of a food processor and process until minced. Add the parsley, oregano, salt and pepper and pulse twice.

Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan and add the garlic mixture. Remove the pan from the heat.

Slice the ciabatta bread in half horizontally, and spread the butter on 1 half. Spread the garlic mixture on the other half of the bread, and put the halves together. Wrap the bread in aluminum foil.

Place the bread in the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Open the foil, and continue baking for an additional 5 minutes.

Strawberry & Banana Fondue

Cut up some strawberries and bananas or whatever fruit you choose
Melt some chocolate in your fondue maker (you can melt it first in a double boiler if you'd like)
Dip away!


xo
E