Bring the Romance Home - Filet Mignon Dinner with Balsamic Reduction

 This romantic dinner for 2 idea and recipes have been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions and experiences in this shop are mine alone. #TheMoodStrikes #CollectiveBias

It seems like a distant memory, but I can still remember coming home from work and making dinner with my husband. Just the two of us in a tiny apartment. We took our time, we made fresh pasta, we made pineapple upside down cake in the cast iron skillet... and then decided the rest of dinner wasn't necessary. It was a great time to talk, connect and feel closer to each other.

You could say that romance was in the air.

But that was 10 years ago. Now, the freedom to be spontaneous has been replaced with children, macaroni and cheese, picky eaters and at least one time during the meal or meal prep, crying. Not me, well, usually not me... but usually the baby or one of the kids bursts out crying because the world, as they know it, has ended (or they don't agree with my dinner selection).

And at that point you can usually cue burning food or the smoke detector going off.

Well, since my youngest was born I can count on one hand (and all of 2 fingers!) how often we have had a chance for a romantic meal without the kids.

So given the chance for a little alone time, I wanted to create a special dinner with my husband in mind. He likes red meat. I like veggies. This romantic meal made us both happy without leaving us feeling over stuffed.

I like to pan sear my fillet mignon in a cast iron skillet with a little rosemary, salt and pepper. These also happened to be bacon wrapped. A big plus in my book and the bacon really adds to the flavor.

I made this meal extra special with a balsamic vinegar reduction. It sounds all fancy and goes well with both the meat and roasted veggies.

Balsamic vinegar becomes really thick and sweet when you let it simmer. And yeah, it really is that simple. Let it reduce in a small saucepan till it has reduced by half and will coat the back of a spoon.

Veggies I tossed in olive oil and sea salt, then oven roasted for a short amount of time in a hot oven. Served over a bed of cheesy polenta, this was a great way to catch up on each other and reconnect with each other. This simple dinner was easy to make, leaving plenty of time for closeness.

Seared Filet Mignon with Balsamic Reduction

You Will Need:

• 16 oz. Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 Bacon Wrapped Filet Mignon
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tsp. butter, unsalted

In a small saucepan pour 2 cups of Balsamic Vinegar. Over low heat, bring it to a low simmer and let it reduce to about half. It should easily coat the back of a spoon when it is thick enough. Turn on low till you are ready to serve dinner.

Take the meat out of the fridge 20 minutes before cooking. Salt and pepper both sides of the steaks. 

 In a cast iron skillet, let the pan begin to warm then add the butter and steaks at medium high heat. It should be just below smoking. High, fast heat will result in a delicious steak! Let the steak sear on each side for 3 to 4 minutes. Baste with bacon drippings and butter from the pan. Turn the steak and cook for another 3 minutes or until meat is cooked as desired.

Drizzle the meat with Balsamic Reduction for serving.

Oven roasted Vegetables

You Will Need:

• Bell Peppers, sliced in various colors
• Asparagus, woody ends trimmed
• Green Onions, ends trimmed
• Olive Oil
• Sea Salt

preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Keeping the vegetables separate, toss in olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Place on a baking sheet keeping like-sized vegetables together. 

Start to check and turn vegetables at 9 minutes. Keep an eye on them as each will vary in cooking time depending on size. Let them sear but not burn. 

Drizzle with Balsamic Reduction if desired.

The only thing better than a special romantic dinner is perhaps the perfect dessert. I went with a classic, a simple chocolate souffle for two.

But perhaps even better than the perfect dinner and dessert would be the ability to reconnect when the mood strikes. At my age that is sometimes easier said than done.

The busy holiday season is a great time to connect and spend time with your loved one. I try not to let my relationship get lost in the holiday shuffle.

I found this product in the Feminine Needs section at my local Walmart and be sure to grab this coupon for $1 off any K-Y® product.

 I love that K-Y® Liquibeads allow me the freedom to take advantage of these romantic evenings alone together. You know, they may be far and few between, so I don't want to miss an opportunity!

K-Y® is a personal lubricant brand I have used for years, but now I can prepare for what may come after my romantic dinner, even before I start prepping my vegetables. This product only needs to be used once every few days so even I can be spontaneous.

This is a K-Y® Liquibeads Ovule. The package came with 6 individually packaged Ovule inserts and 6 disposable applicators.

The Liquibeads Ovule fits into the end of the applicator and can be inserted by pressing on the plunger. Using the K-Y® Liquibeads is fast, easy and mess free. Then I can get back to prepping for my dinner and hoping for a wonderful evening.

*women who are pregnant or nursing, should first consult a doctor before using K-Y® Liquibeads.

What would your perfect romantic meal for 2 include?


 

A Romantic Meal for Two with Buitoni Sauces and Nestle Baking Kit

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community. I paired Buitoni sauces with homemade ravioli and a Nestle's Tres Leches baking kit to create a romantic meal.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser. #Valentines4All

A few year's ago my husband and I had a Valentine's Night tradition, reservations at our favorite local Italian restaurant. A little house salad, pasta, a glass of wine and a shared dessert. It was the perfect romantic meal for two. Everything was so good and made from scratch.

Then our beloved little Valentine's ritual ended when the restaurant closed. Yeah, I was a little heartbroken.

Valentine's day is quickly approaching and though I don't have the time to create an entire romantic meal from scratch myself, I was able to create a delicious homemade meal for two with the help of Buitoni pasta sauces and Nestle's Tres Leches baking kit. Want to see how I pulled it off in a chaotic house of 5?

First I had to do a little shopping. Okay, with the three kids most of my shopping happens at Walmart. It is too hard to drag two young children and a baby in and out of the car for multiple stops. This dinner is supposed to be low-stress, right? So I found everything I needed for my little date night in at one store. 

I wanted to have fresh homemade sauce flavor without all the simmering, so I grabbed a few containers of Buitoni Sauce. The Marinara has big chunks of tomatoes and the Alfredo is cheesy and delicious. Then I just needed Phyllo Dough for my Parmesan Twists, and something for dessert...

Have you seen the Nestle kits? They are brand new and a great way to whip up dessert quick. I love having all the necessities in one box because I tend to forget one crucial ingredient while shopping. It usually happens when my kids start fighting in the store or whining, "Are you done, Mom?"

 I have made Tres Leches cake before from scratch, but this was much faster. 

The prep I had to do the night before. I baked the cakes in small heart pans. With a big BBQ skewer I relieved a little stress from my day by poking the living daylights out the my cakes. Then I whisked up the "3 Milk" mixture to drench the cake with. It needs to sit and soak overnight in the fridge to achieve it's proper consistency. Don't worry. It is worth it.

Dinner day I started off by making my ravioli filling. I had this great vision of perfect little heart-shaped pasta. I even ordered a special ravioli press for just that. Of course the weather and shipping had other other plans and I had to improvise. 

Luckily a biscuit cutter or cookie cutter and a rotary cutter worked just fine. Don't be afraid to use what you already have in your kitchen.

I made a kale, pancetta and cheese filling for my little pastas. I wanted every bite to be a savory little burst of garden goodness wrapped in cheesy indulgence.

I nailed it.

Then I rolled out my pasta dough. Don't be intimidated by fresh pasta. The recipe is simple, just 2 cups flour (semolina, durum or all-purpose), 2 eggs and enough water to just bring the dough together. I like to make mine in a food processor. That way I can see the pasta dough ball form.

After resting for a half an hour I rolled out my dough. Little golf ball sized lumps of dough go through the pasta press. A wheel on the side lets me make the gauge thinner with each pass of the dough until it is thin enough for my pasta. I go for a slightly thicker dough for filled pastas.

Then I stamped and cut around each little heart shape. Viola! Heart-shaped kale and pancetta ravioli. 

Kale and Pancetta Ravioli Filling
You Will Need:

• 1 bag of frozen kale, thawed, chopped and thick stems discarded
• 2 oz Pancetta, cubed
• 8 oz. Ricotta cheese
• 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp. garlic salt

Drain the kale well, squeezing out an excess moisture. Set aside.

In a skillet over medium heat, heat the Pancetta till golden brown and crispy. Strain out the Pancetta and set aside to cool. Reserve the oil to warm the kale through. Let both cool completely.

In a medium bowl, combine the cool filling ingredients. Add a heaping teaspoon of filling to sheets of fresh pasta depending on the size you want to make.

Some ravioli tips: Make sure your filling is dry. If there is too much moisture in your kale, the ravioli will break open while cooking. Lay finished pasta out on a floured surface and use immediately or cover and refrigerate to use within a day. Also remember fresh pasta cooks quickly. Don't overcrowd the pan and wait till your little raviolis float up to the top of the pan when done.

Enjoy!

Now pasta needs a good sauce to go with it. I chose the Buitoni sauces to save me some time. I still put together a great homemade meal, but the All Natural sauces are close to what I would need a whole day to create. This left me time to work on my tablescape.

I rarely decorate the table beyond our daily placements, so when I started putting my burlap, red and white table together my kids were 'oo-ing' and 'ahh-ing' at it. I kept it simple, but used our dessert for a center piece and surrounded it with snapshots of my husband and I over the past 13 years. I had a long burlap table runner and since it was longer than I needed, I cut smaller pieces off for our place settings. You will have to wait for the end of the post to see the finished table.

When my husband was almost home I boiled up our ravioli. I can't stress enough how fast fresh pasta cooks. Again, since I rolled my pasta dough a little thicker, it took about 5 minutes to boil. then I drizzled the Alfredo sauce over the top and garnished with a pinch of parsley.

Instead of the usual heavier bread sticks, I made these Phyllo Dough Parmesan Straws. They were so easy! With one or two sheets of phyllo I brushed it with butter and then sprinkled it with a Parmesan cheese and herb blend of my liking (garlic and basil!), folded, sliced, twisted and then I baked them at 350 for about 8 minutes till golden brown.

I put a big scoop of Marinara sauce in a small ramekin for easy dipping. Yum! They were so crunchy and light.

With a little salad on the place for contrast, here is our dinner plate. Doesn't that look yummy?

I know the hustle and bustle of a noisy and crowded restaurant has nothing on this meal. I was even able to bribe my kiddos to play upstairs, and the baby slept while we enjoyed our meal for two.

And dessert?

Here are my finished Tres Leches cakes. The cakes are so moist and sweet, they don't need much other than a topping of whipped cream and possibly fruit. I used some edible red and heart glitter to adorn ours.

And my finished table, right before we sat down to eat. It was simple, romantic and easy enough to whip up for Valentine's Day or any other night we might want to celebrate. The food was delicious, the company was perfect and the photos I laid out gave us something to reminisce about. It might not have all been made from scratch, but it was all homemade with love.

So, what are your Valentine's plans? Going out? Or staying in this year?