1 hour ago
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Valentine’s Day is connected a Saturday this year, which someway makes it consciousness similar there’s much unit to bash thing nice. I wanted meal to consciousness intentional and cozy, but I didn’t privation to walk the full time cooking oregon stroke the fund to marque it consciousness special.
With a engaged agelong ahead, I decided to program up and support meal elemental yet intentional. I shopped exclusively astatine Trader Joe’s and enactment unneurotic a three-course Valentine’s Day meal for 2 utilizing a premix of fresh, frozen, and prepared foods. The extremity was to support it close astir $50 and trust connected tiny upgrades astatine location alternatively of cooking everything from scratch.
I’ll commencement with the receipt, due to the fact that that’s ever what I privation to spot first. My full came retired to $51.75 with tax, and that included the appetizer, main course, dessert, and a vessel of wine.
For the appetizer, I bought burrata, prosciutto, babe arugula, cherry tomatoes, and a French baguette.
For the main course, I grabbed pre-cooked sliced sirloin, frozen gorgonzola gnocchi, and frozen ail shiitake greenish beans.
For dessert, I went with Trader Joe’s cocoa lava cakes, caller raspberries, and lemon.
I besides added a vessel of vino to circular everything out.
The appetizer was burrata with prosciutto and arugula, and this was honestly 1 of my favourite parts of the meal.
STEP 1: I sliced the French baguette, drizzled it lightly with olive oil, and popped it into the oven for a speedy toast portion I prepared everything else.
STEP 2: I tossed the arugula with olive oil, a tiny splash of balsamic, and salt, past layered it connected the bottommost of the plate. From there, I added the tomatoes and sliced prosciutto, placed the burrata connected top, and finished it with citrus zest and achromatic pepper. The toasted baguette went connected the side.
It felt elevated without being fussy, and it looked similar thing you’d bid astatine a edifice adjacent though it came unneurotic successful minutes.
For the main course, I leaned heavy connected convenience items and focused connected making them sensation intentional. Trader Joe’s didn’t person caller sirloins the time I shopped, but they did person pre-cooked sliced sirloin, which worked perfectly.
STEP 1: I warmed the sirloin connected the stove, added a splash of Worcestershire sauce, and finished it with butter.
That speedy cookware measurement made it sensation affluent and revived alternatively of reheated.
STEP 2: I heated the Gorgonzola Gnocchi connected the stove and kept it precise simple, adding lone achromatic capsicum and a drizzle of chromatic erstwhile it was plated. It was creamy, rich, and comforting without feeling heavy. If you wanted to instrumentality this up a notch, you could adhd bluish food oregon gorgonzola crumbles, oregon adjacent toasted walnuts for a small crunch.
STEP 3: The ail shiitake greenish beans were besides heated connected the stove and finished with citrus zest and a pinch of reddish capsicum flakes. That tiny summation made them consciousness brighter and helped equilibrium retired the richness of the remainder of the plate.
Nothing astir the main people was complicated, but everything worked together, which is truly the goal.
For dessert, I utilized Trader Joe’s Chocolate Lava Cakes.
STEP 1: I removed the cakes from each packaging, placed them connected a expanse pan, and baked them successful the oven for astir 15 minutes.
STEP 2: To spell with them, I made a speedy raspberry condiment utilizing caller raspberries, citrus juice, and sugar. I boiled everything down, mashed the berries, and thickened it somewhat with a tiny cornstarch slurry.
STEP 3: To serve, I dispersed the raspberry condiment connected the bottommost of the plate, placed the lava cakes connected top, and finished everything with citrus zest and powdered sugar.
For precise debased effort, the full meal came unneurotic great. My favourite parts were decidedly the appetizer and dessert, but that’s beauteous connected marque for me.
English (US) ·