Valentine Dinner

I think the trick to making a really good meal is finding the perfect balance for your palette. I love my new cookbook, because you can find great menu ideas that do just that.

The first recipe that caught my eye was the Tuscan Lemon Chicken. So easy and so good. When combined with Confetti Corn and Stephmodo's Herb Roasted Potatoes it was perfection.

Really, the best part about this meal is that I didn't have to pre-plan my menu. I just searched for recipes for items I already had on hand.
This meal is definitely going to be a staple at my house, and for those of you celebrating Valentines Day at home, this would be sure to impress.

Potatoes for a real man!

For my brother-in-laws birthday, I decided to make a meal that fit his "meat and potatoes" personality / appetite. We had steak, corn on the cob, salad, and these awesome potatoes:

Red Potato Salad with Bacon-Blue Cheese Vinaigrette

4 pounds red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
1/4 cup olive oil, plus 1/4 cup
3/4 pound hickory smoked bacon
1 large red onion, finely sliced
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
parsley (to your liking)
1 cup crumble blue cheese

In a baking dish toss potatoes with 1/4 cup olive oil, parsley, salt and pepper. Brown the bacon and crumble. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat from the pan and add the onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup olive oil, vinegar, and sugar and cook until sugar is dissolved. Pour the onion mixture over the potatoes, add the crumbled bacon and toss to combine. Bake at 400 deg. for around 1 hour (until potatoes are soft). Before serving, sprinkle blue cheese on top of potatoes.

They're a big hit!