If you want to impress your significant other or that special someone with a fantastic home-cooked meal, look no further! Valentine’s Day can be stressful when you’re planning the perfect night, but hopefully these simple recipes will take away some of that pressure. You can prepare these meals for two in an hour or less and they won’t break the bank either!
Winnie Lam / Daily Nexus
Garlic Butter Steak (adapted from Tasty)
Ingredients for the steak:
1 ribeye steak
3 tablespoons canola oil
3 tablespoons butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Pat the steak dry and season with salt and pepper.
- Heat the canola oil in a large pan over high heat until smoking.
- Sear the steak for 30 seconds then flip it over.
- Add the butter and garlic and swirl it around the pan.
- Baste the steak with the butter and garlic mixture with a spoon.
- Flip the steak to its sides to reduce excess fat.
- Take the steak off the heat and let it rest for 10 minutes.
- Slice the steak and serve.
Ingredients for the mashed potatoes:
3 yukon gold potatoes
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 cup heavy cream
3 cloves garlic, minced
Chives, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Peel the potatoes and dice them into 1 in. cubes.
- Add the potatoes to a large pot of cold water and bring to a soft boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 12 minutes.
- Drain the potatoes, then return to the pot. Increase the heat to medium-high and stir the potatoes around for 2-3 minutes.
- Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl and mash.
- Add the melted butter and stir, then season with salt to taste.
- In a small saucepan, combine the heavy cream and garlic and bring to a simmer.
- Add the cream mixture to the potatoes, a little at a time, stirring until fully incorporated.
- Top with a pat of butter, freshly ground black pepper and sprinkle with chives.
Winnie Lam / Daily Nexus
Grilled Salmon and Rice
Ingredients:
2 cups of white rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon paprika
2 salmon fillets
2 cups spinach
2 eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Cook the rice in a rice cooker and keep warm until ready to serve.
- Combine the salt, pepper, paprika and oil in a large bowl and marinate the steak in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
- Grill the salmon on a pan on high heat for two minutes on each side and remove them from the pan to rest.
- Fry two eggs and cook the spinach until soft in the same pan.
- Place the rice, eggs, salmon fillets and spinach on two plates and serve.
Winnie Lam / Daily Nexus
Garlic Shrimp Bacon Alfredo
Ingredients:
6 slices bacon
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups heavy cream
1 lb fettuccine, cooked
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Cook the fettuccine al dente in a large pot then drain and place into a separate bowl.
- Cook the bacon in a large pan until crispy, then cut into small pieces.
- Cook the shrimp with the garlic, salt and pepper in the same pan until shrimp is pink
- Add the cream to the empty pot and bring to a boil.
- Once the cream is boiling, add the fettuccine.
- Transfer the shrimp and bacon to the pan, and stir.
- Add the parmesan cheese and serve.
I wish my gf would cook me stuff like this