Valentine’s Day Dinner Ideas

As some of you might remember, I don’t always like dining out on Valentine’s Day.  I think it’s one of the most crowed day of the year at any restaurant.  So, I've always prepared Valentine’s day dinner at home.  I think it’s a sweet and warm gesture to take the time and prepare something delectable for our significant others, don’t you agree?  Here’s what’s on the menu: Raw oysters (picture above), serve with a splash of lemon juice and hot sauce.  To ensure freshness, I bought the oysters in their shells and planned to open them on my own when I got home.  Ahem…after 30 minutes, a curved butter knife, a few beat-up kitchen towels, and a cracked shell, here we have 6 super fresh oysters chilling on a bed of ice.  I say it’s not bad at all, for someone opening oysters for the very first time.  But I think I’ll leave that to the experts next time around. 



Up next, we have a mixed green salad and avocado, served with Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette.  In the dressing, I used both Dijon and whole grain mustard this time.  I love serving salad.  It’s simple and easy to put together.  Plus, you can basically put any ingredients you like along with your favorite dressing.  If you haven’t done so, you should check out this Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette.  It’s always been my favorite.



For the entrée, I have prepared this gorgeous black pepper crusted filet mignon, served with blue cheese cream sauce and chives, mushrooms stuffed scallops and homemade French fries.  Oh my, what a feast!



For dessert, you can check out the latest Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Pomegranate Lemon Gelée recipe, these Strawberry Sweetheart Macaron (picture above) or these Nutella Macarons (picture below).  These desserts will ensure a sweet ending to any meal.  What’s on your Valentine’s day menu?  Are you planning to cook at home or to rather dine out?  I would love to hear from you. 




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Instagram!

“Ice cream cone”

Do you use Instagram? I only started recently! I know, where have I been, right? I’m so glad that I did because I am loving it! All the images from this post were edited with Instagram’s easy to use photo edit functions and then shared onto my Twitter and Facebook (personal) accounts. No, this is NOT a sponsored post, in case if you wonder. I just love this program so much and can’t resist but to share with you, that’s all.

“Today's lunch--Roasted shrimps, asparagus and parsnips salad with Meyer lemon vinaigrette.”

If you’re interested in following me on Instagram, my user name is AmyTong_
Yes, my name with an underscore “_” at the back since my name was already taken when I registered.  What’s the benefit of following me there?  You got a sneak peak on recipes that I haven’t post on this blog yet. Such as the very first picture on this post, the dark chocolate ice cream!

And some recipes that might never make it to this blog, such as my Hubby’s afternoon tea (picture right below). 

“Hubby's afternoon tea. Mango iced tea & Salami on Brie and wheat cracker.”

You also get to see what I consume everyday!  hahaha…guess no one is really interested in that, I’m just throwing that in as a bonus.  So, join me for some fun on Instsgram.  Add me and I’ll definitely follow you back as I’m always up to see what inspires you and what’s up in your neck of the woods.

“Home made extra dark chocolate ice cream.....yum...”

For now, please enjoy the rest of my pictures….they are listed as the most recent from top to bottom.    Take care, until my next recipe post on this gorgeous Roasted Root Vegetables Salad below!

“Today's lunch....roasted root vegetables salad.”

“Today's breakfast ...Meyer lemon curd on bread. So good!”

“Delicious Peking duck....”

“Hubby's afternoon tea....pb-stuffed French toast and iced milk tea.”

“Turns out, I need a Sunday cocktail too....between baskets of laundry. :)”

“Best way to enjoy a watermelon....just cut it in half and dig in!”'

“Preping tonight's dinner....romaine hearts, grape tomatoes, havarti cheese, cranberries, kalamata olives, avocados, caschews, serve with Meyer lemon herb vinaigrette.”

“Friday cocktail...Meyer lemon juice+limoncello+ice+sprite=refreshing and delicious.”

“Hubby's afternoon tea set of the day. French pressed iced coffee, roast beef with spicy marmalade & Brie on wheat crackers, Meyer lemon macarons and hazelnut meringue sandwich cookies.”

“Teacher appreciation day gift part 2.”

“Made these sweetheart macarons for my son's teacher as teacher appreciation day gift. Part 1.”

“Another batch of Ham and cheese buns. Yum.”