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VALENTINE'S DAY MENU
(Meat and Pareve)
A Meal Made for Love
On a night when snow may fall and trees are bare, we
offer warm thoughts and gifts. The courage that we need
to face cold gray skies and a sometimes angry world,
seems brought to life in the brave colors of the flowers
and cards we exchange. Everyone will think of affection
in its many forms. There will be Valentines traded by
kindergarten classmates and relatives. Even the office
coffee tray is likely to hold heart shaped cookies.
This is a traditional day for romantic couples, but it is
also a time for us to think of everyone we love. There is
no better way to show that spirit than a dinner made by
caring hands. It need not be complex or exotic in its
ingredients. There is no need to ruin the household
budget. This menu is impressive because anything done in
the name of love is always best.
The elements of a celebration can be accomplished both
easily and inexpensively. Whatever you do will be
appreciated, just because you have done it. A homemade
Valentine is the prettiest of all. Some of you will do
this for a sweetheart, others will make it a family
project; it can be a joy for anyone.
An attractive table is not a hard task. Here is one way
to do it. You will need a white tablecloth of some sort.
Additional supplies are a bag of small red apples, a few
sheets of red construction paper, some small paper
doilies, and Cellophane tape. Spread the cloth on the
table. Cut hearts of many sizes from the construction
paper. They don't need to be perfectly shaped, and will
be even more charming if a bit uneven. Make loops from
the Cellophane tape and use them to fasten the backs of
the paper hearts all over the top and sides of the
tablecloth.
Place a bowl in the center of the table. Put an apple in
the center of each of several doilies. Cup the apple
slightly and put it in the bowl. The doilies will form a
bit of a ruffle, when shaped by the apples. When the bowl
is full, the contrast of the white doilies and red apples
will be very pretty. A red candle set on either side of
the bowl would be a perfect touch, if you care to use
them. This is not a fancy table setting. Reminiscent of
the Valentines we made as children, it is one that
demonstrates the affection of the person who decorated
the table.
This menu will be a simple one to prepare. Some of you
will be serving this after a day at work, so I will give
you as many ways as possible to prepare things ahead of
time. Everything but the Rice can be cooked the day
before, and then reheated to serve. The dessert only
needs to be taken out of the refrigerator and allowed to
come to room temperature before you have it.
A couple of ingredient notes: First, grated Ginger root
is available as a paste in a jar. Second, be sure to use
Coconut Milk, not Coconut Cream in the Soup recipe. Both
items can be found in the foreign food section of most
supermarkets. I hope your celebration of love is all that
you could wish.
All these recipes are written for 2 servings, but may be
doubled or tripled, as needed.
Easy Tomato Soup
1 (8 ounce) tin diced Stewed Tomatoes in juice
1 cup Coconut Milk
1/2 cup finely chopped Cilantro
1 teaspoon Chicken-Flavored Bouillon powder
Method
Place all ingredients in a small saucepan, cook and stir
over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Serve.
Cranberry Chicken
2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Halves
1 Small Onion, chopped
1 stalk Celery, chopped
1/4 cup Seedless Raisins
1 (8 ounce) tin Whole Cranberry Sauce, stirred
1 tablespoon Grated Ginger root, or 1 teaspoon Ground
Ginger
1/2 cup Chicken Broth
1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
1/4 cup Flour
Method
In a medium saucepan, cook the Onions, Celery and Ginger
in 1 teaspoon of the Vegetable Oil, until the Onions are
translucent. Add Cranberry Sauce, Raisins and Chicken
Broth. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and set aside.
Coat the Chicken Breasts with Flour. Heat the remaining 2
teaspoons of Oil in skillet over medium heat. Cook and
brown the Chicken Breasts until done. It will take about
3-4 minutes a side. Pour the Cranberry mixture over the
Chicken and heat to serve over rice.
Steamed Rice
1/2 cup Rice (Basmati is nice with this menu)
1 cup water
A pinch of salt
Method
Mix all ingredients in a microwave safe 1-quart dish.
Cover. Place in the microwave and cook for 15 minutes on
the defrost setting. Stir and serve.
Curried Carrots
1 box frozen Baby Carrots, thawed
2 tablespoons Margarine
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Curry powder
1 teaspoon Lemon juice
Pinch Salt
Method
In a medium saucepan, melt the Margarine. Add the
Cinnamon and Curry Powder, then cook together over medium
heat for one minute. Add the Carrots and Lemon Juice.
Cook and stir over medium heat for 2 minutes. Serve.
Chocolate-Orange Pots de Crème
1 cup Pareve Semisweet Chocolate Chips (6 ounces)
2 tablespoons Orange Marmalade
1 envelope Nondairy Whipped Topping Mix
1/2 cup Orange Juice
1 small tin Mandarin Oranges, well drained
Method
Place the Chocolate Chips and Marmalade in a microwave
safe mixing bowl. Cook in microwave on high setting for
1-1/2 minutes. Remove from microwave and stir until
smooth. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool. Add the Whipped
Topping Mix and beat with an electric beater until
smooth. While the beater is running, add the Orange Juice
and beat at high speed for 2 minutes. Spoon into 2 (4
ounce) custard cups. Serve at room temperature, garnished
with the Mandarin Orange pieces.
Copyright 2001 Eddy Robey
An Excerpt From It's Not Just Chicken Soup.
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Eddy Robey M.A.
Author of It's Not Just Chicken Soup. Like all Jewish
mothers, I feed everyone in sight, and have been at work
in the kitchen for over 25 years. Correspondence should
be addressed to <eddyrobey@aol.com> and will be
read as soon as the dishes are done. You can find many of
my recipes online at Gantseh Megillah Please feel free to
forward this to anyone you think would enjoy it, as long
as you include my copyright.
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