Happy Valentine's Day, friends! I hope you all are having a really nice day with some friends you love or someone special in your life. I'm not a big fan of celebrating Valentine's Day day of. Flowers are expensive, menus are too fancy, and places are crowded. Josh and I actually went out a couple of weeks ago and had a nice quiet (almost 24 hours!) night to ourselves at a nearby hotel (The Allison Inn, for you locals out there - highly recommended, but spendy - definitely a special occasion kind of place). We don't get away for a night too often, so this was a treat, and it was really nice to do it a few weeks in advance of Valentine's Day.
Usually on Valentine's Day, I choose to make a nice meal - sometimes fancy and sometimes not (we've made Beouf Bourginon before and simple pasta dishes like Pasta Bolognese) before. I was going to make a chicken pasta dish tonight (Monday), but someone (me) forgot to thaw the chicken out earlier, so I think we might honestly pick up heart-shaped pizza from Papa Murphy's and right now in this season - I love that idea!
I will include one "nicer" meal in this week's menu as well as one of my favorite desserts that I will often make for Valentine's Day. What I like to focus on is the idea that any evening of the week can be a nice family meal for this holiday - so make the week work for you. That's what I'm doing. I'll probably switch our Wednesday night meal for the dinner we were supposed to have tonight. The point is that we're all together at the table. That's where my heart is.
Onto this week's menu.
Sausage & Pea Manicotti
Craving an indulgent, but not heavy, zesty Italian pasta dish? This Sausage & Pea Manicotti recipe will feed the whole family and take care of that craving at the same time.
Trainwreck Crock Pot Taco Salad
"Trainwreck" crock pot taco salad is simple, inexpensive, easily customizable, and incredibly tasty! It will please your family, or a crowd of almost any size!
One Pot Country Lentil Soup
Your pantry can come to your rescue again with this easy, hearty, super tasty, and crazy healthy one pot country lentil soup!
Roasted Glazed Honey Mustard Salmon with Thyme
Lucky enough to find some beautiful fresh salmon on sale? This roasted glazed honey mustard salmon is an easy, extremely tasty way to bake it up!
French Bread Pizza
Wanting to make your own pizza but a little intimidated by making your own dough? Try this easy, flexible recipe for pesto French bread pizza!
Red Chicken Enchiladas
It's easy to multitask while putting this delicious & healthy recipe for red chicken enchiladas on the table! Sub in a rotisserie chicken & make it even easier!
Loaded Baked Nachos
Tired of the same old taco on your "Taco Tuesday" nights? Give these easy loaded baked nachos a try! They're bright, filling, and easy as pie!
Berries & Cream Crêpes
If you haven't fallen completely in love with crepes yet, this easy recipe for Berries & Cream Crêpes is sure to do the trick.
Rosemary & Maple Glazed Sweet Potatoes
These Rosemary & Maple Glazed Sweet Potatoes are simple, tasty, and pair with lots of different main dishes. Our new favorite way to eat sweet potatoes!
Chocolate Red Wine Cake
Need a dessert that's easy, yet complex, not too sweet, but totally addictive? This Chocolate Red Wine Cake is for you...
Just in case you're in the same boat I'm in, I'm going to include my Valentine's Day Pinterest board for some other dinner and dessert - maybe even breakfast ideas. Ya never know - you might want to surprise someone just because you love them.
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