A Shrimp and Pasta Recipe for Valentine's Day Plus Breakfast and Snack
How Did St. Valentine's Day Start?
There are a few stories, but most likely it started in the 13th century. A priest named Valentine may have been killed for helping Christians to escape from Roman prisons where they were tortured and killed. While imprisoned himself, Valentine sent the first "Valentine" greeting after he fell in love with a young girl who would visit him during his imprisonment. Before he died there he sent her a letter and signed it "From your Valentine," and we still use that expression till today. Although this is a legend, by the Middle Ages, thanks to his reputation, Valentine became one the most popular saints in England and France.
Today we still send cards we call Valentines to our loved ones. Even in schools as long as I could remember children bring little Valentines cards to school and exchange them. Some of them come with lollipops or little heart shaped candy with messages on them like, love, be mine, etc. Very sweet.
There are foods associated with Valentine's Day. Anything romantic, seafood is very popular, wine, a large heart shaped box of candy is very popular. But we celebrate with our families too, so lets see if there are other foods besides "romantic" foods we can serve.
Lets Start With Breakfast
In the above picture is one of my family's favorite breakfasts, French Toast, which is why I consider it a good Valentine's Day breakfast. I spruced it up a little to make it look more festive.
I cut the bread into heart shapes. Then in the scrambled eggs I added a little vanilla extract and a little cinnamon and a little cream; you can use milk. Let the pan get hot and after soaking the bread in the egg mixture, grease the hot pan with butter or non-stick spray and add the soaked bread. Don't forget a nice piece of ham for each person on the side. Two slices of bread for each person.
Cook on medium heat or less so it doesn't burn and it has a chance to cook inside, turning once or twice. When you are sure the bread and egg is cooked, place it on your plate with the ham on the side (or bacon or sausage). Spread a little strawberry jam on each slice and sprinkle with sifted confectioners sugar, then sprinkle a few chocolate chips and pour a little maple syrup around it. Look how pretty it looks, that's part of what you are trying to achieve. Serve with coffee, for adults and milk or juice for the children. Enjoy!
Sweet and Salty Holiday Snack Mix
If you plan on celebrating all day, you will need something to snack on in between. In the above picture is a party mix that children and adults alike love. I put in it all the things my grandchildren like to snack on and it turned out the adults loved it too. Recipe to follow:
4 cups of original flavored Bugels
4 cups Honey Oak Cheerios
1 cup small salted pretzels
1 cup almonds (you can use whatever kind of nuts you like)
1 cup M&M's
1 stick of butter
3 or 4 tablespoons of Worcestershier Sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon salt
Mix everything, except the M&M's together in a large baking pan and bake at 375 degrees; stirring every 5 minutes for 15 minutes. When done, take out of the oven and let it cool and then add the M&M's. Serve in a large bowl or store in an airtight container.
Dinner Ideas for Valentine's Day
If you are cooking for just you and your sweetheart, seafood or steak is a good bet. Surf and turf, which is a lobster tail and a steak with a baked potato split and topped with salt, pepper, butter and sour cream and cole slaw is great. Any seafood is good, shrimp, scallops, clams, crab legs, whatever you like the best. Some people are allergic to seafood, then stick to a good steak.
However, lobster and steak can be a little pricy and if you are cooking for your family then I suggest what I am making for my family on St. Valentine's Day this year. Which is why I don't have a picture of it yet, I haven't made it yet, "Shrimp and Angel Hair Pasta". It goes a long way and is much more affordable and my family happens to love it. You can add other seafood to it like scallops or clams too. If you keep the clams in their shells, it looks great on the pasta dish. Serve it with your favorite wine, (adults only, please) for children their favorite juice would be good and a loaf of your favorite crusty bread, split and spread with butter and garlic powder. Close it up and wrap in aluminum foil and bake in the oven till the it's warm and the butter is melted. Delicious!
There are also other dishes you can make. I haven't shown anything for lunch yet. But, I will in other hubs. There are a lot of great salads that would be good for this day. As I get ideas and take pictures and document them I will show them.
Hope this helps some of you and I'm sure you have your own ideas and I would love to see them too. Enjoy!
Recipe for Shrimp and Pasta is below:
Ingredients for Shrimp With Angel Hair Pasta
- 2 lbs. shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 lb. Angel Hair Pasta
- 2 jars Tomato Sauce
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin Olive oil
Instructions for Shrimp and Pasta Dish
- Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add at least 3 tablespoons of salt to the boiling water.
- While the water is coming to a boil, heat a large frying pan with the olive oil and when the oil is hot add the shrimp and the garlic. When the shrimp turns pink add your favorite jar tomato sauce and simmer.
- Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for only about 4 to 5 minutes. Angel Hair pasta is very thin and cooks really quick. When done, drain and add it to the shrimp and sauce and mix together with a little grated Parmesan cheese.
- Transfer to a large bowl or pasta dish. Feeds 6 to 8 people, depending on how much each individual eats.
