TASTY TUESDAY

A week ago today was Valentines day. So in memoir of that, Tasty Tuesday is in dedication to the lovely day of LOVE! I, triplet #2, made a cute lil' heart shaped menu (pictured in upper left) that listed out breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert for the day. I would like to share what my husband and I did for one another for fun, and perhaps to give you Valentines meal ideas for another year or holiday! It is an alternative to eating out with a spice of creativity!

Breakfast

'Lots of Love' Pancakes with strawberries and grapefruit juice 

We all know how to make pancakes, so no recipe for this one. Plus I cheated and used the powder mix (it was 5:30 am) hehe. But to make it holiday-ish we dyed them pink, cut them into hearts, and threw some chocolate in there, must have chocolate! And with strawberries on top, it was delicious. I feel this is an easy fun breakfast idea for St. Pattys day too! Just dye them green and cut them into shamrock shapes!!

Lunch

'Hearty Pizza'

I thought these were adorable. Just shape the dough into the perfect heart and remember to cut your pepperoni slices into cute baby hearts! The recipe for the dough is amazing and makes plenty. 

Pizza Dough Ingredients:

3 cups flour

1 (.25 oz) package of yeast

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 cup warm water (100 degrees F or 45 degrees C)

Pizza Dough Directions:

Combine flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl

Mix in oil and warm water

Spread out as desired

Add toppings

Bake at 375 degrees F (190 C) for 20-25 minutes

Dinner

'Ain't it cute meatloaf' with 'tickle me pink mashed potatoes' and steamed vegetables. Served with Raspberry Lemonade bubbly!

Meat Loaf Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1 egg

1 onion, chopped

1 cup milk

1 cup dried bread crumbs

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons prepared mustard

1/3 cup ketchup

Meat Loaf Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C)

In a large bowl combine beef, egg, onion, milk, and bread crumbs

Season with salt and pepper in a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish

In a separate bowl combine mustard and ketchup and pour over meatloaf

Bake at 350 for 1 hour

Cut into cute heart shape and serve

Mashed Potato Ingredients:

6 medium potatoes peeled and cubed

 1/2 cup warm milk

1/4 cup butter

3/4 teaspoon salt

Dash pepper

Red food dye

Mashed Potato Directions: 

Place potatoes in saucepan and cover with water

Cover and bring to boil and cook for 20-25 minutes until tender

Drain well

Add milk, butter, salt, pepper, and red food dye (2-4 drops)

Mash until light and fluffy

Raspberry Lemonade bubbly Ingredients:

2 cans (12 oz.) frozen lemonade concentrate

2 bags (10 oz.) frozen sweetened raspberries, partially thawed

2-4 tablespoons sugar

2 liters soda (Club, Gingerale, 7up, or Sprite) 

Ice cubes

Raspberry Lemonade bubbly Directions:

In a blender combine lemonade, raspberries, and sugar

Cover and process until blended

Strain to remove seeds (optional)

In a 4 1/2 quart container, combine raspberry mixture, ice cubes, and soda

Mix well and serve immediately

Hope you all enjoyed your Valentines day and had some yummy eats. Feel free to make this meal for any holiday. What I like about meatloaf is you can cut it into any cute shape you want! And mashed potatoes are easy to dye for the holidays.

Dessert

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries 

Take a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips and dump into a small-medium pot
Heat at 2-3 (low) and stir constantly until all the chips are melted
Dip the strawberries and set on plate
Refrigerate to harden (20-30 minutes)
Serve!