Easy Valentine’s Day Dinner
Feb 09, 2017, Updated Jun 05, 2021
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Valentine’s Day is next week! Don’t worry if you haven’t made a dinner reservation at a fancy restaurant. Today on Indy Style, I showed you how to impress your valentine with a romantic meal at home. From appetizers to dessert, I used beautiful Pink Lady apples to bring some love to your table.
Bacon-Wrapped Apples
Start your Valentine’s Day meal off right with bacon-wrapped apples. Simply wrap a slice of bacon around a Pink Lady apple slice. Then bake the apples in the oven until the bacon is crispy. Serve the apple slices with dipping sauces, such as hot fudge, peanut butter, and caramel.
Bloomin’ Apple
A bloomin’ apple is a sweet way to end your romantic dinner. The best part is that these Bloomin’ Apples are “baked” in the slow cooker! Again we used Pink Lady apples from Sage Fruit for this recipe in order to capture the sweet and tart taste of this special apple.
Coring and cutting the apples in a special way creates the bloomin’ effect. Then fill the hollowed-out core with caramel sauce and a mixture of butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and flour. Cook the apples in the slow cooker on high for 2 hours or on low for 4 hours. Serve the bloomin’ apples with ice cream and caramel sauce on top. Your valentine will love this sweet and salty treat!
Watch the video to see how to slice the apples just right:
Heart-Shaped Kale and Sausage Hand Pies
In my second segment, we tackled the entrée and side dish for your Valentine’s Day dinner. Try making these dishes together with your valentine! Start off with Heart-Shaped Kale and Sausage Hand Pies.
Step 1 – Make the filling by browning sweet Italian sausage with onions over medium-high heat. Add curly kale and let it wilt over the heat. Add shredded Romano cheese then add salt and pepper to taste.
Step 2 – Using a large heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut four hearts out of refrigerated pie crust.
Step 3 – Place the sausage filling inside two of the hearts, leaving about a half-inch border. Then top the filling with the two remaining hearts.
Step 4 – Seal the edges with a fork. Lightly brush the tops with egg. Prick the tops with a fork to create vents for the steam.
Step 5 – Sprinkle the tops with more cheese. Place the hand pies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Step 6 – Bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown. Let cool 10 to 15 minutes on a wire baking rack before serving.
Cauliflower Poppers
The perfect veggie side dish for these hand pies is Cauliflower Poppers. This roasted cauliflower features nutritional yeast seasoning, a vegan-friendly cheese substitute.
Step 1 – In a large bowl, combine olive oil, garlic salt, and nutritional yeast seasoning. Add cauliflower pieces and thoroughly coat each piece.
Step 2 – Place the cauliflower pieces on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Step 3 – Bake at 400 degrees for one hour, turning several times during cooking.
Step 4 – Remove from oven and enjoy!
See how easy it is to make this entrée and side dish:
Red Pear-Infused Water
And what’s a romantic dinner without a cocktail? This Valentine’s Day cocktail starts with Red Pear-Infused Water. Pour the water mixture into a martini glass. Then add RumChata and soda water and garnish with a cinnamon stick.
This Valentine’s Day dinner is elegant enough to impress the love of your life but simple enough that you won’t spend all night preparing it!
Wishing you a very romantic Valentine’s Day!
xoxo Lori