Valentine’s Day is great for one of two reasons: If you have a significant other, it’s a cute day to do cute, couple-y things. On the other hand, if you’re single, it’s a great day to celebrate season two of House of Cards with a hot date like Charles Shaw or Ben & Jerry’s.*
Either way, you should have some good food this Friday, and we’re here to help. Share them with little spoons - or eat it all yourself with a big spoon.
Sure, mac and cheese in a blue box is practically the same level of fancy as opening a package of ramen. However, this recipe, based on Oakland, CA’s Homeroom, uses a bechamel sauce for a base, and calls for aged cheddar. Seriously, one of the best ways to show your love for someone is by serving them something with delicious, melty cheese.
You can dress up mac in a lot of ways. We suggest the following additions:
- Substitute the cheddar cheese for the same amount of gruyere and fontina cheese. Just before serving, stir in caramelized onions, and garnish with a drizzle of balsamic reduction. It’s french onion soup, in mac form!
- Enjoy blue cheese? Use white cheddar instead of aged cheddar, and blue cheese instead of Romano. Stir in chopped walnuts and prosciutto when you add the pasta.
- For an herbaceous mac, substitute half the aged cheddar with white cheddar, and substitute goat cheese for the Romano. Stir in a few sprigs of chopped rosemary and thyme to the bechamel before pouring it over the pasta.
So, pork chops are easy to make for one or two tummies. This recipe serves six, so feel free to adjust quantities for a half or third-size serving.
Martha does pork chops right, but if you’re not a fan of apples, substitute pears. As the recipe suggests, you can deglaze your pan with a lot of different liquids, from chicken broth to water; we’d suggest using something like red wine for a rich and savory flavor. Choose a sweet red wine as the flavors will cook down as the broth reduces. You can also add a lot of different vegetables, like potatoes, turnips, carrots, or other root vegetables.
Vegetarian entree: eggplant parmesan
Eggplants are an underappreciated vegetable, and with a little cheese, basil and tomato sauce, they’re delicious. I really don’t think it can be said enough that cheese is the only form of expression you need to show your love. You can add whole shallots or pearl onions, shucked green peas, or even some balsamic-glazed onions, if you want some more vegetable goodness. A sprinkling of panko bread crumbs probably wouldn’t hurt, either.
At the end of a good dinner, there’s nothing better than a follow-up meal: dessert. Bake a pan of these peanut butter and fleur de sel brownies to share or save. These would also be great with almond butter and some dark chocolate chips.
*I’m not addressing the people sweating bullets in the purgatory that is the “Are we dating? Are we just hooking up? What are we? God, it’s just a day, we can be chill about a day.” stage. Sorry, kids.