Meal Ideas: Valentine's Day at the New Pad

By: MissMichal, Allrecipes Community Member

"This will be a romantic dinner for two, the first one we've prepared together in my new apartment. It's designed to be as low-budget as possible, since I just moved and am flat broke."

More About MissMichal

Family cooking traditions: Every year, my family and I make breakfast for someone who has to work on Christmas morning. It's usually a casserole or a quiche. I love seeing people's faces when they find out someone has remembered them on the holiday.

Cooking triumphs:
I made my very first Christmas dinner when I was 18 years old. It ended up taking much longer than expected, but the turkey was the most perfect thing anyone had ever seen and my family loved the homemade eggnog.

Cooking tragedies:
I won a PETA essay contest one year and they sent me a Tofurkey as a prize. I cooked it for Thanksgiving and served it to my family, who was not vegetarian. I enjoyed it, and everyone else said at the time that it was great, but for years they talked behind my back about how bad it was.

MissMichal's Cook's Profile

This Allrecipes Community Member describes herself as a recovering vegan who, although, she has gone back to turkey on Thanksgiving, still loves tofu and couscous.

The Menu

Serve with Champagne.

"Lamb chops are not low-budget ($12.99/lb, last I checked), but this sauce is awesome, so I decided to substitute chicken in this recipe this time. You could also do a couple of small steaks."

Lamb Chops with Balsamic Reduction

Side Dish:

We made this together at Christmas and it was kind of an adventure (the oven door came off--don't ask), so I think it would be kind of sentimental to make it again. Add beets and they will even come out pink.