Romantic Food and Drink

With all the talk about Valentines Day coming up on Saturday I was thinking about "sexy" foods.

There is a restaurant in Asheville that used to have a dish on the menu called sexy mashed potatoes. Of course they were popular because everyone (myself included) wanted to know what sexy mashed potatoes were. Turns out they were simply mashed potatoes, in fact they were mashed potatoes with the peels left on. A practice I detest, I think it is just a lazy way to make mashed potatoes. It takes a lot of butter and cream to even think about mashed potatoes being sexy.

Anyway, back to foods that signal romance. Think back to the classic spaghetti scene from "Lady and the Tramp". While I don't necessarily think of spaghetti in those terms, there are a few obvious items that come to mind.

Chateaubriand (medium rare)
Lobster (w/ clarified butter, naturally)
Champagne (pink, of course)
Chocolates (sweet milk chocolate)
Asparagus w/ Hollandaise Sauce

My personal "sexy food" favorite is ...........................................................pizza.
I know, I know, there is nothing sexy about pizza to most people.
Pizza always reminds me of our first date, pepperoni, sausage and mushrooms on thin crust from Pizza Hut on Tunnel Road in Asheville . December 18th , 1976. Rod Stewart's Tonight's the Night playing over and over on the jukebox. I fell in love that very cold Saturday night.

Share your sexy food favorites, don't let me be the only one with a strange Valentines favorite.

Now on to the decidedly not sexy menu from the Taylor table tonight.

Baked Chicken and Rice Casserole
Corn Pudding*
Green Beans

Corn Pudding

1 can cream style corn (I prefer Del Monte)
1 tbsp. melted butter
2 eggs - slightly beaten
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients well and pour into a 1 1/2 qt. casserole dish which has been sprayed with Pam.
Bake at 375* for approximately 30 minutes or until slightly brown on top.

So, until tomorrow..............
S~~~

Thursday Night Brussels Sprouts

Tonight we had one of my favorite vegetables, the much maligned Brussels Sprouts. Either you love them or you hate them, I love them, Ronnie hates them. I like them steamed, sauteed, roasted or deep fried. I have never had deep fried Brussels Sprouts but they must be good. I mean, isn't everything deep fried really good? I really shouldn't say that, it isn't culinary correct, is it?

This is the way supper shaped up tonight.



Parmesan Ranch Baked Chicken
Risotto
Honey Glazed Carrots
Sauteed Brussels Sprouts*

Sauteed Brussels Sprouts

2 slices bacon - diced
24 - fresh Brussels Sprouts
1/4 small onion - diced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. brown sugar

Fry bacon until almost done. Remove bacon from pan. Wash Brussels Sprouts and remove the stem end and the outer leaves. Halve or quarter depending on the size. Add to the pan with onion, salt, pepper, and brown sugar. Cook until golden brown. Add bacon pieces if you like.

Until tomorrow...........
S~~~

Tonight's Sunset at Supper

I much prefer sunsets to sunrises. To say I am not a morning kind of girl is an understatement.
This was tonight's sunset taken from our front deck. In an effort to search for positive things to say about winter, the sunsets are much more vibrant.

I am so excited about the comments and email I have received about this blog. Please know I read and appreciate every word. Thanks so much for taking the time to visit.

Just in case anyone missed it........., American Idol begins tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Supper tonight was nothing special, but I did commit to posting whatever it is, so here ya go......

Hamburger Steaks w/ Mushroom Horseradish Sauce
Herb Roasted Potatoes*
Green Beans
Crescent Rolls

Herb Roasted Potatoes

2 Medium Potatoes

4 Tbsp. Olive Oil

Rosemary

Garlic Powder

Seasoning Salt

Pepper

Scrub potatoes, do not peel. Cut potatoes in half length wise. Place a wooden spoon beside the potatoes and cut accordion style by cutting down to the handle of the wooden spoon, making sure not to cut all the way through. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with Pam. Brush 1 tablespoon of olive oil on each potato. Sprinkle with crushed rosemary, garlic powder, seasoning salt and pepper. Bake 35 minutes at 425 or until lightly brown on top.

Until Tomorrow.......

S~~