It’s not easy being romantic on a dime, you often times end up looking cheap. But using high end ingredients and knowing a few cooking tricks, you can create an incredible gourmet meal for two (or more!) for pennies compared to an upscale restaurant.
[ingredients]
Lobster Linguini Scampi
2 large lobster tails
1 lb linguini pasta,
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 large lemon, juiced
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to boil and salt the water generously. Meanwhile, cut the lobster tails with kitchen shears. Place the butter in a sauce pan and place the lobster tails in the hot pan. Cover with a lid and cook on both sides for a couple minutes. Remove from the pan and take the tail off the lobster. Chop roughly into bite sized pieces. Place the cooked linguini in the pan, along with a few tablespoons of the pasta water. Add the garlic, lemon juice, half the parsley and the chopped lobster, salt and pepper. Toss until the lobster is just cooked through (it will turn from translucent to opaque, but don’t overcook it!). Toss with remaining parsley and serve.
[end-ingredients]
[ingredients]
Rose Champagne Cocktail
1.5 oz gin
splash of rose water
splash of elderflower liquor (optional)
1 oz Prosecco (sparkling Italian wine)
Directions:
In a shaker full of ice, add the gin, rose water and elderflower. Shake and strain into a champagne flute. Top with Prosecco and garnish with a raspberry.
[end-ingredients]
[ingredients]
Black and White Cake Pops
1 box chocolate cake mix (cook according to directions)
1 box chocolate frosting
white chocolate chips
red sprinkles for garnish
Directions:
In a mixer, combine the baked chocolate cake and the frosting. Mix until a smooth mixture forms. Form the chocolate cake mix into small balls and place a lollipop skewer at the end. Dip into melted white chocolate and place on a parchment lined baking sheet and sprinkle with red sprinkles. Allow to harden for several hours before serving.
[end-ingredients]
