I have been looking forward to blogging about my super fun Valentine's Day party since I started this blog! But I have been so busy with work and school since the party that I have had to work on it in bits and pieces. I know its late, but I just have to share the adventure I had! It was our very first Valentine's Day as newly weds! :) We decided to celebrate by throwing a dinner party! I have been wanting to start a recipe club for some time now and Valentine's Day felt like a good time to debut it! We LOVE entertaining. A recipe club, we thought, would be a good way to bring our friends together who all love to cook. Plus, we will all take home some new recipes to add to our collections! Nick is always good at experimenting with food and making up his own recipes. I, on the other hand, always have to follow a recipe or use the good old standbys from my mom. I find all kinds of recipes in magazines and cook books that I would love to try. But, what if we don't like it? There goes a whole waste of dinner. We can use our recipe club to try out recipes and share our successes with our friends and they can do likewise. :) Like I said before, Valentine's Day was our debut so we went all out! I LOVE table decorations! I bought these bling napkin rings from hobby lobby back in high school! This was the first time I ever got to use them though! I only had six bling rings though, and we had 8 people at the party. It was a full house in our tiny cramped apartment! 
So, I only used 4 bling napkin rings and the other 4 place settings got their napkins shaped like hearts. I found the instructions online. Super easy! http://bumblebeelinens.com/heartFold.php The little scrolls next to the place settings were a copy of the recipes we used for the party for each of our guests to take home. You, my lucky blog readers, also get to see these recipes! YUM! The menu: Garlicky Spaghetti with Beans, various side dishes, and for dessert Green Cow! These are two of our favorite recipes! Try them out and let me know what you think!! Garlicky Spaghetti with Beans
8 ounces uncooked spaghetti
¾ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
1 (16 ounce) can cannelli beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ cup (2 ounces) grated parmesan cheese
5 ounces arugula leaves (optional)
1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain pasta in a colander over a bowl, reserving ½ cup pasta water. Place pasta in a small bowl. Add ¼ teaspoon salt, tossing gently. Set aside and keep warm.
2. Return pan to medium heat. Add oil, garlic, and peeper; cook 2 minutes or until garlic is lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Stir in remaining ½ teaspoon salt, tomatoes and beans; cook 2 minutes. Add pasta; cook 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add reserved pasta water and arugula leaves, tossing gently to combine. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice and cheese. Serve immediately.
Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 1 1/3 cups)
Green Cow
2-3 scoops of vanilla ice cream
Half an avocado
Nutmeg to taste
2-3 milk caps full of milk
2 Tablespoons of honey
1. Blend until smooth. Top with whipped cream, pistachio crumbles and sliced strawberries. Delicious! :)
Until Tomorrow, ~Elise Harless
