Cranberry, Apple, Walnut salad with Raspberry Pecan Dressing
-chopped romaine lettuce
-1/2 a Pink Lady apple, chopped into small pieces
-1/2 cup Craisins
-1/2 cup walnuts, coarsly chopped
-1 green onion, chopped (only the milder green part)
-1/2 cup raspberry pecan dressing (I used Ken's)
*Toss all ingredients together. Yum.
Pink Rolls
-I just made a regular roll recipe, with white flour, and for this one I did cave and add a few drops of red food coloring...I rolled them onto crescents and they came out a lovely pink color.
Bow Ties in Pink Sauce with Sweet Italian Sausage
-half a pound of bow tie pasta, cooked until al dente
-two sweet Italian sausages, chopped into pieces and browned
-1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper
-1/2 cup chopped onion
-1 cup tomato sauce
-1/2 pkg. cream cheese
-1/4 cup sour cream
-basil to taste
*brown Italian sausage, and add pepper and onion to pan. Cook until tender. Add tomato sauce, cream cheese and basil. Stir until well blended. Add sour cream, and stir. Toss with cooked pasta. (To be completely honest, this sauce turned out a little more orange than pink, but in theory it should be pink...hmm.)
Pink Pear Tart
-One pie crust (I bought the kind that are rolled up from the refrigerated section...I was going to make one from scratch, but I have an 8 month old, and the rest of the meal to make, so I opted for the easy route...plus, a good pie crust is hard to pull off...if you buy it from the store, it's no fail every time)
-1 can sliced pears, drained
-1/2 stick butter, softened
-1/2 cup brown sugar
-1/4 cup slivered almonds, chopped
-cinnamon
-1/2 tsp vanilla
-granulated sugar
-cream, milk, or egg whites (for brushing crust)
*Place pie crust on a cookie sheet (no need to grease). In a small bowl, combine butter, almonds, and brown sugar. Spread onto pie crust, leaving room on the edges to fold over later (I spread mine in a heart shape, since it was Valentine's Day). In another bowl, toss drained pears, vanilla, and cinnamon to taste (I also added a couple drops of red food coloring to obey the pink rule). Arrange the pears on top of the almond mixture. The entire area should be covered in a single layer of pears. Fold edges of crust over and pinch lightly to seal. Brush edges of crust with cream (or milk, or egg whites) and sprinkle lightly with granulated sugar. Bake 30 minutes at 350 f, or until crust is golden brown.
This dessert turned out FANTASTIC!!!! I think it is the best dessert I have ever invented. Seriously, delicious. I was kind of shocked. It was SO easy, made from ingredients you can find at any grocery store, and looked kind of fancy. I will definitely be making this again, and you should definitely try it.
Pink dinner was a success. Everything was good. I can't wait for next year! And in the mean time, I'll be making all of these things (except, maybe, the pink rolls) again! Happy Valentine's Day everyone!
Dinner. (Also pictured: chocolate raspberry truffles from Martha Stewart Living: 8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped, 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1 teaspoon raspberry extract (this calls for a Grand Marnier liqueur, which is apparently orange flavored...I opted for the non-alcoholic raspberry flavoring), 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt, unsweetened cocoa powder , for rolling. 1. Place chocolate in a bowl. Bring cream, raspberry extract, and salt to a simmer in a small saucepan. Pour over chocolate and let stand for 2 minutes. Whisk until smooth. 2. Pour chocolate mixture into 8-inch square baking dish, and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes. 3. Scoop balls of chocolate mixture using a tablespoon or a 1-inch ice cream scoop. Roll balls in cocoa powder, tossing until fully coated. Shake off excess.)
Olivia in on the pink action, enjoying apples with blackberries for dinner. 
The tart. Don't you just want to make it?
A box I made to house the truffles. 
Bonus picture: Olivia in her Valentine's Dress skyping Grandpa Doug. :)
