Some Valentine Favorites!

With Valentine's Day around the corner, I figured it would be a cute idea to share with you some of mine and my friend's favorite treats for this holiday.  Let me start off by saying that even though this holiday is geared toward couples, we usually celebrate it with a few friends and have a really fun night of indulging and playing some board games. I never got the whole "once a year you proclaim your love for someone" kinda thing, I think we should proclaim our love and appreciation for people all year around, so I refuse to give in and go to a packed restaurant (that, don't forget, you have to make reservations months in advance for) just to wait in line for ages, pay an arm and a leg for something you probably could have made at home for less than a quarter of the price, plus having to pay for a parking spot and freezing as you wait there for your car to be ready. Thanks, but no thanks. I'll spend it in the warmth and comfort of my own home surrounded by my best friends having a good time, keeping myself and my wallet happy. But this doesn't mean that I don't want to treat myself, my husband or my friends to a great meal. I want to make everybody fee special so I do go the extra step to make something that screams "fancy shmancy!" even though we all know it was super easy to put together. Let me share with you some of our favorites:

Individual Beef Wellington is an all-time favorite recipe for my husband, apart from it being delicious, it's also super easy to do whether you're making it for two or four. Filet mignon with a mushroom mixture wrapped in buttery puff pastry, yes please! 

The appetizer that everybody loves, shrimp cocktail. My friend Brie loves this so much that she requested it for me to serve it at her bridal shower, she always says that my cocktail sauce is the best. And you know what? When I made it for her bridal shower, everyone asked for the recipe - so i guess she's right! I like to serve it in martini glasses just to be a little fancy. 

My friend Mike's favorite soup of all time, good ole' french onion soup. Nothing particularly fancy about this soup, but trust me when I tell you that done right, it is out of this world delicious! I really feel like my recipe for this classic is on point on every level. Sweet broth topped with cubes of toasted bread and nutty cheese, wish I had a bowl of this so badly! 

The last recipe I'll leave you with today is one of my personal favorites (you know it was going to involve chocolate if it's one of my favorites). This Chocolate Raspberry Tart is unbelievable!! Rich yet delicate, chocolate decadence with the raspberry puree, it makes my mouth water just looking at it, I will definitely be making this at some point this week. I remember last year I went over my friend's house, a group of us girls decided to indulge and watch chick flicks while all the guys hung out downstairs watching football. I made this tart to bring over and when we were slicing it to serve it, a couple of the guys came upstairs to get some drinks, well they saw this and wanted to try it. Let's just say that from the first bite, the guys literally took this tart downstairs and we were stuck with a tiny sliver for us girls to share. I'm tellin' you, it's that good!