A Day of Romance - Valentine's Day Special

Good evening bloggers and friends. For those of you who know me closely should know by now that I am the female version of Scrooge on Valentine's Day. It's not because I'm alone, or because I am cheap and don't want to celebrate. I'm just one of those people who disagrees with what Valentine's Day is all about. As much as I abhor this holiday, I refuse to let my feelings get in the way of sharing delicious recipes.

Today's post is specifically for those lovers out there who are celebrating this year. We will have 2 recipes to make, one for breakfast and one for dinner. Please go out and share the love, these recipes, and the holiday with those near and dear to you! Enjoy!

Lazy Strawberry Cinnamon Rolls

Yields 12 Rolls

You will need:

• 1 pack frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 cup strawberry jam
• 2 to 3 cups strawberries, sliced thinly
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup confectioner's sugar
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1.5 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon strawberry jam

Ready?

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Lightly flour your surface and roll out 1 sheet of thawed puff pastry until about 1/4 inch thick.
3. Brush puff pastry with melted butter, leaving 1-inch of space around the edges.
4. Evenly add strawberry jam then layer with strawberry slices and sprinkle on ground cinnamon over buttered area.
5. Tightly but gently roll the dough up. 
6. Use a little melted butter on the open edge of the roll to seal the seam.
7. Using a sharp knife, slice the roll into six pieces.
8. Place each roll inside a parchment paper lined baking dish. 
9. Place the dish in the refrigerator as you repeat the above steps with the last sheet of puff pastry if using.
10. Bake the cinnamon rolls in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden.
11. While rolls are baking, make the icing by mixing all remaining ingredients together (confectioner's sugar, butter, milk and jam) until nice, smooth, and pourable. If needed, add a teaspoon more of milk until it is pourable.
12. Drizzle over cinnamon rolls when they are fresh out of the oven and enjoy!

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Seared Scallops with Bacon Fennel Cream Sauce

Yields 4 Servings

You will need:

• 2 dozen large scallops
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup seafood or chicken stock
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 6 slices crisp, cooked bacon
• 2/3 cup finely chopped fennel
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 12 ounces freshly cooked fettuccine pasta

Ready?

1. Chop bacon into small pieces and cook until crisp in a large non stick sauté pan.
2. Drain fat and discard.
3. Set the bacon aside.
4. Add the garlic and fennel to the pan. 
5. Sauté until the fennel begins to soften, about 2 minutes or so.
6. Add the stock and wine, then reduce the volume of the liquid to about half before adding the whipping cream.
7. Simmer slowly for a couple of minutes, then add the bacon and season with salt and pepper.
8. Toss the cooked pasta in the prepared sauce.
9. In a separate heavy bottomed sauté pan, heat olive oil until very hot on medium high heat. 
10. Lightly salt and pepper the scallops and sear them in the hot pan for only about 2 minutes per side. 
11. Sear the scallops a few at a time and don’t crowd the pan.
12. Serve the scallops over the fettuccine and sauce. 
13. Garnish with chopped fennel fronds and bacon.
14. Enjoy!

Thank you for joining me tonight! I'll see y'all again at some point this week!

~Mandie