Ahhh, Valentine’s Day.  It is a great day to remind the one that you love exactly how much you love them by spending way too much money on overpriced flowers and a fancy dinner out in a crowded restaurant that is serving ‘eh’ tasting food because the kitchen is just so busy.  Of course, you’ll pay double the normal amount for the prix fixe menu because it is a privilege to get less choices and slower service.  How about doing something a little different this year and having the perfect Valentine’s Day dinner at home!  Yep…at home!
Ok, I will give you a minute for the novelty of having dinner on the most romantic night of the year at home wear off.  I know it sounds crazy…there is cooking involved and you even have to clean up the dishes on your own!  BUT, you get an amazingly delicious meal that you and your spouse can work together to make and then sit down to enjoy on your own timeline and without all the hustle and bustle of a busy restaurant.  Plus, no stress in trying to find a babysitter either!  Oh, and with all the money you save, maybe your husband can spring for a few extra flowers too 🙂

I decided this year that, with all we have going on around Valentine’s Day (Vegas, baby!) that we just wouldn’t be able to do the normal going out to eat routine even if we wanted to.  So, I picked up some ingredients at Walmart and got started on a little romantic meal for us.  I knew I wanted to make Tres Leche cake because I had seen this awesome kit that makes it so easy to make them.  Of course, I needed a Valentine’s Day spin on it though so I made them into mini hearts. {I’ll have recipes at the very end for you}
In just a few short steps, I had some amazingly delicious mini tres leche cakes that I made into little double decker cakes with whipped cream frosting in between.  I’d wait to frost them until the evening of your dinner but I had to taste test one before our dinner so I could make sure they were edible…heehee.
Once my cakes were all done, it was time to make the rest of our romantic meal.  We’re steak lovers so I knew the best way to go would be a steak.  But, I wanted a little something extra so I decided to add a mushroom Alfredo sauce too.  I had picked up some Buitoni Alfredo sauce from the store and it was the perfect starter for my mushroom sauce.
I added some roasted potato wedges and green beans and our meal was complete!
Me telling you all about our meal doesn’t do much good without recipes though so let’s talk about how to actually make this stuff!  I’ll start with the cake.

Mini Heart Shaped Tres Leche Cakes – What You’ll Need:
– 1 Nestle Tres Leche Cake Kit
– 3 eggs (room temperature)
– 1/4 cup canola oil
– 1 cup  milk
Icing (adapted from the Food Network)
– 4 cups heavy cream
– 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
– 1 cup powdered sugar
– 4 ounces mascarpone cheese
– 1 Tbsp milk

Let’s Make Some Cakes:
1)  Start by mixing the cake mix from the cake kit with the eggs and canola oil.  Bake according to the package directions.  {I used a mini baking sheet so mine only baked for about 10 minutes so keep this in mind}

2)  Let the cakes cool for about 10 minutes.   While the cake cools, mix the two milks provided in the baking kit with the 1 cup of milk.   Then, poke holes in the cakes with a wooden skewer.
Pour the milk mixture over the cake {1 Tbsp per cake if doing the mini hearts like mine} and refrigerate for 2 hours.

2)  To make your frosting, add heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla to a cold metal bowl.  Beat until stiff peaks begin to form.  Turn mixer to low and add in mascarpone cheese.  Add milk in 1 tsp amounts if needed to get the right consistency.

3)  Once cake refrigeration is complete, remove from fridge and let sit for about 30 minutes.  Then, frost with your frosting.

Of course, dessert is awesome but you’ll probably want a meal too.  So, let’s talk about how to make the steaks.

Steaks with Mushroom Alfredo Sauce – What You’ll Need:
– 2 beef tenderloin or other type steaks
– 1 tbsp high heat oil {I used grapeseed}
– salt and pepper
– 10 white or cremini mushrooms, sliced
– 1 Tbsp butter
– 1/2 cup Buitoni Alfredo sauce

Let’s Make It:
1)  Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in a large pan over medium heat.  Season steaks with salt and pepper and add to pan.  Cook for 5 minutes and then turn over to cook another 5 minutes.  Note:  If you steak is “stuck” to the pan when you try to turn it over, it needs to cook longer on that side.  Wait 1-2 minutes and try again.  Reduce heat to low and cook steaks until they reach desired level of doneness.  Remove from pan and let rest for 10 minutes.
2)  Add butter to the pan and, once melted, add sliced mushrooms.  Saute for 2-3 minutes or until mushrooms are softened. Remove from heat.

3)  In a small saucepan {or microwave if you choose}, heat the Alfredo sauce on low until hot; stirring frequently.  Stir in mushrooms.  Serve over steaks.

What are your favorite things to have for Valentine’s Day?  Would you rather have a romantic dinner at home than deal with all the craziness at a restaurant?