Dazzle and Dine on Valentine's Day

• Romantic dinners should accommodate both you and your date's favorite tastes.
• The setting is as important as the food. Set the mood with romantic lighting, a white tablecloth, and a pretty table runner. Complete the mood by putting on some of your favorite slow songs.
• Valentine's Day is a perfect time to treat your sweet tooth, and there is no better way to finish a meal than with a decadent chocolate dessert.

Use those secrets and these recipes for a three-course romantic meal that is sure to please.

1. Arrange asparagus on serving plate. Top with tomatoes, cucumber and onion.
2. Combine vinegar, oil and parsley; spoon over salad.

1. Rinse chicken with cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Heat nonstick skillet over medium temperature about 1 minute; then spray with vegetable oil cooking spray. Add chicken and cook about 5 minutes, turning once.
3. Push chicken to side; add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and wine. Stir in mushrooms.
4. Arrange chicken in sauce and simmer 10 to 12 minutes or until chicken is done (170°F) and sauce is thickened. Serve chicken and sauce over linguine, if desired. Refrigerate leftovers.

Cook time: 35 minutes
Servings: 2

INGREDIENTS
2 (1 lb.) Cornish hens
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh thyme
4 garlic cloves, minced
12 kumquats, cut in half and squeezed
1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS 

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF.
2. Place hens in a baking dish.
3. Drizzle the olive oil over hens and season with salt and pepper.
4. Using your fingers, rub the butter, thyme and some of the garlic under the skin of the breasts.
5. Squeeze the kumquat juice over the hens.
6. Add orange juice and the rest of the garlic to the pan with the hens.
7. Place pan in the oven and cook for 35 minutes until done.
8. For each serving, cut the hens in half and then in quarters. Pour pan drippings over the hens and serve.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup salt
1/4 lb. haricots verts (small green beans)
1/4 lb. yellow wax beans
1 bulb fennel, including the tops for garnish
1/4 bunch tarragon
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS 

1. Pour a cup of salt in a large pot and fill pot with enough water to cover the beans and boil.
2. Prepare a large bowl with ice water. When the water is boiling, add the beans and let cook for three minutes.
3. Meanwhile, cut off the green top from the fennel bulb and cut the bulb lengthwise. Lay the halves flat and slice thinly before setting aside.
4. Remove the beans from the pot and immerse in ice water. Let stand.
5. Heat a large skillet on medium high heat and melt the butter.
6. Add the olive oil, then the fennel and sauté until mostly tender.
7. Drain the beans and add them to the pan and sauté to warm them through.
8. Add the tarragon and season with the salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

1. Stir together cream cheese and chocolate syrup in medium mixing bowl. Drizzle dessert plates with additional chocolate syrup, if desired.
2. Arrange pears on plates. Spoon cheese mixture into pear centers.

Sprinkle with chocolate pieces. Garnish with mint leaves, if desired.