Dinner for Two

Slow down the pace of life, put the kids to bed early and celebrate Valentine’s Day with this special dinner for two, which we found in our favorite mom-tested cookbook, Beyond Macaroni and Cheese.

Mandarin Orange Salad
Ingredients:

• Almonds:
• ¼ c. sliced almonds
• 4 tsp. sugar
• Salad:
• ¼ bunch Romaine lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
• ¼ head lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
• 2 medium stalks celery, chopped (1 c.)
• 2 green onions with tops, thinly sliced
• 1 (11 oz.) can mandarin orange segments, drained
• Sweet and sour dressing:
• ¾ c. vegetable oil
• 1 ½ T. sugar
• 4 T. white vinegar
• ½ tsp. salt
• dash cayenne pepper
• dash pepper
• 1 T. snipped parsley

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan heat the almonds and sugar together on medium low heat until the sugar melts and caramelizes on almonds.
2. Toss remaining salad ingredients except mandarin oranges and place in large zip-closure bag.
3. Make sweet and sour dressing and refrigerate.
4. Just before serving, add sweet and sour dressing and mandarin oranges to bag contents and shake until everything is thoroughly coated. Serve in salad bowl. Makes six servings. (Put some aside for lunch tomorrow.)

Marinated Flank Steak
Ingredients:

• 1 ½-2 lbs. flank steak
• 1 c. red wine, or ¾ c. water and ¼ c. red wine vinegar
• ½ c. vegetable oil
• ½ c. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• ½ tsp. ginger
• ¼ tsp. black pepper

Directions:

1. Place meat in a large casserole dish. Mix remaining ingredients and pour on top.
2. Poke meat repeatedly with a fork to tenderize it and allow marinade to soak in. Turn the meat over and let each side get well soaked. Marinate for at least 1 hour.
3. Broil or grill for 7-8 minutes on each side, or to desired doneness. Slice flank steak on the diagonal. Makes four servings.

Donna’s Famous Cake
Ingredients:

• 1 dark chocolate cake mix
• 4 T. flour
• 1 c. milk
• 1 c. sugar
• ½ c. shortening
• ½ c. margarine or butter
• 2 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

1. Mix and bake cake as directed on box, using two round cake pans.
2. Freeze the cake (you don’t have to, but it will cut easier).
3. Using a long, sharp knife, cut each layer horizontally, for a total of 4 layers.
4. Heat flour and milk on medium heat, stirring frequently, until thick. Let cool.
5. Beat together sugar, shortening, margarine, and vanilla. Add flour mixture, beating until fluffy, approximately 5 minutes.
6. Layer cake and icing, ending with icing on top. Do not frost sides. Keep cool until served. Makes 16 to 20 servings. For Valentine’s Day, decorate top with red candy hearts.

Taken from Beyond Macaroni and Cheese by Mary Beth Lagerborg and Karen J. Parks, Zondervan Publishing.