How to Have a Special Valentine’s Meal with the Whole Family

If you’re like me, when your Valentine’s Day plans involve not only your spouse but also your four small kids, you improvise. You adjust. You balance romantic ideas with one simple question: How long will it take? Because kids aren’t keen on long, drawn-out meals, of course. These are my favorite ideas for a doable meal that’s still as special as ever.

Dinners to Delight

Salmon Baked in Foil
Follow the simple steps for Giada De Laurentiis’ salmon and you’ll have an elegant (and healthy) dinner on the table in a hurry.

Steak & Veggie Rollups with Balsamic Glaze
It looks fancy, but these steak rollups are simpler than you think. And, bonus: This dish includes a built-in veggie. Just serve with a big loaf of crusty bread and soft butter.

The Pioneer Woman’s Alfredo Sauce
Ree Drummond’s recipe may include only five ingredients, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be memorable. This will be one of the most-decadent dinners of the year.

Breakfast for Dinner
These heart-shaped whole-wheat pancakes sit on a bed of three-ingredient homemade strawberry sauce.

Zucchini Boats
This is another all-in-one dish that’s served best with a long baguette that everyone can tear off of as they like.

Ina Garten’s Linguine with Shrimp Scampi
It’s pasta with shrimp, and if your kids are anything like mine, these are two of their favorite foods. Plus, the flavors bold enough that you and your special someone will enjoy them too.

Pork Tenderloin with So Many Olives
If you like simple recipes that look like they took hours, this is the one for you. Our kids love plucking all those olives right off the plate.

Simplified Homemade Bolognese Sauce
I once read a description of this sauce as something you should make only for someone you really love. It’s that time consuming — and that good. This version is faster, however, but it’s still just as amazing. Perfect for a whole group of people you love.

3 Simple Desserts to Wow a Crowd

3-Ingredient Double Berry Cream Puffs
If you’re tight on time or energy, this is the super-simple dessert for you. Bake the puffs, whip the cream and pop a berry right on top. Done.

Heart of the Batter Cupcakes
With a fresh strawberry tucked away inside, these cupcakes are hard to top this Valentine’s Day.

Ina Garten’s Shortbread Hearts
It takes only five ingredients to make the Barefoot Contessa’s famous shortbread, a recipe even little hands can help with ahead of time.

Charity Curley Mathews is the mom of four small kids. She’s a contributor to InStyle, The Huffington Post, eHow Food and more. She blogs about food and parenting at Foodlets.com, where every recipe is full of fresh ingredients, simple to make and kid-tested x4.

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