Lovin' in the oven

Last year on Valentine’s Day, my boyfriend and I decided that instead of eating out, we would make our own special dinner. We picked lasagna, a meal with servings big enough to feed a frat house.

The meal required a lot of time, especially cleaning up the tsunami of tomato sauce in my kitchen. It turned out well, but I regret spending so much time cooking when I could’ve enjoyed the holiday.

Lesson learned: Keep it simple.

As much as I loved the idea of making a big meal for the holiday, I prefer making my boyfriend meals on days that aren’t special occasions.

Cooking doesn’t have to be a once-a-year event. You can throw together a simple pasta dish (see sidebar) in less than an hour with minimal effort and cost. If you’re really lazy, you can buy a nice jar of pasta sauce instead of making your own.

This tip is especially for the boyfriends. I don’t remember the times my boyfriend has picked up the check, but I do remember every meal he has made for me.

Here’s the difference: When you cook, you’re using your own time to make the meal. And anything that takes time is almost always guaranteed to be more meaningful than something that requires money.

Even if you go out for Valentine’s Day, you can still make it a habit to cook for someone else. If you really hate cooking, make a dish together. Each person can bring a similar amount of ingredients, which makes it an activity for the two of you instead of a chore for one person.

Valentine’s Day is a day for being grateful for the love you have in your life, and when you love someone, I can’t think of a better way to show that than food. 

RECIPE OF THE WEEK:

Lemon pasta with grilled chicken:

Ingredients:
* Lemons (you can also use lemon juice)
* Pasta (penne works well)
* Chicken breasts
* Italian cheese
* Optional: whipping cream. I only say this is optional because most people don’t use whipping cream in everyday cooking, so I don’t want to recommend something you’ll only use for one meal. But this adds a creamier consistency for the lemon sauce.

Directions:
1. Defrost the chicken.
2. Start boiling the water for pasta. Add pasta once water has boiled.
3. Cut the chicken in one-inch strips.
4. Grill or saute the chicken.
5. Use a regular sauce pan and keep the heat to low. Add a tablespoon of whipping cream, half of a lemon (sliced thinly with the seeds and rind removed), and a sprinkling of whatever Italian cheese you’re using. You can also add minced garlic and Italian seasonings for more flavor.
6. Stir the liquid ingredients in the saucepan. Wait until everything is blended together smoothly.
7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
8. Drain the pasta after it’s cooked. Put the pasta in an oven-proof dish.
9. Place the grilled chicken on top of the pasta. Make sure it’s evenly distributed with the pasta.
10. Add the sauce to the chicken-pasta combination. Add more cheese on top.
11. Place in the oven; wait for the cheese to melt. Check on it after 10 minutes.
12. Remove from oven. Serve with a Caesar or garden salad.