It’s the week for love! Sunday is Valentine’s Day. I hope you all have someone special to spend it with. If not, find someone; call a friend, visit a church member in the nursing home. Do something to make it a special day.

If you are planning a romantic dinner, I’m here to help. Whether you are cooking for your wife/girlfriend or your husband/boyfriend, I have some easy, beautiful and tasty recipes for you to try.

I started with dessert! This lime chiffon pie is so easy that you will keep this recipe for other events. It’s luscious looking and tasting but is simple to make. Make it a day ahead so that it has plenty of time to chill.

The second recipe is a good starter to use instead of a salad. It’s fresh fruit but it’s served in a hulled out pineapple and topped with a fabulous Honey Vanilla Yogurt. If you don’t want to hollow out a pineapple, serve it in a margarita glass or some other unique serving dish.

The third recipe can be an appetizer or a side dish. It could even be the main course. It’s crab stuffed mushrooms and you can’t go wrong with this one. This is one of my all time favorite dishes.

The last recipe is pasta. I think pasta dishes are romantic. Don’t ask me why, I don’t have a clue. Maybe it’s an excuse because I love pasta so much! This dish uses spinach pasta, but don’t worry, it doesn’t taste like spinach. It’s just green and pretty. You can use regular pasta or tomato pasta. This is a great dish to make and take; just don’t mix everything up until you get where you’re going.

I hope you have a wonderful Valentine’s Day. If you try one of my recipes, drop me an email and let me know. My email address is kvfreeman@triad.rr.com. I would love to hear from you.



Lime Chiffon Pie



2/3-Cup Boiling Water

1 pkg. (4-serving size) Jello Lime Flavored Sugar Free, Low Calorie Gelatin

Ice cubes

1/2-Cup Cold Water

1-1/2 Tsp. Grated Lime Peel

2 Tbsp. Lime Juice

2 Cups Cool Whip Free, thawed

1 Ready-To-Use Reduced Fat Graham Cracker Crumb Crust (6 Oz.)



Stir boiling water into dry gelatin mix in large bowl for at least 2 minutes or until completely dissolved. Add enough ice to cold water to measure 1 cup. Add to gelatin; stir until ice is completely melted. Stir in lime peel and juice.

Add whipped topping; stir with wire whisk until well blended. Refrigerate 15 to 20 minutes or until mixture is very thick and will mound. Spoon into crust.

Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Store leftover pie in refrigerator.



Fresh Fruit Salad with Honey Vanilla Yogurt



2 Cups Plain Yogurt

2 Tbsp Honey

1/2 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

Seeds Scraped From 1/2 Vanilla Bean (Optional)

1/2 Orange, Juiced

1 Banana, Sliced

1/2 Pint Fresh Blueberries

1 Fresh Pineapple, cubed and removed from the pineapple

1 Pint Fresh Strawberries, hulled and cut in half

1 Bunch Seedless Green Grapes, halved

Chopped Pecans (for sprinkling)



Cut a fresh pineapple in half lengthwise. An electric carving knife works wonderfully to cut a fresh pineapple. Cube and scoop out the pineapple in chunks.

Combine the yogurt, honey, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean seeds in a bowl and set aside. Combine the orange juice and banana slices in a separate bowl. Add the berries, pineapple and grapes and gently mix the fruit mixture together.

Spoon the fruit into the hulled out pineapple and top with the yogurt. Sprinkle the pecans on top.

You can substitute any other fruits that you prefer.



Crab Stuffed Mushrooms



25 Fresh Mushrooms (Approximately)

1 Pkg Cream Cheese (8 oz)

1 Tbsp Milk

1 Can Crabmeat (6-1/2 oz)

2 Tbsp Onions, minced

1/2 Tsp Horseradish

Bread Crumbs

Worcestershire Sauce (1 dash)

Salt



Blend all ingredients except mushrooms. Clean mushrooms and remove stems, if present. Fill mushroom caps with mixture. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes in a shallow buttered dish until hot and bubbly.

If you want the spicy instead of the sweet, you can change the recipe to allow for that. Take away the cream cheese and milk and add these ingredients. This can also be either an appetizer or an entrée. Bake the same as above.



Grilled Chicken on Spinach Pasta with Red Sauce



4-6 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1-2 lb bag Spinach Pasta (from supermarket)

2 Large Cans Diced Tomatoes (preferably with Italian spices added)

2 Cloves Minced Garlic

1 Large Onion, diced

1 Large Can Mushroom, stems & pieces

Kosher salt or Sea salt

Olive Oil

Fresh Parmesan cheese (block is best, but canned it it’s all you have)



Mix all ingredients except chicken and pasta in a large saucepan. Turn on medium-high heat until it begins to bubble. May start at higher temperature if closely watched. Onion flavor will be sweeter and stronger if onion is slightly sautéed before being mixed in, but this step is not imperative. Turn heat down to med-low and cook for as long as you can. The longer the sauce cooks, the better. However, if in a hurry, it can be finished as soon as everything is heated through. The leftovers will be great the next day after sitting in the fridge overnight.

Bring 2-3 quarts water to boil in large (4 quart) pasta pot. Salt water liberally with kosher salt or sea salt. Pasta should always be cooked in very salty water. Cook pasta according to package directions.

Cut chicken breasts into strips. Spray a grill pan (so that chicken has grill marks) with cooking spray. Place over medium heat. Sprinkle chicken strips with spices (I suggest Adobo seasoning, use your preference). Cook until chicken is browned and cooked through. Do not overcook or chicken will become tough.

Drain pasta and toss lightly with Olive Oil. Place the spinach pasta on a large serving platter or in a large corning ware dish. Ladle Red Sauce over pasta. Place chicken strips on top of sauce. Garnish with grated, fresh Parmesan cheese. More cheese can be added when the plates are served.

If preparing this dish for a large group or to take away from home, the chicken and red sauce can be mixed into the pasta instead of layering.



Did you know?



Time Saving Tips



Freeze left-over coffee in cubes. When you want a cup of coffee, heat a few cubes in a cup in the microwave. Especially like to do this with flavored coffees.

Rub a cut white potato over your hands to rid your hands of onion odor.

I buy cheap plastic wrap and cover my counter while cooking with messy stuff. After you are done peal it off with the mess.

Instead of buying precooked bacon, buy 2 or 3 pounds of thick bacon and cook on a cookie sheet in the oven for 15 minutes and freeze it. It microwaves well and can be taken on camping trips for easy reheating and not all the bacon grease.

Using leftover wine is a snap if you freeze it into ice cubes – save calories and fat by sautéing in wine instead of butter or oil.

To bring butter or margarine to room temperature quickly, use a grater to shred it into your mixing bowl.



Karen’s Kitchen is a weekly column by Karen Freeman of Tarboro. Contact Karen at:

kvfreeman@triad.rr.com to exchange ideas, ask questions, submit recipes, tips or suggestions.

Check out her Web site: http://www.geocities.com/kvfreeman27886/