18 Real Food Recipes For Valentine's Day & Other Special Occasions

No matter how you feel about Valentine's Day, if you're a fan of good food and chocolate, it's a great excuse to treat yourself. That's how I feel, at least. I could care less about stuffed animals, jewelry, shoes, lingerie and flowers (stereotype much?), but a home cooked meal with quality ingredients and a nice beverage? Yes, please!

Last year I made seared cast-iron steaks sprinkled with Fleur de Sel, shrimp sauteed in garlic & butter and dark chocolate covered organic strawberries. This year I might make homemade pepperoni pizza and serve it with bourbon beer floats to switch things up.
If you're like me and still pondering what to make tomorrow, I've wrangled up some recipe ideas.
 
Even better, these recipes don't require hours of kitchen prep and use less processed ingredients (or ones you can easily swap out) so you can indulge without a bellyache afterward.

18 Simple, Yet Decadent Recipes For Special Occasions 

1. Vanilla Cupcakes with a Strawberry Surprise by Primally Inspired
2. How to Cook the Perfect Steak in a Cast-Iron Skillet 
3. Chocolate Pasta with Gorgonzola Cream Sauce by Foodie Crush
4. Chicken Piccata with Artichokes, Onion, Garlic & Capellini
5. Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Martini by Pineapple & Coconut
6. The Perfect Fudgy Brownie by Deliciously Organic
7. Flourless Mexican Chocolate Cake by Fancy Nonsense
8. The Drunken Porter: a Vanilla Bean & Bourbon Beer Float
9. Homemade Coconut Oil Chocolate Sauce, Syrup & Shell
10. How to Make a Heart Shaped Pepperoni by Cherished Bliss
11. Black Pepper Shrimp & Dipping Sauce by The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie
12. Homemade Caramel Toffee with Dark Chocolate, Almonds & Raw Honey
13. Creamy Pan-Fried Plantains with Cinnamon, Cardamom & Maple Syrup
14. Chocolate Cherry Granola by Peanut Butter & Peppers
15. Coconut Cream Pesto Sauce
16. No Bake Chocolate Haystack Cookies by Living Low Carb One Day at a Time
17. Primal Chocolate Coconut Amaze-Balls by Cheerfully Imperfect
18. Chocolate Pasta (Pasta di Cacao) by The Brooklyn Ragazza

And there you have it. I think all of these recipes look fantastic (mine included, ::toot toot::), but I have to stress that if you like seafood you MUST try the black pepper shrimp recipe. It is SO FRIGGING GOOD. Make sure you use shrimp with the shell still on. It makes a huge difference in the flavor.

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More Round-Ups from The Rising Spoon:

• 30+ Real Food Fall Drink Recipes
• Thanksgiving Round-Up: Real Food Appetizer & Drink Recipes
• 35 Healthy Dip Recipes For Any Occasion
• 20 Ideas For Using Up Leftover Cooked Chicken & 50+ Recipe Ideas

Question for Discussion: What is your favorite dish to make on special occasions? 

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