For Valentine’s Day this year, I am making my B & B Chicken, Red Velvet Cupcakes, and some special Valentine’s Day cocktails.
Year’s ago, when we were on holiday, we went cross-country skiing with a group of friends. Unfortunately, I fell and broke my arm, but it was my day to cook, and I wouldn’t let a broken arm stop me from cooking. That day I created my B & B Chicken, which I now make every year. So join me as I prepare a Valentine’s Day favorite along with some simple desserts and beverages. I want to thank my fabulous sponsors whose products I used to make this wonderful Valentine’s Day meal, Cornhusker Kitchen’s Duck Fat Spray and Beehealthy Honey.
Red Velvet Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 Red Velvet Cake Mix
- 3 Eggs
- 1 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup avocado oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line 2 muffin pans with cupcake papers. Fill using a 1/4th cup scoop. Bake for 14-19 min. Frost with cool whip or a *honey cream cheese frosting.
Notes
*Honey Cream Cheese Frosting
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
¼ cup honey
½ tsp vanilla Be sure your butter and cream cheese is at room temperature before mixing (Do NOT use whipped cream cheese) Using a stand mixer with the wire beater (if you don't have a stand mixer, you can use a hand mixer, just make sure it is fluffy before adding honey), whip the butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Next add honey. Mix again until fluffy. Lastly, add pure vanilla extract and mix until incorporated.
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
¼ cup honey
½ tsp vanilla Be sure your butter and cream cheese is at room temperature before mixing (Do NOT use whipped cream cheese) Using a stand mixer with the wire beater (if you don't have a stand mixer, you can use a hand mixer, just make sure it is fluffy before adding honey), whip the butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Next add honey. Mix again until fluffy. Lastly, add pure vanilla extract and mix until incorporated.
Chef Kathryn’s B&B Chicken
Ingredients
Poach Chicken
- 3 chicken breasts
- 2 cups Chicken Broth
- 4 cups water
Sauce
- 1 cup B & B (Brandy and Benedictine)
- 1 1/2 cups sour cream
- 6 miniature peppers cleaned and cut into strips or diced
- 5.25 oz Diced Pimientos approx. 3/4th of a 7 oz jar
- 2 cans - Cream of Chicken Soup (10.75 oz cans)
- 2 cans Cream of Mushroom Soup (10.75 oz cans)
- 15 button mushrooms sliced or chopped
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 10 oz bag frozen sweet peas 15 oz can of sweet peas, drained.
- 1 Tbsp lemon pepper
- 16-20 oz Half and Half
- 6 Pepperidge Farms Pastry Puffs Shells baked as directed on package
Instructions
Poach Chicken
- Bring the Stock and water to a boil and reduce to simmer. Add chicken to liquid and cover for 15 min. Remove from liquid and cut into cubes or shred.
- Remove breasts and cool to room temp.
Puff Pastry
- Pre heat oven to 425° F and Bake pastry shells on a cookie sheet on the middle rack bake for 18 to 25 minutes until light brown.
Sauce
- Chop chicken breasts into bite size pieces.
- Slice or dice cleaned peppers and set aside
- In a medium low heat, melt butter in a large skillet and sauté the sliced mushrooms until lightly brown. Note: do not crowd the mushrooms or they will not brown.
- Next add the chicken, sour cream, cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, lemon pepper seasoning, miniature peppers, diced Pimiento and B&B. Blend all ingredients together then slowly add half & half to the mixture.
- Cook chicken mixture for about 35 to 40 minutes on low heat, stirring frequently.
- Serve on the pastry shells.
Chef Kathryn’s Strawberry Feta Salad
Ingredients
Dressing ingrediants
- ½ cup Canola or Avocado oil
- ½ cup Raspberry Vinegar
- ½ cup Brown Sugar
- 2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 2 Tbsp Bee healthy Honey
Salad ingredients
- 2 cups salad greens I used romaine torn into bite sized pieces
- 1 Pint strawberries quartered
- ½ cup silvered almonds
- salt and pepper
- Feta Cheese crumbled
Instructions
Salad Assembly
- Combine greens, strawberries, and Almonds
Dressing
- In a small bowl or jar combine oil, brown sugar, vinegar, honey, and Dijon mustard.
- Taste and adjust to your preference, add freshly ground black pepper. Combine dressing with salad and add crumbled Feta cheese on the top of Salad. Add salt as needed. Remember that Feta is naturally salty.
Valentine's Day Beverages
Ingredients
- Raspberry Fizz
- 4 Raspberries
- 2 Scoops Raspberry Sherbert about 1/4 cup
- Sparkling White Grape Juice
- Cranberry Gingerale
- Add 2 berries and one scoop of sherbert to each champagne glass. Top carefully with half grape juice and half gingerale.
- Valentine's Day Punch
- 2 cups Cranberry or Pomegranate Juice
- 2 cups Sparkling White Grape Juice
- 2 cups Gingerale
- 1 pint ice cream such as Cherry Cordial, Vanilla, etc.
- Strawberries and raspberries
Raspberry Fizz
Valentine's Day Punch
Instructions
Raspberry Fizz
- Add 2 berries and one scoop of sherbert to each champagne glass. Top carefully with half grape juice and half gingerale.
Valentine's Day Punch
- Mix juices and ginerale in a punch bowl. Add scoops of the ice cream. Stir mixture. Add berries to serving glasses and top with the punch.
