This Valentine’s Day, why not create a whole meal for those you love? Our 2023 Creative Arts blue ribbon-winning home chefs have a few tasty ideas for inspiration. Start with a Corn Chowder Salad, move on to a Honey Beef Stir Fry, and complete the meal with some Valentine Cookie Sandwiches created by 8-year-old Ashley Teslow from Dallas, Texas. Check out these recipes and more below. Feel inspired? Why not compete in the Creative Arts cooking contest this year! Click here for more details.
CORN CHOWDER SALAD
Sara Smith
Arlington, TX
2nd Place–Farm to Fork
Ingredients:
4 slices thick bacon, cut crosswise into ½ pieces
3 T. bacon grease
1 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled & diced
2 red bell peppers, diced
8 ears of corn, kernels removed
½ lg. red onion, thinly sliced ¼ c. cider vinegar
½ tsp. crushed red pepper ½ c. fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
Salt & pepper
In large skillet, cook bacon over moderately low heat, stirring a few times until crisp. Remove bacon with slotted spoon and transfer to drain on paper towels. Pour off all but 3 tablespoons of the bacon grease. Add potatoes and cook over moderate heat until they start to brown and almost tender. Add diced red peppers and cook until peppers and potatoes are tender. Add corn kernels and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes until corn is tender crisp. Transfer all vegetables to large bowl. Stir in onion, cider vinegar, crushed red pepper, cilantro and bacon. Season with salt and pepper. Chill.
GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE CUPS
Diana Poulin
Pinehurst, TX
1st Place–Farm to Fork
Ingredients:
Non-stick cooking spray, for greasing
1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more for boiling
½ lb. green beans, trimmed & halved crosswise
1 T. unsalted butter
4 oz. button mushrooms, sliced ½ tsp. ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. all-purpose flour, + more for dusting
1/3 c. vegetable broth
½ c. heavy cream
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese 1 tube store bought crescent roll dough
¾ c. French-fried onions
Preheat oven to 400° . Grease a 12-muffin tin with nonstick spray. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl and set nearby. Add green beans to boiling water and cook 4 minutes, until bright green and slightly tender. Drain green beans, then transfer to ice bath. Let cool, then drain and set aside. Melt butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Add garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes, until fragrant. Add flour and stir until mushrooms are coated and flour begins to toast, about 2 minutes. Add vegetable broth and heavy cream and stir until fully combined. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer 1 O minutes or until thickened. Add blanched green beans and cheddar cheese and stir to combine. Remove pan from heat and let green bean mixture cool slightly. On a lightly floured surface, unroll crescent roll dough and pinch seams together with your fingers. Roll out with a rolling pin into an even layer. Cut into 12 equal squares. Add each square of dough to a cup of prepared muffin tin. Fill each crescent cup with 2 tablespoons of green bean mixture and top with French-fried onions. Bake 20 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool slightly, then release cups from muffin tin.
HONEY BEEF STIR-FRY
Lynda Sanders
Trophy Club, TX
3rd Place–Cowboy Cooking Contest
Ingredients:
¼ c. low sodium soy sauce
1 T. honey
1 T. Sriracha
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. sesame oil
1 T. hot sesame oll
1 ½ lbs. thinly sliced rib-eye
1 yellow onion, cut Into small pieces
1 c. celery, cut on bias
1 o oz. snow peas, ends trimmed 6 oz. mushrooms
Cooked rice, for serving Sesame seeds, for garnish (opt.) Fresh cilantro, chopped (opt.)
Place soy sauce, honey, sriracha and garlic In a Mason jar. Secure lid and shake until everything is combined. Set aside. Heat sesame oil In a large skillet over a medium-high heat. When oil is hot add ribeye and cook 2 minutes, then remove and set aside. Add onions and celery; cook until vegetables have softened but still have a-bite, 4-5 minutes. Then add snow peas and mushrooms and toss with other ingredients. Return rib-eye to skillet and pour over sauce. Stir everything together and cook until sauce has thickened, 1-2 minutes. Add a little water if needed to make it more saucy. Serve stir-fry over cooked rice. Garnish with some sesame seeds and fresh cilantro, if desired.
VALENTINE COOKIE SANDWICHES
Ashley Teslow
Dallas, TX
2nd Place–Youth Cooking, Children, Age 8
Cookie Ingredients:
1 c. softened unsalted butter 1 ½ c. powdered sugar
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2½ c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cream of tartar
Preheat oven to 350° and line baking sheet with parchment paper. Cream together butter and powdered sugar at medium speed using a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Beat In eggs and vanilla. Mix flour, baking soda and cream of tartar lh separate bowl. Mix In flour mixture about 3/4 cup at a time. Separate dough into thirds. Roll out each portion of dough to approximately ¼ inch and chill at least 30 minutes. Remove chilled dough portion from refrigerator, cut circles of desired cookie size from dough and place onto baking sheet. Bake 8 minutes. Remove from sheets and cool on cooling racks. Combine remaining dough, reroll and refrigerate. Repeat rolling, cutting and refrigeration steps until all dough has been used. Make an equal number of circular cookies and circular cookies with cut outs of desired shape (hearts).
Icing Ingredients:
1 c. powdered sugar
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 T. water
2 drops food coloring
Stir together sugar, vanilla, water and food coloring. Spread icing on a circular cookie, press cookie with shape cutout on top of icing to form, a sandwich. Add sprinkles to visible icing in cutout if desired.
HONEY WHOLE-WHEAT BREAD
Kimberly Ritchie
Wylie, TX
3rd Place- Bread Contest
Ingredients:
3 c. whole-wheat flour
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 T. yeast
1 ¼ c. water
3 T. butter
2 T. honey
Combine whole-wheat flour, salt and yeast. Add water. Butter and honey. When dough becomes too stiff to stir, continue mixing by hand until all ingredients are well combined. Knead 10 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes. Shape into loaf and place in greased pan. Let rise until doubled. Bake at 350 40-50 minutes. Remove from pan immediately