Valentine’s Day Drink & Dinner Recipes For Your Very Special Day

Valentine’s Day is all about celebrating the people around you. The following recipes are the icing on the cake for making your day extra special.

PENNE PASTA WITH PINE NUTS

PENNE PASTA WITH PINE NUTS (Courtesy of IBERIA**)
4 servings

Ingredients
16 ounces of penne pasta
2 cloves of grated garlic
1 cup of Iberia Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 teaspoon of oregano
¼ cup of grated Romano or parmesan cheese
1 ounce of pine nuts sautéed in Iberia Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 teaspoon of salt to boil the pasta
1 tablespoon of Iberia Extra Virgin Olive Oil to boil the pasta
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Boil 2 liters of water with a teaspoon of salt and olive oil, then add the pasta and cook for 10 minutes. Drain and add grated garlic, oregano, cheese, pine nuts and salt/pepper to taste. Prior to serving, add the cup of Iberia Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Simple and delicious!

BISTROMD’S GRILLED CHICKEN WITH ROASTED GARLIC VELOUTE SAUCE

BISTROMD’S GRILLED CHICKEN WITH ROASTED GARLIC VELOUTE SAUCE
Ingredients (makes Recipe: Grilled Chicken with Roasted Garlic Veloute Sauce 4 servings):
For the chicken:
4 5oz chicken breast fillets
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. dried oregano

For the sauce:
1 ½ cups chicken broth
½ cup white wine
1 tbsp. chopped garlic
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. corn starch
1 tbsp. water
Pinch of white pepper
Preparation:
1. In a bowl, marinate the chicken with the spices and then set aside for 10 minutes.
2. Heat up your grill to a medium-high heat and place the chicken on the grill with the skin side down and mark for about 3 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 350’F and place the grilled chicken on a baking pan and bake for 20 minutes. Remove and set aside.
4. In a sauce pan, heat the oil over a medium heat and add the chopped garlic and sauté for 3 minutes until the garlic starts to turn light brown.
5. Add the wine, chicken stock and white pepper and then bring to a boil. Once it’s boiling, add the corn starch with the water and allow the sauce to thicken.
6. Cook for 1 more minute and remove from the stove and serve over chicken for a delicious and hearty meal.

Nature Valley® Expands Product Line with Breakfast Biscuits, Greek Yogurt Protein Bars and a New Variety of Protein Granola Suited for Those Seeking Energy

Nature Valley Logo. (PRNewsFoto/Nature Valley)

 Nature Valley® believes in providing people with the energy to do more of the things they love, and that a delicious source of energy can go a long way – whether enjoying a wholesome breakfast as part of a busy morning, or finding a few minutes for an afternoon pick-me-up. Today, the brand announces three great-tasting products to satisfy people with an active lifestyle: Nature Valley® Breakfast Biscuits, Nature Valley® Greek Yogurt Protein bars, and a new Cranberry Almond variety of Nature Valley® Protein Granola. These new products make it easier to enjoy the taste of Nature Valley on-the-go, while providing energy to help take on daily tasks.

New Nature Valley(R) Breakfast Biscuits are available in two delicious varieties, Blueberry and Honey. (PRNewsFoto/Nature Valley)

New Nature Valley Breakfast Biscuits are a great way to start the day and help make mornings easier and more delicious. Made with real blueberries and honey, Nature Valley Breakfast Biscuits provide the ideal combination of convenience, great taste and breakfast satisfaction, offering more than 26 grams of whole grain in each four-biscuit serving. Available in two delicious varieties – Blueberry and Honey – Nature Valley Breakfast Biscuits are now available for a suggested retail price (SRP) of $3.89 for a box with five servings.

Nature Valley Greek Yogurt Protein Bars are a delicious, protein snack option great for an active lifestyle, offering Nature Valley fans a good source of on-the-go protein. (PRNewsFoto/Nature Valley)

Nature Valley Greek Yogurt Protein Bars are a delicious, protein snack option great for an active lifestyle, offering Nature Valley fans a good source of on-the-go protein. Made with real fruit, crunchy peanuts and almond pieces, the bars offer 10 grams of protein per serving. Available in two fruit varieties – Mixed Berry and Strawberry – Nature Valley Greek Yogurt Protein Bars are available for an SRP of $4.19 for a five-bar box.

DIAGEO Launches Orphan Barrel Whiskey Distilling Company To Share Rare Spirits

First Releases to Include 20+ Year Old Barterhouse(TM) Whiskey and Old Blowhard(TM) Whiskey

From Tennessee to Kentucky to Ireland, stories of old whiskies forgotten in the back of rickhouses and warehouses drift among distillers the world over.  From lunch breaks to happy hours, their debates over which whiskey would taste best has become the stuff of legend.  To offer resolution and introduce a new line of rare spirits to a growing base of whiskey aficionados, DIAGEO today announced the official start of the Orphan Barrel Whiskey Distilling Company.

The goal of The Orphan Barrel Whiskey Distilling Company is to locate lost and forgotten barrels of whiskey from around the world and share them with discerning adult fans. The first two variants to be released from the company will include the 20-year-old Barterhouse Whiskey and the 26-year-aged Old Blowhard Whiskey. (PRNewsFoto/DIAGEO)

The Orphan Barrel Whiskey Distilling Company –inspired by creativity, delicious whiskey, good times and great stories–is an endeavor to locate lost and forgotten barrels of whiskey from around the world, rescue them and share them with discerning adult fans  .  The project is owned and run by DIAGEO and has its headquartered in Tullahoma, Tenn.

Currently, The Orphan Barrel Whiskey Distilling Company has released two variants – 20-year-old Barterhouse Whiskey and 26-year-aged Old Blowhard Whiskey.  Both brands are expected to begin appearing on select shelves throughout the U.S. in March 2014 under strict allocation due to limited supply. As new and interesting whiskies are discovered, they will be added to the family to provide adult consumers a great selection of rare whiskies.

Barterhouse Whiskey stocks were discovered in old warehouses at the Stitzel-Weller facility in Louisville, Ky.  Rumor has it warehouse workers have already begun lining up for the first taste of this beautiful whiskey with a soft nose reminiscent of warm spice, biscuit and buttercream.  The whiskey’s mellow taste includes notes of roasted grain, charred oak and a brown sugar finish.  Barterhouse Whiskey is bottled in Tullahoma, Tenn. and will be expected to sell for a suggested retail price of $75.

Old Blowhard Whiskey was also found at Stitzel-Weller and is hand bottled in Tullahoma.  At 26-years-old, the whiskey contains exuberant, rich flavors with undertones of smoke and honey followed by a gentle finish – dry and spicy with a hint of orange peel.  Carrying a suggested retail price of $150, Old Blowhard Whiskey is meant to be sipped slowly and best enjoyed among gregarious friends and unyielding debates.

“The whiskey warehouses and rickhouses these spirits come from are special places filled with the incredible smells of seasoned oak, rough textures of weathered wood and amazing tastes of precious liquid,” said Ewan Morgan, Master of Whiskey for DIAGEO.  “It’s every worker’s dream of finding that forgotten barrel of delicious whiskey and sharing it with their friends.  That’s exactly what we’re doing.”

Like the rickhouse and warehouse workers who uncover them and the consumers who drink them, Orphan Barrel Whiskies have distinctive personalities in taste and packaging.  Barterhouse Whiskey packaging nods to the inspiration behind the whiskey’s name.  A vintage khaki and brown label features a sly fox front and center after he’s made a smooth deal at the local trading post.  Because when there’s no money on the table, Barterhouse Whiskey turns give and take into an adventure in provocation and persuasion.

Based in a beautiful nautical blue, the Old Blowhard Whiskey label features a powerful whale exhaling through its blowhole before launching into another opinionated debate.  Powerful fonts rooted in swagger proclaim the spirit’s impressive age statement and status as a Kentucky Bourbon.

IDINA MENZEL TO PERFORM ON THE OSCARS®

Tony Award®-winning singer, songwriter and actress Idina Menzel will, for the first time, perform the Oscar®-nominated song “Let it Go” for a global television audience at the Oscars®, show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron announced today. The Oscars, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, will air on Sunday, March 2, live on ABC.

Tony Award®-winning singer, songwriter and actress Idina Menzel will, for the first time, perform the Oscar®-nominated song “Let it Go” for a global television audience at the Oscars®, show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron announced today. The Oscars, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, will air on Sunday, March 2, live on ABC.
credit: Robin Wong

“Let it Go,” written by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez for “Frozen,” is nominated for Original Song. The three other nominated songs are “Happy” from “Despicable Me 2,” “Ordinary Love” from “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” and “The Moon Song” from “Her.”

Menzel won a Tony Award for her performance as Elphaba in the original Broadway production of “Wicked.” She received a Tony nomination for her Broadway debut in “Rent” and earned a Drama Desk nomination for her performance in Manhattan Theater Club’s off-Broadway musical “The Wild Party.” In March Mezel will star in “If/Then,” a new Broadway musical about a woman moving back to New York City for a fresh start. In addition to “Frozen,” in which she voices the character of Elsa, Menzel’s film roles include “Enchanted,” “Ask the Dust” and “Rent.”

Nominees for the 86th Oscars® at the Nominees Luncheon in Beverly Hills Monday, February 10, 2014. 

Front row seated: Eric Reynolds, Eric Warren Singer, Oliver Tarney, Eric Saindon, Max Lang, Dana Brunetti, Craig Borten, Michael Semanick, Steven Price, Lauren MacMullen, Aldruitha Lee, Patrick Tubach, Erik Nash, Robert Lopez, Robbie Brenner, Tracey Seaward, Robin Matthews, Gloria Pasqua-Casny
Front row standing: Caitrin Rogers, Crispin Struthers, Malcolm Clarke, Greg Orloff, Joey McFarland, Gabrielle Tana, Zachary Heinzerling, Ben Grossmann, Guy Williams, Joel Harlow, Vincent Landay, Beau Borders, Gene Serdena, Richard Hymns, Paolo Sorrentino, Mark Sanger, David Shirk, Richard Suckle, Anthony Katadas, Chris Burdon, Gary Brozenich, Nicolas Reed, Bono
Second Row: Richard Rowley, Spike Jonze, Chris Sanders, Lydia Dean Pilcher, Michael Wilkinson, Albert Bergen, Hany Abu-Assad, K.K. Barrett, William Butler, Peter F. Kurland, Rosie Goodwin, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Burt Dalton, Ethan Hawke, Martin Pensa, Steve McQueen, Jeremy Scahill, Melisa Wallack, Martin Scorsese, Dorothy McKim, Anders Walter, Alexandre Desplat, Glenn Freemantle, Charles Roven, Jan Lachauer, Mike Prestwood Smith
Third Row: Andy Koyama, Chris Lawrence, Megan Ellison, Alexander Payne, Joe Letteri, Matthew McConaughey, Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Jonathan Gordon, Baldwin Li, Peter Del Vecho, Adam Stockhausen, Christopher Rouse, Alice Baker, Jared Leto, Mark Taylor, Selma Vilhunen, Jay Cassidy, Julie Delpy, Chris Renaud, June Squibb, Phedon Papamichael, Wylie Stateman, Bradley Cooper, Felix van Groeningen, Mark Gill, Jeffrey Karoff, Jeff Pope, David Brownlow, Joshua Oppenheimer, Chris Buck, Alexandre Espigares
Fourth Row: Tim Webber, Thomas Vinterberg, Terence Winter, Thomas Newman, Roger A. Deakins, Andy Nicholson, Neil Courbold, Kristine Belson, Peter Anderson, Ron Yerxa, Jehane Noujaim, Alan Baumgarten, Billy Ray, David Heyman, Kim Magnusson, Cate Blanchett, Esteban Crespo, John Ridley, Signe Byrge Sorensen, Jonah Hill, Stephen Prouty, Kirsikka Saari, Tim Alexander, Jennifer Lee, Joanne Woollard, Barkhad Abdi, Richard Linklater, Joe Walker, Edgar Barens, David Clayton
Fifth Row: Michael De Luca, Sandra Bullock, Edson Williams, Philippe Le Sourd, Amy Adams, Kirk DeMicco, Alfonso Cuaron, Daniel Sousa, Karen O, Leonardo DiCaprio, Karim Amer, John Mac McMurphy, Dan Sudick, Lupita Nyong’o, Chris Meledandri, Pharrell Williams, Judy Becker, Bob Nelson, Meryl Streep, David O. Russell, Rachel Winter, Christopher Boyes, Bruce Dern, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve Coogan, Steve Boeddeker, Dan Golden, Morgan Neville, Christian Bale, Jason Cohen
credit: Todd Wawrychuk / ©A.M.P.A.S.