Valentine's Day is just a few short days away, which means it's time to start thinking about what you're going to make your sweetheart for dinner. Chef Andrew Schloss, author of more than 14 cookbooks, has been kind enough to share with us his top choices and recipes for a delicious romantic dinner.

Entrees

* Pan-Grilled Rosemary Lamb Chops
* Beef Burgundy
* Chicken Risotto with Basil and Parmesan
* Tuscan-Style Pasta with Cannellini *
* Broiled Salmon with Olive Tomato Vinaigrette

Appetizers, Sides and Salads

* Watercress-Citrus Salad with Grilled Figs *

* Bowtie Salad Primavera with Fresh Basil and Toasted Pine Nuts
* Vegetable Pilaf
* Escarole Salad with Roasted Tomatoes and Warm White Bean Vinaigrette
* Savory Potatoes
* Mixed Endive Salad with Vanilla-Pear Vinaigrette and Toasted Walnuts

Desserts

* Red Satin Cake with Peaches and Raspberries *
* Vanilla Ice Cream with Peaches and Gingered Cherry Sauce
* Raspberry-Peach Melba
* Pear And Ginger Crisp

Drinks

* Ginger-Pear Martini *
* Grapefruit-Lime Daiquiri
* Pomegranate Sherbet Shake (non-alcoholic) *

(see recipes below)

If you're looking for the perfect dessert or appetizer to make for your sweetie this Valentine's Day, consider this recipe for Coeur a La Creme with fresh raspberry compliments of the Black Sheep Inn of Western New York. One of the Inn's signature dishes, Coeur a La Creme is delicious and easy to make.

Ingredients-
Coeur a la creme:

4 ounces cream cheese, softened or mascarpone cheese
1/3 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Pinch salt

Topping:

1/3 cup frozen raspberries, thawed
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Special equipment: 2 (1/3 cup) ceramic coeur a la creme molds and cheesecloth
1/3 cup sour cream or whole milk cream on top yogurt
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, with a bit of the rind grated in
Pinch sea salt

Topping:
1/3 cup fresh or frozen raspberries, thawed (other berries are a delicious change if you prefer
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Special equipment: 2 (1/3 cup) ceramic Coeur a la creme molds and cheesecloth

Directions:

If you're amongst the many people who'd like to avoid heading out to a restaurant this year to celebrate Valentine's Day, and cooking just isn't your thing, we've got the perfect solution for you. Introducing Chef Eric Wells, a personal chef, caterer, and culinary instructor from the Cleveland area specializing in preparing intimate dinners for two.

So instead of eating out or struggling through preparing a meal of your own, Chef Wells can prepare for you a romantic, 4-course meal in the comfort of your own home. He provides everything for the perfect meal, complete with the freshest and most flavorful ingredients to designer china, a linen tablecloth and napkins, fresh flowers and candles. Chef Wells also uses his own restaurant quality cookware to ensure flawless food preparation, and even cleans the kitchen after the event.

Think service such as this will cost you a fortune? Not so. Chef Eric Wells' prices are pretty reasonable, costing just $175 to $200 per couple, depending on the menu you choose.

For more information, pricing, and menu options, visit Eric's website at www.SkyeLaraes.com.

Looking for some great ideas for food at your Super Bowl party? Look no further than here - we've got you covered. From snacks to desserts, and everything in between, here are some recipes to use to entertain your guests while watching tonight's big game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals.

Check out our selection of awesome Super Bowl recipes, including 7 Layer Mexican Dip, Chili Dog Chili, Spicy Crock Pot Barbeque Chicken Wings, Football & Helmet Shaped Jello Jigglers, Italian Sausage Sandwiches, and Football Cookies. Mmmm... I'm getting hungry just thinking about it!

7 Layer Mexican Dip

Ingredients:

* 3 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
* 1 16 oz. can vegetarian refried beans
* 1-1/2 cups prepared salsa
* 1 cup prepared guacamole
* 8 oz. low-fat or fat-free sour cream
* 1 Tbsp. mild chili powder
* 1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
* sliced black olives for garnish

Preparation:

1. Spread lettuce in an even layer in a deep-dish pie plate, gratin dish or serving bowl.

2. Spread refried beans over lettuce. (Hint: To make the beans easier to spread, transfer them to a microwave-safe container, and heat on high for 20 seconds.)

The Super Bowl is first and foremost about football, but it's also about the food and the commercials. If you're having guests over your place to watch the game, you'll want to make sure you're well stocked with an assortment of snacks and treats. The dessert area is often dominated by football-themed cakes and cookies in your favorite teams' colors, but we'd like to offer you a different option this year: the Super Bowl Sundae.

The Super Bowl Sundae is just what the name implies - a delicious, football themed ice cream sundae. Before you grab the ice cream and all the toppings, wait. To really make your sundae stand out, you'll want to head to the local party store, Kmart, or wherever you can find those cute little mini plastic football helmets. Look for ones slightly larger than your first, and definitely don't grab the ultra mini ones that are about perfectly sized to fit a Barbie doll's head. Once you've gotten the helmets, you're ready to get started. If you can't find any, don't worry. Your Super Bowl Sundae won't be as cool, but we can make do. You can substitute the helmets for plastic bowls in your team colors, which you can find in a rainbow of colors at any party store.

The Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl Sundae:-

What you need:

With the right line-up of alcoholic beverages you can turn any hum-drum New Year's Eve get-together into a great party. To start, forget the cheap beer. Save that for your late night run to the convenient store after everything else has disappeared, because at that point you and your guests probably won't notice just how bad it is. While your guests are still sober, you'll want to serve something a little more sophisticated.

Here are our choices for the top alcoholic beverages to have on hand for your New Year's Eve party, sorted by category:

Rum:

You can never have enough rum on hand; it mixes great with Coke and an assortment of other beverages. Our favorites are Mount Gay Rum and Oronoco Rum.

Mount Gay Rum:
It's James Bonds' newest drink of choice; he even ordered it over his trademark martini in Casino Royale. Of course that's not reason enough to snatch up a bottle of the world's oldest rum. Produced in Barbados, Mount Gay Rum is made with pure cane sugar, giving it a sweeter taste than most other rums. Mix it with Coca-Cola and some ice for the ultimate rum and coke.

Oronoco Rum:

Have you ever wondered what kind of delicious spreads royalty enjoyed at mealtime in years gone by? Thanks to the University of Manchester's John Rylands Library, you may soon get to sample some of the recipes of King Henry II, if you're willing to cook of course.

"Forme of Cury" was written in Middle English in 1390, and includes approximately 200 recipes that's King Henry's chefs used to prepare. Amongst ther ecipes are blank mang, a dish that consists of meat, milk, sugar and almonds; as well as mortrews, a dish of ground and spiced pork.

The 14th century book is one of 40 rare manuscripts that will bephotographed and placed online by the library using a special, high-definition camera. Work on digitizing the books will begin next month, and is expected to be completed by late 2009.

Other Middle English era manuscripts to be included are one of the earliest existing editions of the Complete "Canterbury Tales" by Chaucer, a 500-year-old translation of the Bible into English, and two of John Lydgates major poems "Troy Book" and "Fall of Princes."

"Feast of the Seven Fishes", an Italian cookbook/graphic novel, is kicking off an East Coast tour on December 9th in Erie, PA, with additional planned stops in Cleveland, Youngstown, Philadelphia, Boston, and New York. Started in 2004 as an online comic strip, the book follows the romantic and culinary adventures of an Italian-American family getting ready for and celebrating the traditional Christmas Eve seafood fest.

"Feast of the Seven Fishes" is written by Robert Tinnell, with artwork done by Ed Piskor and Alex Saviuk, and recipes by Shannon Tinnell. The book includes the entire run of the comic strip, some never-before-seen strips, and some yummy Italian recipes so you can create your own Feast.

"Feast of the Seven Fishes" is also currently in pre-production to be made into a feature length film, and is slated for a Thanksgiving 2008 release. Shooting will begin in January 2008 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

An Ohio State vs. Michigan game get-together is not complete without tasty buckeye treats to munch on. Check out the recipe below, and get busy - you have less than 24 hours til kick-off!

INGREDIENTS

* 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
* 1/2 cup butter, softened
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
* 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
* 2 tablespoons shortening

DIRECTIONS

1. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper; set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, mix peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and confectioners' sugar with hands to form a smooth stiff dough. Shape into balls using 2 teaspoons of dough for each ball. Place on prepared pan, and refrigerate.

Thanksgiving is infamously known as the holiday when we Americans gorge ourselves on food. From turkey to stuffing to pumpkin pie, this is the holiday of culinary excess. For those looking to eat a little healthier, either due to dietary restrictions or even the desire to just eat well, the Mayo Clinic has put together a comprehensive list of healthier Thanksgiving recipes.

The recipes that they've chosen still have all of the taste, but with less calories, fat, and sodium. And don't be scared off by the word "healthy" either; just check out the list and you'll see that many of the things on there don't sound very healthy even though, in fact, they are.

So without further ado, here's a list of healthy Thanksgiving recipes that you might also want to save for when Christmas comes around in December:

Thanksgiving recipes: Delicious options for healthy eating (Mayo Clinic)