Nigiri Carrot Sushi Recipe

For my vegetarian visitors, this sushi's for you! Most sushi eaters are associated with raw fish consumption, well, sushi is actually defined as anything that is combined with steamed, vinegar (and sugar) flavored, rice.

This is the first of my Sushi Recipe Series. Last week was just a warm-up with my Sushi Rice video. You'll need the recipe to make Carrot Sushi, so click here for a refresher.

I don't have to point out that carrots are low-cost; I get whole packages of carrots dirt-cheap. And if you are a sushi novice, this is the cheapest way to learn how to make your own.

All you need really, is to steam a couple of carrots and white rice. It's best to get the hang of working with sticky sushi rice using a cheap topping like a carrot. Once you get better at making Carrot Sushi, then you are ready to move on to more expensive seafood.

Even when you have some confidence in making your own sushi, it may still be a little rough-looking, but you will get better with practice. It's best to get all your fumbling out of the way by working with cheap ingredients. It took me a few tries, but now I'm ready to duel chopsticks with anyone!

My bright and savory Nigiri Carrot Sushi will not be replicated in your typical sushi restaurant. And their loss is your gain! My sushi twist is a welcome and nice veggie addition to typical pescatarian sushi fare.

I simply peeled a large whole carrot. I steamed the whole carrot in white wine. I split the cooked carrot in half. And I sliced each half into sushi-sized chunks (about 1 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch pieces.)

All that's left is the assembly of Sushi Rice (click here for my rice recipe.) I tied my Nigiri Carrot Sushi together with a sliver of green onion. You can sprinkle on some sliced scallion (green onion;) or just eat it plain, with a dip into a small bowl of soy sauce.

Most sushi has a swipe of hot grated wasabi, between the fish and rice, which you can do to the cooked carrot as well. (Grated horseradish can be substituted for hard-to-find wasabi.)

You are not limited to just Carrot Sushi. Try lightly steaming florets of cauliflower and broccoli in white wine or a favorite stock, then slicing them in half for a flat surface, to fit on ovals of formed sushi rice.

It may seem bizarre to make veggie sushi, but there's nothing weird about the delectable taste of my Nigiri Carrot Sushi. And be sure to come back next week for my video recipe of  Nigiri Tuna Sushi.

Ingredients (6-10 servings)

• 2 whole carrots - a thicker carrot is better for making sushi pieces.
• 1/4 cup of white wine - for steaming and tenderizing carrots. Okay to substitute with a favorite stock, like vegetable stock, or just plain water.
• 2 cups cooked sushi rice - for my recipe click here.
• 1 green onion - optional for topping. Slice the green stem lengthwise, and chop the white ends, discard root and any discolored stem parts.
• Small bowl of water - to keep hands moist when handling cooked, sticky sushi rice.

Directions
Start with making Sushi Rice, my recipe is here.

To prepare carrots, first peel them and chop off ends. Depending on the size of you pan or pot, cut carrots to fit.

Add 1/4 cup of white wine to the pan or pot. Turn on heat to medium and add carrots. When wine starts to simmer, cover the pan or pot and low-steam carrot(s) for about 3-5 minutes, to desired tenderness. Add wine (or broth) as needed during steaming.

You can check tenderness with a knife: insert it to see how easily it pierces the carrot into the center, an easy puncture means the carrot is very tender, while some resistance means a more crunchy carrot. It's up to you how you like it.

Chop and slice green onion (optional ingredient.) Chop off and discard the root and any yellowing stem. I like to thinly slice and chop the white part of the green onion. For the long green stem, I sliced the green parts lengthwise to make a "string" for tying the carrot to the rice. This last stem "string" part is optional -- while it's easy enough to simply sprinkle on chopped green onion pieces.

Once the carrot is done to your liking, and it's cool enough to handle, time to assemble.

Take room-temperature Sushi Rice and form it into ovals. You need to dampen your hands and fingers to handle sticky rice. Take a ping-pong-sized amount of rice and squeeze it into your palm and fingers. Try to form it into an oval. Give rice medium pressure, and use other fingers to form rice into an oval - about 1 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches. Doesn't have to be perfect, you are going to slice carrot to fit the rice.

I learned to roll Sushi Rice by practicing with a couple cups of cooked rice. I just kept rolling sushi ovals in my hand until I felt comfortable. The main thing is to squeeze the rice together enough, so it doesn't break apart when eating the sushi piece.

Everyone understands that perfect-appearing sushi takes a lot of experience, but I found just a little practice is good enough for homemade sushi. And you will get better the more you do it.

Make a few rice ovals at a time. Slice the cooked carrot to the length of your rolled sushi rice pieces, then slice the carrot lengthwise down the middle -- so you get a piece of carrot that is about the same size as rice oval, (now the carrot has a flat side that fits on the rice.)

Place the flat side of the carrot slice on the rice oval. Optional to tie down the carrot with a green onion stem "string," just sprinkle on some chopped green onion, or leave it plain.

Eat Nigiri Carrot Sushi like you would regular sushi. Just dip the carrot side of sushi into a small bowl of soy sauce and chow down. (Leave off chopped green onion of course - or sprinkle on a few pieces after dipping.)

Hindsight
Other veggies that work well as Nigiri Veggie Sushi include: broccoli and cauliflower (slice florets in half, lengthwise, to get a flat surface that rests on a formed sushi rice oval,) zucchini, squares or ovals of squash, baby corn, and cucumber. Almost any veggie that you can trim, to fit formed sushi rice. And it's up to you if you want to steam veggies in white wine and broth, or not.

Sushi Rice - Sushi Video Series

I'll probably be banned from Japan if this blogpost reaches their radiation-splashed shores. For the first stop motion video of my Cheap$kate Sushi Recipe Series I prepare Sushi Rice made with regular inexpensive rice - not official short-grain "sushi rice."

And upcoming outre entrees include: wine steamed Carrot Sushi;  Portabella Mushroom Nigiri Sushi topped with chopped scallions; plus a fake-crab California Roll. I think that's enough right there to cause any master sushi chef who watches my videos to commit hara-kiri.

But I do use real locally caught fresh tuna for my upcoming video recipes of Tuna Nigiri Sushi and Spicy Tuna Handroll.

And the only reason I can justify these expensive fresh fish recipes is because of the generosity of my deep sea fishing neighbor, Don. As you saw on the video post from a couple weeks ago (click here,) once or twice a year he goes out on a group fishing expedition and brings back a couple ice coolers filled with freshly caught yellowtail and bluefin tuna steaks. He likes to eat it fresh and can't store all of it....so, a few choice neighbors (me included) get a few pounds of the most delicious fresh sushi grade fish filets -- for free!

Well, I manage once again to make you a slew of recipes for little or no money. Now I realize some of you are landlocked, and everyone is not well-connected for fresh fish. So I include a couple of cheap$kate sushi recipes anyone can afford, using inexpensive fake crab for a California Roll, a Spicy Krab Roll, and some nigiri-style Veggie Sushi using inexpensive veggies like carrots and sometimes-on-sale portabella mushrooms.  So make sure to check back because I have a fish tank full of delicious cheap$kate sushi recipes for you.

For sushi, you must start with Sushi Rice. Here's my rap on using cheap rice. For rice, it just needs to be seasoned right and sticky. I guess sushi masters can tell the difference between regular long-grain rice and short-grained sushi rice. 

It's said that American long-grain rice doesn't get sticky like short-grain Japanese rice -- that's BS because I've done it many times, and look how it sticks to my hand! And the grains do not turn to mush, as so many experts opine.

Cooked rice is just the platform -- it's what's put on the rice that's paramount. (For another outrageous rice preparation, Italian-style, just click here to see my Mushroom Risotto recipe using cheaper long-grain rice; not more expensive traditional short-grained Arborio rice.) And at the end of this post, under Hindsight, I give you a brown rice recipe as well.)

Any rice you find on sale will work for my cheap$kate recipe. I get mine for 69 cents to 99.99 cents per pound at Latin markets and my local 99c only Store.

Sushi Rice is first rinsed 3 to 4 times. For steaming, the water-to-rice ratio is 1:1, that is, 1 cup of rice is cooked in one cup of water. Sushi Rice is slightly sweet and tart with the addition of rice vinegar and sugar. If you don't have rice vinegar, use apple cider vinegar -- it's milder than white vinegar. A little salt is also added.

For Sushi Rice it's all about the timing, just low steam for 15 minutes; keep covered for 15 minutes more with the heat turned off. Remove rice, but make sure not to loosen any dried-out rice that's stuck to the bottom of the pot; this will later cause your formed rice ovals to crumble apart. Finally mix in vinegar, sugar and salt; let rest a few minutes more, then get to making some sushi.

You will use my Sushi Rice for traditional Nigiri Tuna Sushi, which is just a ping pong ball-sized oval of rice that you top with a slice of raw tuna. For my next video, you will get easy-to-follow steps using dried seaweed to make a Spicy Tuna Hand Roll, probably the simplest sushi recipe for beginners to make. And coming later is a recipe for a cheap$kate Krab California Roll with creamy avocado and crunchy cucumber. 

So check out my first cheap$kate sushi recipe video, and get the ball rolling with making your own Sushi Rice. (And click on any sushi name to go to the blog post recipe.)

Sushi Rice - VIDEO 

Play it here, video runs 3 minutes, 48 seconds.

To view Sushi Rice Video on YouTube, click here.

Ingredients (enough rice for about 4-6 rolls and a dozen nigiri pieces)

• 1 cup rice
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar - or apple cider vinegar.
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Water to rinse rice -- about 6 cups.

Directions

Put 1 cup of rice in a bowl that will hold at least 2 cups of water. Fill the bowl and stir the rice until the water is cloudy. Dump water (not rice) and refill. Repeat 3 or 4 times until the water is almost clear.

Add rice to a pot with a cover and add 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and cover the pot. Simmer water with rice for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, give the rice a quick stir (to release any stuck to the pot bottom,) and let sit for 15 more minutes. covered.

After the rice has set for 15 minutes add it to a glass or ceramic bowl. Make sure not to add any dried-out rice that is stuck to the bottom of the pot. This will be a problem later - when you form the rice ovals, they may break apart.

Most sushi recipes call for dissolving some sugar and salt in a heating liquid of rice vinegar. You can do that on the stovetop or in a microwave oven. I've found there is no taste difference if you just sprinkle in salt and sugar and drizzle rice vinegar over the cooked rice. Stir rice gently to coat it all. (Turn rice slowly to keep grains intact.)

Cover and let it rest for another 15 minutes. Sushi Rice is used at room temperature -- not hot or cold. Keep rice covered with a cloth (or lid) so it doesn't dry out, until ready to use.

Hindsight

For Nigiri sushi (sushi and rice,) best to use freshly made sushi rice, it's more sticky and holds together best. 

Sushi rice recipes say to not refrigerate the cooked rice. Reheated rice is fine for making sushi rolls and hand rolls because rice is wrapped in dried seaweed. I've done it lately and found the rice is about the same even when stored in the refrigerator for a few days. Just let it come to room temperature before using it again. I sometimes microwave the cooked rice for about 15-20 seconds to get it to room temperature quicker (drizzle in 1/2 teaspoon water.)

For cooking the rice, a rice cooker is best, but since I don't own one, I resort to regular stove-top cooking. It works fine.

For brown rice follow my Sushi Rice directions, except add another 5 minutes to cooking time, and another 10 minutes of setting covered, when done. Brown rice is more chewy, but I like the extra nutty flavor. Plus it's more nutritious..

Oscar Party Entree Winners are...

And the Best Oscar Entree goes to...YOU! Come and accept your award winning chow and pass it around to your Oscar party guests.

Start with a dish straight from the American heartland, Nebraska Roasted Cream Corn. In the movie Bruce Dern plays a crotchety old coot on a journey to collect his (imaginary) sweepstakes winnings. And this dish from the Cheap$kate Critic is perfect to serve retirees in an old folks' home. Chowing down on the tender kernels of smokey corn (slow-cooked in half and half) the seniors can leave out the dentures, turn up their hearing aids, and enjoy the Oscar telecast.

For my Nebraska Roasted Cream Corn recipe click here, and the trailer is here.

Belly up to the BBQ grill and get some vittles.You'll get raucous whoopin' and hollerin' when you bring out a platter of my  Dallas Buyers Club BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders. The heck with movie star dieting -- as you watch these anorexics amble to the stage to accept an award, you can kick back with a brewski and indulge in meaty smoked pork sliders, with a side of coleslaw. Just click here to get a gander at all the recipe details.



My video recipe above uses hamburger buns, but get more of a spread with smaller dinner rolls to make BBQ Pork Sliders. The Dallas Buyers Club trailer is here.

My East Coast-style American Hustle Clam Dip will have your guests doing the Bump in no time. While the movie is just warmed-over and microwaved Scorsese-lite, it's still a good-time confection. Made with drained canned clams and sour cream, this pungent white dip is as classic as a disco leisure suit. Use low fat sour cream, so you can bust a move while tripping the light fantastic on the dance floor. It's time to adjust your comb over and get to mixing up my tasty appetizer by clicking here.

To see what I'm rapping about, click here and watch the American Hustle trailer.

One bite of my Gravity Lighter Than Air Meatballs and your party  will float on cloud nine with pleasure.

I make my meatballs with ground turkey or chicken, and toss in some cooked spinach and toasted bread crumbs, along with an egg. This cuts down on the fat, so you can fit into any cramped quarters. And I guarantee no leftover debris on the plate. Click here for the recipe, while the movie trailer is here.

In the Best Actress nominated Philomena, Judi Dench gives up her conceived-out-of-wedlocked child. Well, just place a large luscious plate of Philomena Irish Shephards Pie and I guarantee orphans from everywhere will beat a path to your Oscar dinner table. An if your a man of the cloth, then you'll hold your head up again if you spoon out extra large servings. And the recipe is just a click away here.

To see the Philomena trailer just click here.

Hey, wealth-extracting Wall Street fat cats, come and get it. If you're like the predatory slime depicted in the Wolf of Wall Street, I have a way you can redeem yourselves at your Oscar Party. Put on the Ritz and serve up some Wolf of Wall Street Portabella Crab Rockefeller. The recipe is so easy even a hedge fund manger can make it! 

I created this recipe using a Tiffany tinned bauble of canned crab, but if your stock just spit then get expensive fresh crab from your fave seafood market. For the rest of us in the cheap seats, fake krab is a tasty budget-wise substitution. I often find expensive portabella mushrooms at my local 99c only Store. The other ingredients of cream, spinach and cheese are cheap enough. So click here to get the recipe and serve up my Wolf of Wall Street Portabella Crab Rockefeller and watch as your guest swing from the chandelier with delight after a few flutes of champagne and this rich tasting entree. The Wolf of Wall Street trailer is here.

Throw off the chains of haute cuisine and dish up my Southern comfort entree, 12 Years a Slave Black-eyed Peas.

This pot of goodness will have your Oscar party guest scraping the plate for every tender legume. And, man is this entree cheap. From the sweat of your brow, you'll get enough food to feed your captive Oscar audience. My recipe is here, and the 12 Years a Slave trailer is here.

Hmmm...don't quite know how Her made it into the Oscar category amongst such heavy hitters. With a limp biscuit of a character that even Jaoquin Phoenix can't leaven, this fattened souffle of a flick left me starved for entertainment. 

But my Her LA Street Hot Dog is a perfect contrast to the bland flavors delivered by that milktoast movie. A LA Street Dog is wrapped in bacon and topped with grilled onion and bell pepper - it's one delish hot mess your guest will fall-head-over-heals for. Just check out my recipe video below, and click here to see the Her trailer.



So try out any of my Oscar-themed recipes. You're sure to get a standing O, and have your acceptance speech ready because the golden statuette for Best Entree at an Oscar Party will be yours.

And as a special bonus here is my Oscar Special video from a few years ago -- just check out the Cheap$kate Thespian hamming it up.

Free Fish - - Sushi Video Series

Some people have all the luck. Well I don't, but sometimes a small portion comes my way, doled-out in the form of vacuum-sealed packages of raw tuna...for free!

I know it may sound too good to be true, but my neighbor Don joins a group for deep sea fishing every year, off the coast of Baja, Mexico, for bluefin (maguro) and yellowtail (hamachi) tuna. After a successful fishing trip, he'll knock on my door and say: "Come on over with an empty bag, we had a good catch this time." And he hands out 4 or 5 of the most beautiful vacuumed packages of freshly caught tuna -- for free!

 

 Just check out the video below to see what I mean.

 Free Fish from Don - VIDEO

Play it here, video runs 1 minute, 22 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Fish is the most expensive protein (click here to see some sushi-grade fish from a downtown Los Angeles seafood market.) And now you know why I can do this Sushi Video Series on the cheap. Of course, I know many of you cannot get free freshly caught fish, so I have some sushi recipes using less expensive ingredients -- that anyone can afford.

For example, the popular California Roll is made with crab, cucumber, avocado, rice, and wrapped in dried seaweed. The two expensive ingredients are crab and seaweed. Well, for my recipe I use fake crab, or krab. I like Krab and have used it in other recipes (click here to see my delicious Ceviche recipe.) I often find small half-pound frozen packages of krab for around a dollar. And from one package of krab, you can easily make half a dozen California Sushi Rolls!

And dried seaweed is about $2 per package in Little Tokyo (downtown Los Angeles.) If you have an oriental market in your city, then it can be had for a bargain price - another reason to frequent your local ethnic grocery stores. Even at $2 for 10 sheets, that's still only 20 cents per sheet. And I can find 30 sheets of seaweed for $2.49, so that's less than 10 cents per sheet!

I also like vegetarian sushi, and you know how cheap veggies are. I came up with a tender and flavorful Nigiri Carrot Sushi recipe, made by steaming thick carrot slices in white wine. I also made sushi with earthy mushroom slices. It's a delicious and colorful way to make affordable sushi.

So if you have any favors to cash in from a fisherman friend, (or if fresh fish comes on sale at your local grocery store) keep checking out my Cheap$kate Sushi Video Series and see the recipes I've come up with, that everyone can afford to do. And remember, it pays to befriend your neighbors!

Valentine's Day Recipes - Videos & Photo Story

Please sit down and have a glass of wine, and how about a tootsie massage? Kindly allow this Amorous Culinarian to hold your hand and guide you through a luscious menu of Valentine's Day Recipes.

Well, you are in the right place for a romantic read. If the following recipes look enticing to you then click on any name, and you will be directed to my food blog recipe pages filled with tempting, tender prose, and pulse-quickening GIFs, photos, and video.

Let's set the mood with the most decadently sexy of confections, a Chocolate Covered Cherry. Here, I'll feed it to you, Mon'Amie....

Click on any photo or gif to see larger.

First up is a video of the Amorous Epicurean on the prowl for budget aphrodisiac ingredients to create a perfect romantic dinner date. Allow me to adjust your seat cushion -- there, lean back, and watch the show.

Shopping for a Romantic Recipe - VIDEO

You will want to start your romantic evening meal with an appetizer - a plump and pleasing Steamed Artichoke is the perfect dish to share with each other. Just swipe a steamed artichoke leaf into my creamy Ginger Mayo Dip and feed the tender petal end to your amour. Your appetite will surely build as you get to the delicately delicious artichoke heart. My Steamed Artichoke appetizer is just a tease.

Cooking & Eating an Artichoke - VIDEO

A lovely Pear and Spinach Salad with Creamy Herb Dressing looks good on the plate and will impress your true love with its lightness and fresh flavors.
And it's the perfect prelude to the main course.

I think Italian food is the sexiest of cuisines. Tender swirling ropes of pasta sliding through a rich creamy sauce will soften any hardened heart. Click on any recipe name below to see my luscious photos and read my tender prose.

There's nothing like a creamy, warm egg yolk stoking the fires of desire, and the Flirty Chef's  Spaghetti alla Carbonara is the perfect mood-setter. With the first bite, your date will swoon with pleasure. Sprinkling crumbled bacon over the pasta is gilding the lily, but sometimes you need to go all the way!

In my Spaghetti alla Carbonara Video below, I took a couple of cheap shortcuts. I used bacon bits, but you could substitute real bacon or kick it up a notch with sauteed pancetta. Also, freshly shaved Parmesan cheese will be more pleasing than the dried brand I used.

And finally, I added a blended raw egg -- for a more romantic presentation, just gently place the egg yolk on a mound of steaming pasta.

Oh, is it time for another sweet confection? Of course, I have more, the apple of my eye...

Would you like another glass of wine before you watch my Spaghetti alla Carbonara recipe video below? Oh, don't worry about driving - I'll call Uber for you.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara Recipe - VIDEO

There, wasn't that edifying? Staying on the creamy theme, I can also recommend my Fettuccine Alfredo.

It's pasta with butter and cream -- simple and direct. You could mix in some fresh steamed veggies like broccoli for color and crunch -- just see how easy it is to do by clicking here on my Veggies in Cream with Pasta.

For something lighter, lose the cream and serve my stripped-down pasta recipe of John Cassavetes Red Pepper, Olive Oil, and Garlic with Spaghetti. It's a spicy tongue-tingler any tough guy can knock out.

Of course, a Latin lover would challenge any Italian Casanova for Lotherio's scepter. And my Mexican Chicken Tinga spicy stew will send chills down the spine and tingle any lady all the way to her toes.

Chicken Tinga - VIDEO

What? Another? You really do have a sweet tooth, well, I do too, I think we are two peas in a pod.  Let's share this one...

Your love will fall under a lusty voodoo spell after sipping a couple of my homemade rum and sugar cane Cuban Mojitos. And if you and your lover are nursing a hangover the next morning, I have a hangover cure: a bowl of Pozole. It's a rich red broth of hominy, chiles, and pork.

Cuban Mojito - VIDEO

Black and white, yin and yang -- all inhibitions will drop with the sweet and sour flavors of my vegan Cuban Black Beans served over White Rice.

If you want to channel your inner domestic goddess, then tie on the apron, get out the potholders, and bring in a hot casserole dish of my luscious Baked Pasta with Cauliflower & Cheese to the dining room table. Just check out the tempting short animated video below to see the yummy and gooey details.

Baked Pasta with Cauliflower & Cheese - VIDEO

I have a recipe that will get any Lady Godiva off her high horse. Let's get tough guy Stanley Kowalski, but with a mushy heart. My chef nephew's Shrimp and Grits will take your date on a one-way streetcar to desire. All aboard to check out the video below of two lunkheads hanging out and cooking.

Shrimp & Grits - VIDEO

A close second to the most sensuous of nibbling is a tender fish fillet on rice or Sushi. Raw seafood will quicken a lover's pulse, and if you chase the sushi down with a few warm cups of sake, the temptation to stay the night may be overwhelming.

My Sushi recipes are quite easy to do when you follow my directions. I even have a recipe for those averse to raw fish, a California Roll (in the hay) that's made with cooked fake krab, creamy avocado, and sliced cucumber. Seafood Rolls and Sushi are handheld bites meant to be shared with your true love.

California Roll -VIDEO

Hawaii is the destination for romancing the palate. Make your own romantic Hawaii-themed date night with my exotic Island classic: Lau Lau. It's a banana leaf-wrapped package of deliciousness.

Oh look honeybunch, I have one left. 

The aroma of slow-roasting pork, Hawaiian-style, will fill the kitchen and dining room, stoking the appetite of desire. Slowly unwrap the package of tender Lau Lau for your beloved. You won't need a Lei of plumeria flowers to steal a kiss when you serve my savory dish. So click here to see the luscious photos and easy-to-follow recipe text. And aloha to love.

Hawaiian-style Lau Lau

Of course, you can't have a romantic dinner date without sweets. And I have a simply delicious deconstructed dessert that I call Mini-Banana Puddings.

It's the perfect finger food to woo your loved one. All you need is to lay out some vanilla wafers and stack them with a spoonful of pudding and banana slices, finally topped with Hershey's Chocolate Kiss. You could also drizzle on any sweet topping like chocolate syrup, caramel, and other favorite candy pieces or sprinkles.

Pssst...don't let your date see this next video. Slip a Chocolate-Covered Cherry in your date's hand, and a heart may melt. I got the confections at my local 99c only Store. Go ahead and watch my cheap$kate video review and see how a five-count box for 99.99 cents rate on my Cheap$kate Dining Scale of 1 to 9, 9 being best.

Chocolate Covered Cherries - VIDEO

After a ravenous night, you will need a replenishing morning meal. And the Don Juan Gourmand's palate-pleasing Fried Egg on Breadcrumbs with Asparagus will satiate any food lover.

It looks good on the plate, but be sure to make plenty, as your sweetheart will ask for seconds!

Another morning after a meal is my French-style Omelet. It's a labor of love that you may want to practice making a couple of times to get right. Like lovemaking, the more you do it, the better you get! And I have all the right moves a click away.

Here are a few more romantic entrees you can try (just click on any name): Chef Zakk's Tuscan Primavera - Cajun Style, Chicken Stroganoff, Julia Child's Crepes Suzette, Baked Chicken with Grapes, Shepherd's Pie, Portabella Crab Rockefeller, Coconut Crusted Fish & Mango Salsa, Pork Bourguignon, Vegas Eggs Benedict, French Cassoulet, Stuffed Poblano Chiles, and Roasted Mint Chicken.

My go-to confections purveyor is right down the street and it's old school to the max, See's Candies. And they hand out free samples...Wow!

Finally, it's 99 Shades of Cheap! Allow me to leave you with my most outrageous Valentine's Day photo story called:

All items cost 99 cents.