Today I'm Salvaging: A Weeknight Valentine's Dinner

I'm guessing that I'm not alone on this one: it's Valentine's Day [woo-hoo!] but it's also Tuesday [boo]... and last time I checked no one gets the day off of work or school on Valentines Day which means life goes on as usual.

 Soooo... will I be dining at a romantic restaurant with my super hero hubby? [most likely not] ...will I be driving my son to basketball practice or my daughter to ballet? [most likely yes]. And there lies the typical mom's Valentine's Day challenge: how to turn a typical weeknight meal into something special [and do it quickly]. 

I was recently presented with the opportunity to take the Bertolli's Make a Weeknight Meal Special Challenge. My first thought was, "Hmmm probably not. I love their meals, but Salvage Savvy isn't a food blog." Then I changed my mind for one reason: because of what Salvage Savvy is.  I write each post with the hope of inspiring my fabulous readers [that's you!] to get creative and turn the ordinary into something extraordinary... and that's exactly what this challenge is about! With that in mind, I had exactly one hour to turn a typical weeknight meal into something spectacular.

My Menu:

Bertolli's Tomato Florentine & Tortellini with Chicken Meal Soup

Cesar Salad

Garlic Bread

Brazilian Lemonade

*Cherry Cheesecake Parfaits

*I found this on Pinterest, so follow the link if you'd like a recipe

I'm thinking you know how to make Cesar Salad or Garlic Bread, but you might not have ever made Brazilian Lemonade. It' is a little drink that's perfect for those "fancy-pants" dinners! We love it because it's sweet and refreshing, but also cold and creamy. YUM! It doesn't take long, but makes any meal feel special. Here's the recipe:

Brazilian Lemonade

5 T lime juice [did you know that in Brazil a lime is called a lemon?]
1/2 C Sugar

3 T sweetened condensed milk

3 C water
Ice

1. Put first 4 items into blender. 2. Just before serving, add ice and blend, then serve immediately.

Now for Ambiance [it's a candle light picnic!]:

Tablecloth

Trays

Candles [flame-less if you've got little ones running around]

Pillows for lounging

Music

Spread-out your tablecloth in the living room, arrange candles as you please, throw down the pillows for comfort, turn off lights, start your music and you're done! Sit back and enjoy your simple, super fast and soooo delicious Valentine's dinner. I promise that this will be a night that the kiddos or hubby will never forget, and I did everything in an hour... ambiance & all, not bad!

Here's what you need to know about Bertolli's Meal Soup selections:

1. One bag of soup was more than enough for two people. [I wasn't sure because it comes in a fairly small bag... but my super hero hubby and I were stuffed after this meal!]

2. This soup was delicious. I promise. It was really, really good restaraunt- quality soup and I will be getting it again [seriously.]  

3. It was so easy to make, put it in a pan on the stove, stir occasionally and that's it.

4. I was compensated by Bertolli to participate in the Weeknight Meal Special Challenge, but the ideas and opinions were 100% mine, and this is my 100% honest opinion!!

To learn more about their products, visit Bertolli's website

or check-out their Bertolli's Facebook page!

And of course you can find them on Twitter as well twitter.com/Bertolli