By now we’re sure you’ve got your Valentine’s Day plans set– the candles are bought, the wine is in the cellar, the roses are ordered – but the real question is still on your mind: how to make this one sizzle? For couples staying in this Valentine’s Day, there is still a fun, inexpensive way to make that candlelit dinner the best one yet. Smart Kitchen, the video cooking curriculum that has been used in culinary schools around the country, is not only perfect for food enthusiasts but is also a great idea for couples wanting to injection passion into their Valentine’s Day – and every – date night. Plus, there’s a special: the first 100 people who join Smart Kitchen using promo code COOKTOGETHER will enjoy unlimited cooking lessons FREE for 30 days (that includes Valentine’s Day, in case you are still looking for ideas). 

Cooking as a couple not only brings you together but is a fun and sexy way to get to know one another. From the dinner table to…ahem, dessert, follow the jump for three tips to make your dinner – and whatever comes next – red-hot:

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Local pasta sauce, herb and oil company Costantino’s Kitchen is bringing the authentic taste of Italy to your kitchen, just like Grandma used to make! We love it on spaghetti squash and can’t wait to try the Angie’s Meatballs recipe below. Find the sauce at a local farmer’s market here and hopefully soon to Chow Locally. 

Angie’s Meatballs

Yield: 12 Meatballs

1 jar Costantino’s Kitchen Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce
4 oz ground beef
4 oz ground pork
1/4  cup Italian breadcrumbs
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2.5 tbsp minced onion
2 tbsp milk
1 egg
1 clove minced garlic
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Preparation:

Heat sauce over medium-high heat.

Combine beef, pork, breadcrumbs, cheese, onion, milk, egg, garlic and pepper. Shape into 12, 1-inch meatballs. Cook in skillet over medium heat until brown on all sides. Move to oven and cook at 350 degrees for 10 minutes until cooked throughout. Serve over pasta with a generous portion of Costantino’s Kitchen Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce.

If the concept of eating locally and buying fresh produce from the desert sounds foreign to you, Friday’s Panel Discussion at Changing Hands Bookstore might clear up some confusion. At 7:00 p.m. January 27, Edible Phoenix Magazine will moderate an interactive panel with Cooking the Wild Southwest author Carolyn Niethammer and Southwest Comfort Food author Marilyn Noble. Along with a tasting of Southwestern foods and a book signing, the authors will discuss how to shop smart at the farmer’s market, how to find locally-produced grassfed meats and how to utilize desert vegetation in your own kitchen.

Changing Hands Bookstore | 6428 S McClintock Dr. Tempe, AZ | 85283

We admit it. Our favorite day of the year isn’t Thanksgiving, Christmas or even our own birthday: it is January 27. Known as National Chocolate Cake Day, this Friday is a day to commemorate what we all know and love as one of the greatest inventions ever: cake. Cake, which is great, made out of chocolate, which is the best. To celebrate this day, Eddie V’s Prime Seafood at Scottsdale Quarter is sharing their signature Chocolate Godiva Cake recipe with the world. With it warm and paired along locally made vanilla bean ice cream from Sweet Republic, this Friday is slated to be the best day of 2012 yet. Follow the jump for the greatest recipe ever:

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We all know about the powers of Pinterest. One can lose hours of his or, let’s be honest, her life browsing through inspiring photos of fashion, home decor and food while dreaming of living in Erin Wasson’s loft and cooking like Paula Dean. Well, if you’re indeed a fan of cooking, you can use Pinterest to find recipes from just like you all over the country. It’s a great way to discover new blogs and expand your recipe books while keeping your belly in a very happy place. Here are five, easy to find Pinteresting foods to check out.

1. Grilled Bruschetta Chicken from Jamie Cooks It Up 

2. Nutella Crack Pie from Showfood Chef  (the name alone is enough to take a look)

3. Bloomin’ Pizza Bread from The Girl Who Ate Everything 

4. Kale and Roasted Vegetable Soup from Simple Recipes 

5. Drunken S’mores from MSNBC

January is National Soup Month. Makes sense, but we had no idea either. You’ve got nearly two weeks of souper-duper celebrating to do with a bowl of your favorite, slurpable winter soup meal before February brings us National Canned Food, National Grapefruit and National Creative Romance Month. Try this new recipe courtesy of Smart Kitchen, online cooking school in Scottsdale, for Yellow Split Pea with Butternut Squash Soup. This soup recipe got you stumped? Click here to Smart Kitchen for the recipe and more information on their online school.

Yellow Split Pea with Butternut Squash Soup »READ MORE

If you’re like us, the back-to-work grind has you reaching for a stiff drink. Don’t worry; there’s no need to let go of vacation fever just yet. Ditch the vodka-on-the-rocks this weekend and head to Scottsdale’s Tommy Bahama Restaurant & Bar for our fruity and refreshing drink of the weekend pick, the Hibiscus Key Lime Cocktail. Infused with sweet pineapple and tangy key lime juice, this pretty-in-pink elixir may transport you straight to Hawaii…or at least get you in the mood for the next holiday.

Ingredients
1.5 parts vodka
.5 pars Cointreau
1 part hibiscus syrup
1 part pineapple juice
1 part hand pressed key lime juice
5 cubes muddled fresh pineapple

Preparation
Mix all ingredients together and strain into a tall Collins glass, garnish with 3 floating key lime wheels.

Image via Naples Illustrated

You can bring your game face and your sponge finger, but you can’t bring the following to tonight’s Fiesta Bowl kicking off at 6:30 p.m. at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. AZ Central reports, “Certain items won’t be allowed in the stadium. They include weapons, folding chairs, beach balls, umbrellas, video cameras, food, cameras with detachable lenses, bottles and cans.”

The ultimate “do” of the Fiesta Bowl starts at 12:30 today for the Pre-Game tailgate at the Stadium’s North Orange Lot. Visit Phoenix reports admission to the tailgate is $20 and includes “Activities such as pep rallies, performances by the university marching bands and cheerleaders, jumbotrons to watch team highlights, interactive games, and food and beverage booths all help fans prepare for the big game. Keep your ticket to enjoy a free tailgate-inspired meal which is included in your admission.” Join the party from 12:30 – 5:30 p.m. today.

Staying home for the game? Maybe mix up a batch of DLT’s favorite Artichoke Dip. Or, check out my favorite, super quick party recipe for Tuzzi Dip:

Ingredients:
2 package cream cheese
1 pound hot sausage
1 can of dices tomatoes with green chili (I prefer Rotel)

Preparation:
Brown sausage in skillet.
Heat tomatoes in saucepan and add cream cheese. Stir to melt together. When melted, add sausage.
Serve with tortilla chips or slices of baguette bread.

Wanna skip the dishes and watch the game out? Here’s our top 3 picks for places to watch tonight’s game:

Zipps Sports Cafe – With 8 locations in the Valley to serve. Check locations here.

Four Peaks Brewery in Tempe – If the game stinks, at least your beer won’t. Click here for location.

The Herb Box – The best place to take your lady for the game. Click here for the location near you.

Foam finger image via Gimmees.

Chef Peter DeRuvo of the crazy good Italian eatery Cuoco Pazzo in Scottsdale was featured in the daily food email Tasting Table, dishing up the ingredients for his take on polenta, an Italian table staple. Tasting Table writes, “Chef Peter DeRuvo knows that the key to authentic Italian polenta lies in high-quality ground corn and classic technique. At his modern Italian restaurant, Cuoco Pazzo, the Scottsdale chef proves that ingredients and method matter.” 

Are you just crazy enough to skip a relaxing dinner out and cook up a batch of Chef DeRuvo’s polenta at home? Check the recipe for Mascarpone Polenta with Wild Mushrooms after the jump:

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We don’t know about you, but this is the most adorable DIY holiday idea we’ve seen all year!  We stumbled upon these Pinteresting little Santa Hat Brownies on food blog Erica’s Sweet Tooth, and decided to really amp up the holiday spirit by combining Santa Hat Toppers with this Red Velvet Brownie recipe from How Sweet It Is. How festive are these? Your family and friends will be so wowed with our recipe combo that you’ll definitely make the nice, not naughty, list this year.

Santa Hat Brownie Bites
(Adapted from Erica’s Sweet Tooth and How Sweet It Is) »READ MORE

The fruit of the moment: sweet and juicy grapefruits, ripe and ready now. Fresh Arizona citrus is a locally grown fall staple at most tables. Modernize the sweet-n-sour fruit by adding avocado and fresh Yellowtail as in this recipe by Chef Nobuo Fukuda of Nobuo at Teeter House in Phoenix. Or join chef for “A Night with Nobuo” Monday night at Roka Akor in Scottsdale. More details on the event can be found here.

Recipe for Yellowtail with Grapefruit & Avocado and full menu for Monday night’s event after the jump: »READ MORE

The second best part to Thanksgiving – the leftovers (the first, the day off of oourse!). We’re really looking forward to leftovers this year with this Turkey Risotto recipe from Chef Stephen Jones of Latilla at The Boulders Resort. Ditch the turkey sandwiches and feast, post-feast on this tasty turkey dish.

Ingredients:
3 cups roasted turkey stock warmed (Recipe See Below)
2 oz dry white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc or Un-oaked Chardonnay
¼ cup shredded left over turkey (white and dark meat)
1 each shallot, finely minced
1 clove garlic , finely minced
1 tsp each fresh sage, thyme, rosemary , finely minced
3 tbsp grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1 tsp minced fresh chives »READ MORE

Today’s the last day of our Falliday recipe week and we’re finishing big with a fancy-schmancy Pumpkin Pie Crème Brulee provided by Executive Chef Bryan Hulihee at Roaring Fork.

Before we get to the recipe, here’s a quick rundown of all recipes this week:

Pumpkin Waffles
Turkey Sausage Stuffing
Don’t Mind if I Fondue (Chocolate Pumpkin Fondue)
Butternut Squash Soup »READ MORE

Impress your family and friends with this tasty twist on the falliday classic, Butternut Squash Soup. Top of the Rock at the Buttes’ Chef Akos Szabo passes on the traditional with a spicier version of the starter. Recipe and prep after the jump:

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Mmmm fondue! What could be better than dipping delicious fruit or cake inmelted chocolate? And with Thanksgiving just around the corner, how about adding a little pumpkin pie to the mix to really ring in the season?! Enjoy The Melting Pot's recipe for Pumpkin Pie Chocolate Fondue after the jump: 

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Thanksgiving is getting so close, we can almost taste it! We’ve got a week’s worth of falliday recipes to keep you satisfied until that turkey coma kicks in. Mmm…stuffing! Try this face-stuffin’ recipe courtesy of Chef Bryan Hulihee of Roaring Fork in Scottsdale. Details after the jump:

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Pancakes have to be one to the most delicious carbs known to man kind. Of course, what are pancakes without globs of whipped butter and a really good syrup? Luckily for us, the kind folks over at Willcox, Arizona’s Apple Annie’s Orchard have concocted the most delectable syrup recipes to grace your taste buds.

Apple Annie’s Orchard was founded in 1996 by John and Annie Holcumb, better known as Farmer John and Apple Annie. The Orchard had humble beginnings, as the pair initially started selling apples out of their carport. But the apple business boomed and Apple Annie’s now consists of 6,000 apple trees, 3,000 peach trees and 900 Asian pear trees. Yes, Asian pears in AZ!

Apple Annie’s isn’t just about apples anymore. Head to the farm October 15-16 for some old-fashioned family fun picking your own pumpkins, fall vegetables and of course, apples. Just $3, gets you a hayride to the huge pumpkin patch and children’s play area; kids 2 and under are free. Don’t miss Arizona’s newest and largest, absolutely amazing CORN MAZE. Go early this weekend to Apple Annie’s and enjoy a delicious “All-You-Can-Eat” pancake breakfast served from 8:30 AM – 10:30 AM.

Enjoy a taste of the farm at home with their Apple Cider Syrup recipe after the jump. »READ MORE