Valentine's Dinner At Home: Part One

Valentine's Dinner at Home is a 3 part content series that focuses on romantic date night meal plan recipes by Kasey Bell. Kasey believes that date nights at home are not only more economical but can also be more personal and romantic.

Cuban Roasted Chicken, Vegetables, Black Beans, and Fried Banana Splits

Serves 4-6

1 whole chicken (3-4 lb)

3 small golden potatoes, quartered

3 small red potatoes, quartered

1/2 red bell pepper, sliced

1/2 yellow bell pepper, sliced

1/2 green bell pepper, sliced

1 lime, zested and quartered

1 yellow onion, cut into wedges

4 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed

2 bay leaves

3-4 tbl olive oil

Dry Rub

2 tbl cumin

2 tbl kosher salt

1 tbl chili powder

1 tbl coriander

2 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp crushed red pepper

Chipotle Black Beans

1 can black beans

1/4 cup chipotle salsa

Fried Banana Splits

4 bananas, sliced in half lengthwise

1 tbl butter

vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit. Make dry rub by combining cumin, salt, chili powder, coriander, dried oregano, and crushed red pepper. Place the potatoes, bell peppers, and onion in a 9x13 baking dish, toss with 1/2 of the dry rub and 1/2 of the olive oil.

Remove neck and giblets from the cavity of the chicken and discard. Rinse the bird under cold running water and pat dry. Place the chicken breast side up in the baking dish, in the center of the vegetables. Rub the chicken with the remaining dry rub and olive oil.

Sprinkle the lime zest on top of everything in the dish, vegetables and chicken. Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the bay leaves and lime. Place garlic cloves under the chicken to keep from burning. Roast for 45 minutes.

Remove dish from the oven. Using tongs, tilt the chicken, pouring the juices from the cavity onto the vegetables. Using a brush, baste the chicken and the vegetables with the pan juices. If the bird is browning too quickly, cover with aluminum foil.

Continue roasting about 25-30 minutes more or until the chicken is a deep golden brown and the juices run clear when the tip of a knife is inserted into the thigh joint, or until a meat thermometer registers 170-175 degrees fahrenheit when inserted into the thigh, away from the bone. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and the vegetables to a bowl. Allow the chicken to rest about 10-15 minutes before carving.

While allowing the bird to rest open the can of black beans, drain and rinse with cold water. Place bean and chipotle salsa in a sauce pan over medium high heat, stir and wait until thoroughly heated (about 5 minutes).

For dessert place butter in a skillet over medium high and brown the bananas, about 2 minutes each side. Serve on top of vanilla ice cream.