Is it bad that I don’t remember the last time my husband and I went out for Valentine’s Day? We usually opt for movie date nights at home once the kids are in bed, but this Valentine’s Day we’ll add a romantic meal for two to our movie. I can feed the kids dinner first then send them to bed. Then I whip up an easy dinner for the grown-ups using prepared items like Buitoni pasta sauces and Nestle’s Tres Leche baking kit.

I’d rather enjoy the food and my husband’s company than slave in the kitchen so I’m keeping my romantic menu simple.

Menu for An Easy Romantic Meal For Two

• Turkey pesto sliders with provolone with potato chips
• Spring mix salad with balsamic dressing
• Spicy chocolate tres leche cake
• Your favorite adult beverage

I took our favorite comfort foods and added ingredients to make them a little more “fancy.”

Miniature versions of foods are always more romantic, right? Sliders are less messy to eat than a giant burger. Less mess=more romantic. I chose ground turkey because its subtle flavor will let the Buitoni Pesto with Basil sauce shine. Plus the olive oil in the pesto will keep the turkey juicy while you cook it.

Add one 7oz container of Buitoni Pesto with Basil to one pound of ground turkey. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Remember there’s parmesan cheese in the pesto so it will be slightly salty already. Mix well. Form into patties the slightly wider than your slider buns and cook in a nonstick skillet (or grill). Top with provolone cheese and lettuce.

The sliders are juicy and are bursting with pesto flavor. Serve chips and a tossed salad on the side.

Ready for dessert?

I’ve never made a tres leche cake before but the ones I’ve eaten are amazing! I used Nestle La Lechera Tres Leche baking kit and added a couple of ingredients to make it my own: spicy chocolate tres leche cake. Yes, you read that right.

Spicy chocolate tres leche cake.

If you’ve ever had Mexican style hot chocolate or mole sauce, you know that chili powder and chocolate are a match made in heaven. The creamy, sweet cake is luscious with a tiny spicy kick at the end.

The Nestle La Lechera Tres Leche baking kit is new. You can find it in the baking aisle at Walmart or on the special Valentine’s baking goods display. My husband is excited to try my recipe! (Recipe at the end of this post.)

Since the cake needs to soak in its three milks for at least four hours, I suggest making it the night before. The kit makes a 9″ cake but I baked my cake in three 5″ springform pans instead. Small equals cute. Plus a 5″ cake is a perfect sharing size. That way you can feed each other bites of chocolate tres leche cake.

Right before dinner, I made sweetened whipped cream (but you can use the pre-made kind) to assemble the cake. It was absolutely amazing. It was so moist that the three milks were running out of the cake.  The whipping cream and the chili powder help the cake from being too rich. I can’t wait to make more!

What would you serve for your romantic meal at home?

Spicy Chocolate Tres Leche Cake

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Additional Time: 4 hours

Total Time: 4 hours 35 minutes

Add a little kick to your tres leche cake!

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Ingredients

• 1 Nestle La Lachera Tres Leche Cake baking kit
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp chili powder (depending on big of a kick you want)er
• 3 large eggs
• 1/4 cup of canola oil
• 1 cup of whole milk
• whipped cream

Instructions

Place except add cocoa powder and chili powder into a medium bowl. Add kit ingredients and mix to baking kit's instructions.

Pour batter into cake pan or springform pan. Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.

Combine while milk, evaporated milk, and sweetened condensed milk in a medium bowl. Evaporated milk and condensed milk are in the baking kit. Using a skewer or wooden pick, poke holes in the top of the cake (but not all the way down). Pour sauce over the cake, allowing it to absorb the sauce before adding more. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

Remove cake from pan and cut in half horizontally, creating 2 layers.

Place one layer on plate and add a generous dollop of whipped cream in the middle. Do not smooth out. Carefully place the second cake layer atop the whip cream and press gently. Spread a generous layer of whipped cream on top. Dust with cocoa powder and garnish with fresh fruit.

For more romantic meal ideas search for #Valentines4All on Twitter.