Valentine’s  Day can be either the best or the worst holiday of a person’s life. You are either on a romantic date with your significant other, or you are curled up on your bed binge-watching Netflix. No matter which of these people you are, you can enjoy the day with these amazingly simple dinner recipes.

Gar-Cheese Bread

This blend of cheese, butter and garlic is a great way to enjoy time by yourself or impress your date. 

Ingredients

• 1 stick butter, softened
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese
• ½ cup Cheddar cheese
• 1 baguette or any kind of long bread

Preparation

• Preheat the oven to 400°
• In a bowl, combine butter, garlic, parmesan and cheddar
• Slice baguette length-wise
• Spread butter-garlic-cheese mixture evenly on the baguette.
• Place baguette on a tray
• Bake until cheese becomes bubbly and the sides of baguette darken
• Season with chili flakes and oregano
• Slice into bite-size pieces and devour 

Pest-Al Pasta

This is a filling guilty pleasure that can be enjoyed alone, with most of the ingredients likely already in your pantry.

Ingredients

• 1 cup casarecce pasta (or any kind)
• 2 bunches of spinach
• ½ cup pesto sauce
• ½ cup Alfredo sauce
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• cheddar (as per preference)
• 2-3 tablespoons of oil
• salt as per preference
• chili flakes (optional)
• olives (optional)
• parmesan  (as per preference)

Preparation

• Cook casarecce pasta in large pot with salted water, cook according to the package
• In another pot, fry garlic in oil until lightly browned and fragrant 
• In the second pot, add spinach and fry until wilted or until the moisture evaporates. 
• Add pesto sauce into the same pot and fry until the oil from the sauce floats
• Remove excess oil by scooping with a spoon. Add the pasta into the sauce. 
• Toss  pasta to make sure everything is covered in sauce 
• Add alfredo sauce and mix
• Add salt, pepper, chili flakes and olives (optional)
• Top it off by adding a handful of cheddar and parmesan cheeses. Serve hot