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Family Features -- Avoid dinner reservations and unseasonably cold temperatures this Valentine's Day with a delicious, romantic date-night dining that doesn't take you any further than your own kitchen. You don't have to be an accomplished chef to set the table for a memorable romantic dinner at home. You can take inspiration from simple, quality Italian dishes anytime to celebrate the link between food and love.
As with this and two other of our favorite recipes show, a romantic meal can be ready in minutes or, like a great love story, simmered to perfection. To plan the ultimate date night at home, start by choosing one of these dreamy main dishes made with a mouthwatering sauce. Whether you make the Red Wine Braised Beef Short Rib Ragu featured below, or the Italian Sausage, Spinach & Tomato Rigatoni, or the Creamy Italian Garlic Chicken, your romantic candlelit dinner will be one fondly remembered for years to come.
Flavorful sauces make a great Italian meal, but the sauce doesn't need to be made from scratch (at least, not completely). For example, Bertolli d'Italia sauces are made in Italy for authentically delicious flavor. They are crafted with tomatoes vine-ripened under the Italian sun, finely aged Italian cheeses, fresh cream, and Mediterranean olive oil. The result is a sauce that's perfect for your date-night meal.
Once you select your main course, prepare a simple salad of greens with a drizzle of Italian vinaigrette or Caesar dressing.
There is nothing better than a loaf of bakery-fresh Italian or focaccia bread warmed in the oven served with butter or olive oil for dipping. If you're so inclined, cap off the meal with a classic Italian dessert from your local bakery, like tiramisu, cannoli, or a creamy panna cotta topped with fresh fruit.
Red Wine Braised Beef Short Rib Ragu
Prep time: 25 minutes / Cook time: 3 hours
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 pounds bone-in beef short ribs
salt, to taste
ground black pepper, to taste
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and finely diced
1 small onion, chopped
8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup red wine
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 sprigs fresh sage leaves, chopped
8 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 jar Bertolli d'Italia Marinara Sauce
2 cups beef bone broth
water
24 ounces pappardelle pasta or preferred pasta
freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish
As lawmakers in Illinois and across the nation consider reforms to the nation's juvenile-justice system, one country across the Atlantic could serve as a model.
Northern Ireland's Youth Justice Agency places an emphasis on early diversion, community involvement and restorative justice.
Kelvin Doherty, assistant director of the Agency, said the goal is to keep kids out of police custody and prevent them from building a criminal record.
"Let's address these concerns and these issues before the police are called, and before they get into a court setting," Doherty urged.
Doherty pointed out the restorative-justice process can take one of several paths: including a simple apology, community service or mental-health treatment. According to data from the Youth Justice Agency, more than 97% of victims said they are satisfied with the restorative-justice process.
The Youth Justice Agency was established in 2002, and was born out of the Good Friday Agreement. Doherty explained the program was part of a multipronged effort to modernize Northern Ireland's justice system.
"And the modernization process said, well, for a new justice system in Northern Ireland, it has to be not just about children and reducing reoffending," Doherty explained. "But it also has to be for victims and for communities as well."
From April 2020 to April 2021, Northern Ireland's Justice Department saw a nearly 17% decline in cases where kids came into contact with the criminal-justice system.
Doherty noted early diversion and support programs, typically used when the child is between 10 and 12 years old, can help prevent kids from coming into contact with the criminal-justice system down the line.
"Problems can be resolved in the child's life before they get worse," Doherty asserted. "And it has a better outcome for agencies and service providers, because it often involves less effort and more success, the earlier you are intervening or diverting children within the justice system."
According to the Children's Defense Fund, nearly 2,000 children are arrested in America every day. While the organization noted the overall number of kids in the juvenile-justice system was halved from 2007 to 2020, severe racial disparities persist, as children of color are nearly two times more likely to be arrested than white children.
