Brown Sugar Glazed Salmon & Garliky Green Beans with Mushrooms

Over the past four or five years, our family has develped a really fun Valentines Day tradition.  It consists of a "fancy" dinner where I set the table using a red table cloth and red cloth napkins. Dinner is served family style where everything is put into serving dishes and layed out in the middle of the table.  Typically I make plates in the kitchen, spooning things out from the dishes they were prepared in.  While growing up, my mother served EVERY dinner family style and it was our job as kids to wash all the dishes.  I've decided that it is SO unnecessary to dirty and hassle with all those extra dishes on a daily basis. Our son loves that he gets to drink his milk out of a champagne glass. The lights get dimmed and candles are lit and everyone MUST wear PJ's to dinner. (While I was in the kitchen cooking away, my husband walked in with the baby and asked which PJ's he should change the him into, I thought that was so adorable!!) Every year I serve some kind of seafood and nobody has to question if there will be dessert. :)
This year I tried three new recipes...Brown Sugar Glazed Salmon, Garlicky Green Beans with Mushrooms, and a Banana Cream Parfait.  The three turned out so beautifully! I will for sure be adding these recipes to my recipe binder.  :)

BROWN SUGAR GLAZED SALMON
(recipe from Taste of Home)

INGREDIENTS:
1 TBSP brown sugar
1 tsp butter
1 tsp honey
1 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP dijon mustard (I used 1 TBSP yellow mustard and mixed in 1/4 tsp horseraddish)
1 TBSP reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/2-3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 salmon fillet (2-21/2 pounds)

DIRECTIONS:
In a small sauce pan over medium heat, cook and stir brown sugar, butter, and honey until melted.  Remove from the heat; whisk in the oil, mustard, soy sauce, salt and pepper.  Cool for 5 minutes.
Place salmon in a large foil-lined baking pan; spoon brown sugar mixture over salmon.  Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

GARLICKY GREEN BEANS WITH MUSHROOMS

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb fresh green beans, washed trimmed and cut into 1 in pieces
1 C sliced fresh cremini mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 tsp butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp pepper
DIRECTIONS:
Place beans into a large pot, cover with water and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes.  Meanwhile in a large skillet, saute the mushrooms and garlic in the butter until tender.  Drain beans; and add them to the skillet.  Stir in the salt, onion powder and pepper; heat through.