February 12, 2024 • cocktail party
EXCLUSIVE: Brayden Bowers & Christina Mandrell Share What They Love Most About Each Other for Valentine’s Day
Love is in the air!
Bachelor Nation stars Brayden Bowers and Christina Mandrell got engaged last month at “The Golden Wedding.”
Brayden popped the question surrounded by their Bachelor Nation family, and Christina said yes!
Now, the couple stopped by for an exclusive chat with BachelorNation.com to discuss their Valentine’s Day plans.
The newly engaged duo shared what they love most about their relationship, with Christina saying, “I love that there is never a dull moment,” and she also added that she loves “Brayden’s earrings.”
Brayden chimed in, saying, “She loves the quirkiest things and will get so excited. There is a youthful appreciation for life that I feel that so many of us lose but she has kept, and it brings me so much joy.”
Brayden also shared some of their favorite romantic moments together so far, with him saying, “I know it seems small but it was big to her: I gave her my socks when her socks got wet.”
He went on, saying, “She flew out to see me and surprised me. She had told me that she was working all day and wouldn’t be able to talk, and then all of a sudden I had a knock at my door and there she was! It was the best day ever.”
How sweet!
Now the two are gearing up for their first Valentine’s Day together and they revealed that one of their love languages is food.
Brayden shared his favorite meal Christina has made for him, saying, “She made me a steak and then she made Texas bread and gave me balsamic vinegar mixed with Crisco cooking oil to dip it in. It was so sweet.”
Christina said that Brayden is quite the chef himself and that she loves when he makes French onion soup.
Yum!
The couple shared their special date night recipe they will be making to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year, so follow along the steps below to enjoy date night like your favorite Bachelor Nation stars!
Brayden & Christina’s Buttered Lobster Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes
Ingredients:
150 grams Westgold salted butter
1 lobster tail, 500 grams to 1 kilogram
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 shallot, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, finely diced
1/4 cup white wine
400 grams cherry tomatoes
250 grams angel hair pasta
Parsley, finely diced
1/4 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil.
- Remove the lobster meat from the shell. Using shearing scissors, turn the tail over and cut down each side. Peel the shell away and remove the meat. Chop into large pieces.
- In a deep-dish saucepan on a medium heat, combine the olive oil and 50 grams butter. Once the butter has melted and is slightly foaming, turn the heat to low and add the lobster meat to the saucepan. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the flesh is white and pink. Remove the lobster from the pan with a slotted spoon and set to the side.
- Add the shallots and garlic to the saucepan and cook for 2 minutes while stirring occasionally. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and scrape off all of the brown parts from the pan. Cook until 80% of the wine has been absorbed.
- Turn the heat to low and add the cherry tomatoes to the pan. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until they have burst open and have created a jammy texture.
- Add the pasta to the pot of water. Cook pasta, being careful to drain 2 minutes before the suggested cooking time while reserving 1 cup of pasta water.
- Add the cooked pasta and 50 to 100 grams of butter to the saucepan with the tomatoes to start the creamy lobster pasta sauce. Slowly incorporate the reserved pasta water and butter until you have a silky and glossy texture for your cream sauce. Add the lobster, a sprinkling of fresh parsley, and lemon juice and stir through. Serve the lobster pasta dish immediately.
- Eat and enjoy!
