Valentine’s Day is all about rich chocolates, heart-shaped goodies, and red accents. Use that as inspiration when it comes to planning out your Valentine’s Day meal. But remember, you don’t need to make something elaborate to impress your date. Here are a few suggestions on eating out or making an easy and fun meal from scratch.
Who says you need a heavy meal for your Valentine’s Day dinner? Breakfast foods can nourish your palate as well as your sense of fun. How about heart-shaped pancakes or waffles, muffins with a heart sprinkled in powdered sugar, or even toast hearts cut from cookie cutters? Just serve with eggs and champagne.
Brunch can also be a nice change of pace to the traditional nighttime meal. Choose a place with a fun menu and lots of variety. Go ahead and indulge – you’ll have the rest of the day to work off your meal. Remember to make reservations well in advance since Valentine’s Day is one of the most popular days to take your partner out to eat.
Can’t cook? Order up a heart-shaped pizza. Many restaurants in your neighborhood present heart-shaped creations to help commemorate February 14th. Several even deliver out of town, like Taste of Chicago, which offers a heart-shaped pizza with cheesecake for dessert.
With the right setting, any meal can be romantic. So if your skills in the kitchen are lacking so much you can’t even boil water, don’t fret. Instead, make some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches like you did when you were a kid. Cut out with heart-shaped cookie cutters to add romantic flare. Place bowls of candy hearts on a table draped in a red tablecloth to set the mood. Finally, get a heart-shaped ice cream cake for a change of pace.
Whatever you decide on for the main course, don’t forget to follow it up with dessert. Chocolate covered strawberries can be found in many supermarkets around Valentine’s Day. Or, you could make your own. Use a double boiler, pop in baker’s semi-sweet chocolate, and dip. Place out on a piece of wax paper to harden.
A red velvet cake fits in with the Valentine’s Day vibe perfectly. It’s also delicious and easy to make. Check out this recipe from the Food Network. Or for a change of pace, make the same recipe using cupcakes. For decoration, take kid’s valentines and glue them to toothpicks. Then stick in each cake, along with a personalized message.
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