My husband tells it this way: On our first date—which happened to be on Valentine's Day—it was love at first bite. Why? When we went out to dinner, I ate only half of my meal and then pushed my plate in his direction, offering him the leftover veal chop and mashed potatoes. He of the foodie, live-to-eat variety and me with an eat-to-live leaning were, in his mind, the perfect pair.
It was only after hearing him recount that story over and over did I realize that the old saying had more than a whiff of truth: the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. And years later, having two grown sons who come running home after simply hearing "I'm cooking tonight," only validates that theory.
Which brings me to Valentine's Day. Years ago, we celebrated each Valentine's Day the way we had celebrated our first date—by going out to dinner at a special restaurant. Only after a while, we got bothered by it all: the crowds, the poor service, the "special lovers menu" that was a disguise for smaller portions with bigger tabs.
Cooking at home was the way to go. We could do it at our leisure without rushing to give our table to the next anxious couple. We could pick what we wanted to eat, not what a stranger designated to suit our palates. And it worked out just fine. Valentine's Day was enjoyed at home, with candles and music, sans the crowds and high prices; even some aphrodisiac foods thrown in to keep the theme going.
We happen to enjoy cooking. That definitely helps when you have to prepare a meal for yourself. But even if you are not fond of wielding a spatula, you can cultivate your inner Rachael Ray and turn out a great meal. All it takes is some planning.
For this Valentine's Day meal plan, I turned to a few blogging friends who are the experts in all things food. They have the scoop on what to cook. And why relegate the special day to just dinner? You can start with breakfast and keep the theme going all day long.
For breakfast: try heart-shaped toast and eggs.
Moving on to lunch: a heart-shaped pizza.
And finally, it's dinnertime: start with a Sweet Red Kiss cocktail.
A great salad that this blogger made for her anniversary (breath-spoiler alert: it contains onions and garlic, which is really okay since you're both eating it!).
For dinner: red wine-braised short ribs of beef are guaranteed to produce moans of pleasure. Serve along with some heart-shaped raviolis with red filling (from beet puree), of course!
For dessert (my favorite part of the meal, hard to choose just one!), try one of these:
Wishing you lots of love and ... bon appétit!
Sheryl Kraft is Health & Wellness Editor at EndlessBeauty.com.
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You are so right about cooking at home on Valentine's Day. So much better, so much more romantic. Thanks for all these great ideas.
You are very welcome, Ruth. The days of us going anywhere near a restaurant on V.Day are way behind us!
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Doesn't that sound delicious? It is a must-try, for sure.
How sweet that you had your first date on Valentine's Day. Thanks for all the great links.
I must say that my DH is the more sentimental one...hence the date on that special day.
This is the cutest post ever! So clever, and what great ideas. Just lovely. I like the idea of a heart-shaped pizza!
Glad you enjoyed it, Merr. It was fun researching it.
Thanks for the great ideas. I just never think of stuff like this. Heart-shaped pizza! That's my kind of Valentine's dinner.
I'd have a tough time choosing between those desserts too, Sheryl.
Sweet ideas! I'll have to try some of them on my husband. But since I cook for him almost every day, it's hard for me to get all romantic over ... making a meal (sigh.)
Yum!!! I love how many different twists on Valentine's foods you've uncovered, Sheryl.