Simply Cooked: Valentine's Day Ideas

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Valentine's Day Ideas

We long ago stopped debating about eating out or in for Valentine's Day. Eating out on February 14 is too expensive, with fancy, overpriced set menus. And the service always seems a little surly because the restaurant is busy and the staff would rather be elsewhere. As a result, we eat at home on Valentine's.

(The best day to go to a restaurant, we discovered, is February 15! The restaurant is much quieter and the meals are back to normal price.)

What about you? Will you or your loved one be cooking for Valentine's Day? Here are some ideas to make this romantic day easy and successful.

Starters:

Pumpkin and peach salad with lemongrass dressing

Cauliflower soup with roasted red pepper swirl

Chilled strawberry soup (Sorry, no picture, it's from that far back in the Simply Cooked archive!)

Main dishes:

A romantic living room picnic

Superfood salad

Beef bourguignon

Hasselback potatoes

Desserts:

Honey panna cotta

Simple dark chocolate mousse

Strawberry and nutella muffins

Sugar-free frozen banana cream pie

Cranberry and date heart cut-out cookies

What are your Valentine's Day plans?

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Comments (7)

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sprigsofrosemary 15p · 630 weeks ago

All wonderful ideas . . . Mr. Rosemary and I also gave up going out for dinner on Valentine's Day a log time ago. Sometimes we go out for lunch, infinitely less crowded and while it seems the atmosphere is gearing up for the "Big show" we still have a more relaxed, and therefore romantic, time. (I'm still deciding what to make for a mini-feast at home after an afternoon out, but I'll come up with it.)

1 reply · active 630 weeks ago

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simply_cooked 77p · 630 weeks ago

Hello Rosemary, lunch is a great idea! (Why didn't I think of that?) I will store that gem away. This year for V Day my husband is at work and I am home sick. How unromantic! Have a nice day with your love!

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Meryl · 630 weeks ago

That's what we decided to do this year too. Particularly with v-day on a Thursday--meh! So much more fun to get dolled up and go out on the weekend after.

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aimee · 630 weeks ago

I find this amusing primarily because you describe every Valentine's Day dinner outing we've had over the last 5 years. One year Ian took me to The Melting Pot because fondue is of course a very romantic food and not only were the prices through the roof (as you had mentioned) but he is still disgruntled with the "rushed" atmosphere the staff unintentionally created. So this year we stayed in, ordered Chinese food, bought a bottle of wine, and watched our favorite t.v. show, Parenthood. And it was loads more romantic. :)

1 reply · active 630 weeks ago

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simply_cooked 77p · 630 weeks ago

Yes I know what you mean. I have also found that sometimes the way the restaurant tries to make a romantic atmosphere is just what I think is tacky. I would rather Anthony bring me roses at home (next week, when they are not astomically expensive, is fine!) than I get a silk rose on our table. I'm glad you had a romantic Valentine's, aimee; it sounds lovely.

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Maria Brown 4p · 523 weeks ago

Amazing ideas.A romantic date -or any dinner at which you're trying to impress -is not the time to be trying a recipe for the first time.Rehearse a new dish or system early so you're familiar with it when it counts.Cooking is fun —at any rate it ought to be.Regardless of to what extent you've been in the kitchen,there's continually something new to learn,whether its a simple twist on an old strategy,or a handy tip to spare time and vitality.Best wishes.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
congratulations for a new baby

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Spiritual Dating 32p · 505 weeks ago

Such an beautiful ideas."When you're in love you never really know whether your elation comes from the qualities of the one you love, or if it attributes them to her; whether the light which surrounds her like a halo comes from you,from her,or from the meeting of your sparks." ~Natalie Clifford Barney

))Amie Stark.