Well friends, I am officially no longer an Arkansan! We've been living right outside of Nashville since January 31st. I wanted to update you the weekend of our move but it has taken two weeks to get internet so it had to wait.
So I'm coming back with a post about how to make this Valentine's day awesome! My husband and I have always done a Valentine's dinner at home, even when we were dating. It has never been a favorite holiday of mine but I do love any excuse to cook something new and fancy, decorate the kitchen table, and get a little dressed up. We decided years ago to never try to fight the crowds at the restaurants that every else was at, but instead to do something much more personal and really a lot more fun. My birthday is also three days before, so I chose to do something special for him instead of asking for two days of presents and eating out in a week! Our first Valentine's day we had only been dating two months. I cooked a simple dinner of lasagna and brownies(at his request) and we watched The Jungle Book...don't know why but it was great fun! He also surprised me by showing up in the parking lot when I got off work with roses. I knew then he was a keeper!
I won't be able to share pictures or my recipes until after Valentine's day but I will give you my tips on how to make it a great one. All of this totally works if you have kids too. Just make sure and involve them. Make cute heart shaped foods and find some fun, kid-friendly crafts to decorate. And as always, I'd love to hear your tips and ideas too!
Step 1: Pamper yourself. A good night always starts with feeling good about yourself, so have a little at home spa time, even if you only have a few minutes. That might just mean simply shaving your legs for the first time this winter! It really makes a difference. Get a little dressed up by just putting on something you feel good in, and right before the dinner some red lipstick is a must for me. My favorite V-Day facial combo is the Chocolate Mouse Hydration Masque(tastes and smells like you should eat it, but please don't) and the Strawberry Rhubarb series, both from Eminence Organics.
Step 2: Decorate. This one might be as simple as just cleaning your house. If you are as messy as us, coming home to a clean house in shock enough for my husband! If you want to do a little more, get out some candles, throw in a little red here and there, maybe some flowers. This is especially fun if you have kids you are involving. I won't be doing a lot of decorating because let's be honest, I am the only one who will care or even notice. I'll probably just light some candles and play some fun music for ambiance. If you are just doing this for your guy, the magic is in the food. But here's a picture of a table I love anyway.
Step 3: Food. When planning a Valentine's dinner the most important thing would of course be knowing what your honey likes. I like to make my dinner a little fancy and exotic but it won't matter at all if I cook an amazing seafood dish if the person I'm coking for hates seafood. So play off what you know works. If in doubt, I go with what all guys like; meat! I'm leaning towards something with bacon and a good cut of beef tenderloin. I'll get fancy with my sides. Try more exotic vegetables and starches that you aren't used to cooking but make sure you get a recipe that you are confident in so you know it will turn out well. For desert it has to be chocolate. Anything chocolate! You can also throw in some strawberries or raspberries to get a little red color in there. And some nice champagne or wine never hurt. So here's some food porn for inspiration...
Step 4: Entertainment. We usually get a new movie to watch together. Even though a romance would be the traditional choice, neither of us are fans so we just get something random and usually completely inappropriate for Valentine's day. You could also play some couples games, although it's a lot more fun if you have a group. Here is a site with some cute ideas. http://ivalentinesday.com/valentines-day-games/
I'll share pictures of how my day went after Friday and I hope you will do the same. Enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment