Ideas for staying in on Valentine’s Day
A cozy night in is always a good idea when you want a quiet evening at home. Whether you are celebrating with friends, family or loved ones, staying home to celebrate Valentine’s Day can be both rewarding and inexpensive. Adding extra elements of romance, the simplicity of a home cooked meal or chilling in from of the television is some of the best ways to enjoying being together.
Here’s some of our top ideas for ways to enjoy a Valentine’s Day dinner at home.
Ingredients: Find a favourite or something hard to get. Citrus is in season right now. Isaac at Say Cheese Fromagerie in the Crossroads market always has something unique. Farmers markets are a great place to find special ingredients – plus you’re shopping local, which is very sexy.
Appetizers: Not something we often do at home – simple puffed pastry with feta or a charcuterie board are some ideas. Brie and Banquet does gorgeous charcuterie and even has vegan options.
Pairings: Visit a locally owned liquor store and have their experts help you pair something with your planned meal. Kensington Wine Market, or Rocky Mountain Wine, Spirits and Beer has experts and some harder-to-find wines and beers that your sweetie might enjoy.
Special Cocktail/Mocktail: Also something we don’t often do at home, you can buy cocktail kits that have all of the ingredients for something special ready to go. Crafty Cocktails, Cocktail Club and Spirits with smoke can hook you up. If you don’t drink, Calgary’s got some great local zero-proof ready-to-drink cocktails and you can use alcohol-free spirits in your cocktails as well.
Something Challenging: Showing some effort is romantic. Do try a practice run first though…you don’t want a flopped souffle on Valentine’s Day.
Reminiscing: Create a menu from your honeymoon destination – do Mexican if you were in Mexico, or seafood if you were in Hawaii. You could also recreate your first date by making what you had at the restaurant.
Make something together: If you don’t often cook together, give it a go on Valentine’s Day. Something that is tactile is a great way to bring you together in the kitchen, like pizza dough. Try making each other a pizza using your sweetie’s favourite ingredients.
Something Interactive/Finger Food: Fondue, or assemble-yourself fajitas or something of the like can get all of the senses going and maybe even some messy fingers to lick off. A chocolate fondue is an excellent excuse for finger licking.
Blindfolded Taste Test: Feeding your partner is always romantic, do it blindfolded and suddenly there’s a sense of adventure to get the heart racing. Do keep in mind their likes and dislikes…now is not the time to be funny.
Knowing your Partner: Sometimes it’s as simple as knowing what your partner’s favourite food is and making that. Sometimes it’s a guilty pleasure like Kraft Dinner or their grandma’s apple pie recipe. There’s nothing more romantic than knowing and remembering the little things that make your partner happy.
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