Though this day of romance calls for beautiful dinners out at some of our favorite spots in town, but if you are like me and prefer a quiet dinner at home with your sweetie, or watching The Bachelor with 5 of your friends, take some tips from a few Food Network favorites.
Chopped host, Ted Allen, teamed with Robert Mondavi Private Selection to create a few ideas to help you get in touch with your sweetie using your 5 senses. Make pizza for your Valentine, though not the most elaborate it is supper easy. Head over to Jimmy’s and pick up some pizza dough and impress your date with your pie tossing abilities. Chocolate is a must on Valentine’s – make the house smell decadent with gooey, warm brownies that pair nicely with Mondavi’s Private Selection Meritage, a Bordeaux style blend with black cherry, licorice and chocolate. Make sure the atmosphere is elegant and inviting with candlelight, pictures of you and your sweetie, serve the wine out of a decanter or other beautiful container. Besides the tasty pizza, serve other bites to put you in the mood for love – oysters are a given, but figs and prosciutto are perfect bites to feed your mate. And of course, set the overall tone with great music, Chet Baker, Dianna Krall, Michael Buble or Marc Chon, all great for setting the mood.
If you are more inclined to have a group of friends over on Valentine’s Day, take some tips from another Food Network favorite and Celebrity Chef, Aaron Sanchez. Sanchez worked with Kahlua Liqueur, produced in the heart of Mexico, to help them create an entertaining pack for reconnecting with friends in your home. Getting friends together for dinner, drinks and conversation at home is the heritage of Veracruz, Mexico that Kahlua is built on; in partnering with Sanchez they have created “Delicioso Night In” to help friends and family bring this home. Sanchez put together these tips to help with entertaining in your home – create an inviting space with by toasting spices like cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and pepper to their smoking point; make tasting plates paired with miniature cocktails, like Kahlua and ginger ale with pork sliders with sesame seeds or a Kahlua, vodka and cream White Russian with butternut squash soup. Kahlua has a fantastic contest to give one lucky “Delicioso Night In” devotee a night in New York with three of their friends to have dinner created by Sanchez, then off to a stay in the birthplace of Kahlua, Veracruz, Mexico. More details here.
