Last week a friend asked me which of two very high-end restaurants in New York he should pick for a date with his wife that night. I gave my opinion and asked what they were celebrating.
"Valentine's Day; we go before the rush."
That's really smart, I thought. I made a joke about buying roses early too, before they double in price. Then I got to thinking about what is all means anyway.
Eating is one of the most intimate acts there is, so it makes sense that we arrange our romantic schedules around it. It also makes sense that when we really want to focus on each other, we go out to dinner and let someone else chop the onions and wash the dishes. However, there's a bunch of pressure attached to a big meal out on Valentine's Day: the multi-course pre-fixe menus, forced violin serenades, and overpriced flowers, it's just not my ideal of a perfect romantic experience.
To me, cooking a meal for someone and feeding it to them is the ultimate in food intimacy. You can use your hands, take your time, and get messy. You can put your knife down and kiss. You can get up in the middle of the meal and dance.
How many of you will cook tonight? I wonder if you'll let your mascara run as you chop onions, and let your honey wrap their arms around you from behind as you wash the dishes together. Or maybe you'll leave them for the morning.
Whomever you love -- your lover, your brother, your daughter or your mother -- I hope you can share food with them in some way today. It's an offering of love, from the deepest place, as it is every single time you cook.
Happy Valentine's Day from all us home cooks at The Kitchn.
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I'm the primary cook, and I cook dinner about 6 nights a week. I'm trying to find a good, out-of-the-ordinary recipe that my spouse and I can cook together tonight! What is everyone else cooking?
My husband and I are flipping a coin between one of these two home cooking options:
http://americanwater.blogspot.com/2013/02/valentines-dinner.html
Valentine is really a bad night to eat out, overcrowded...food is rushed and often not good...
On the flowers ....next week is better..
I'm actually making the Chicken Marsala recipe from this website as my Valentine's dinner. I've never made it before, but it looks tasty, and I'm going to serve it with roast vegetables. I'm going to do a spinach salad with thinly sliced strawberries, almond slivers, and a raspberry vinaigrette as a side.
Shakshuka! I think gooey eggs in firey tomato sauce is a perfect Valentines day meal. With chocolate brownies for dessert!
Absolutely agree! I'll be cooking a tomato pesto risotto or the arugula prosciutto recipe you posted here.
Really looking forward to a relaxing night at home with my handsome Valentine!
Happy Valentine's day to everyone!
I will be making spaghetti. I guess we could eat off the same plate like in the Disney Classic "Lady and the Tramp." Being married 16 years, I can say with out a doubt, we will be eating off our own plates.
We're going to go pretty simple on the main course: a beautiful New York Strip with Brussels Sprouts Roasted With Garlic and Pancetta and cheesy Aligot Potatoes. But we're going to start the evening with Buckwhat Blinis and caviar.
I made Chicken Marsala, as well, with Tomatoes Provençal, Sautéed Mushrooms, and Homemade Honey Rolls. For dessert I'll make Lava Chocolate Cakes with a dollop of whipped cream. (I'm speaking in passed tense, except for dessert, because I live in Europe.) I agree that a homemade meal is more intimate. My husband loves food and I love to cook. AND he does the dishes. What more can you ask for! :)
This is our 13th Valentine's Day and the first time ever one of us is not cooking for the other. This year we are getting a catered meal that we can reheat and eat at home from a family business that has outstanding food. We have never gone out for this holiday. Today's schedule just doesn't allow time for us to cook so we're trying something new that still allows us to enjoy each other in the comfort of our home. We cook every night of the week except Thursdays. That's usually leftover night. :-)
this was beautiful
Lamb stew with leeks and vanilla cupcakes for dessert with as much chocolate frosting as my husband wants!
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Lamb-Stew-with-Leeks-and-Baby-Artichokes-235156
http://www.countryliving.com/recipefinder/cooked-chocolate-frosting
We love staying in for Valentine's Day. We've started a tradition of fondue every year, starting with traditional Swiss. Every year we try something new. Last year was a bit of a flop with basically all bleu cheese (too powerful), but it was worth the laughs. Toasting fondue forks and watching a nice rom com are just so nice and relaxing. I usually make the Better Homes and Gardens checkered cookbook pudding cake to go with.
We are a young couple and this is the first year we are living together. We are both looking forward to staying in and cooking. We will have cheese filled ravioli with a pumpkin sauce with smashed garlic potatoes. I can not wait to try the tuxedo cake for dessert! !!
Usually we go out to a fancy dinner on Valentines Day, but this year we decided to save some money while still having a decadent dinner. I will be making NY strip steaks topped with the crawfish dip posted a few weeks ago (http://www.thekitchn.com/appetizer-recipe-rich-creamy-crawfish-dip-recipes-from-the-kitchn-183197?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Kitchn%20020113%20-%20Recipe%20Roundup&utm_content=Kitchn%20020113%20-%20Recipe%20Roundup+CID_cee3754edba3f0221415921776601712&utm_source=email_newsletter&utm_term=Creamy%20Crawfish%20Dip). A surf and turf if you will. For dessert I will be making Negra Pasilla Chili Chocolate covered Strawberries based off of this recipe (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/claire-robinson/chili-chocolate-covered-strawberries-recipe/index.html). I will be posting how it turned out on my blog tomorrow (http://alexandrassavorykitchen.blogspot.com/).
Honestly we don't do much in the way of a "romantic" dinner as we have 3 teenage boys and typically have something going on whether it be indoor track practice, swim practice or possibly a swim meet. This year no one has to work, no practices... just homework (term papers & a couple of tests tomorrow) so I will make homemade pizza. Dessert will probably be hot fudge pudding w/ vanilla ice cream and sliced strawberries. Afterwards I'll wash dishes and we might watch a movie or play a game as a family! We don't get very many dinners together as a family any longer due to work schedules and sports so I enjoy them all the more when we do get them. This time next year our eldest will be gone and the middle one will be a senior.... I plan to enjoy these times as much as I can because I know we only have a few more months before we'll be in different hemispheres, let alone just different countries.
I am going to do my best to recreate a pasta carbonara dish that my husband loves that he had on a vacation we took a few years ago. Serving that with a simple green salad and homemade brownies with a homemade caramel sauce. Will probably try a carbonara recipe shared recently on The Kitchn. Last year I made a crab, chile, lemon and mint pasta dish that we enjoyed (we are clearly not low-carb types!) http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2012/01/linguine-with-crab-lemon-chile-and-mint Definitely agree that cooking at home is the way to go!
We're celebrating Valentine's Day this weekend.
These super quick cinnamon roll hearts will be making an appearance
http://www.cookingatcafed.com/2012/02/these-are-not-perfect.html
Green Curry Mussels and Lemon Tarts. We've spent over thirty Valentine Days together, and only a few of those were at a restaurant. Home cooking on that day is better IMO.
My husband and I are going out of town for a long weekend tomorrow, so we really aren't doing much tonight-we'll celebrate this weekend. Typically I do make us a nice romantic dinner at home. Tonight's dinner isn't actually fancy at all though, just something my husband absolutely loves, Buffalo Chicken Tacos. Might not be too romantic, but what better way to express love than with a favorite meal of any kind?
http://www.preventionrd.com/2011/07/buffalo-chicken-tacos-mr-ps-nachos/
The Fella and I have a longstanding Valentine tradition: homemade pizza and horror movies in the dark. We both prefer dinner at home to the bustle of a restaurant on Valentine's Day.
But as it turns out, The Fella has to work tonight, so we're postponing Valentine's Day until his day off next week so we can reeeeeally relax and enjoy it.
Steak! We love steak and even though it's not really a "treat" because we don't save it for special occasions, it's just delicious and decadent enough that we usually have it for Valentine's Day, which we don't celebrate or go out for but like to at least acknowledge between each other.
We just celebrated our 34th anniversary in January and my honey is still very romantic. Not just today but all through the year. I will make all his favorites because I love to cook and love my cooking being appreciated. So it is Rib Eye steaks with brown butter and garlic sauce, sauteed green beans with mushrooms and garlic whipped potatoes. YES, we both LOVE garlic (we grew it ourselves!) so kissing is still on the table! German chocolate cake for dessert if we get that far. I'll be leaving the clean up until morning. My hubby will surprise me with something he knows I love, something vintage, or a gorgeous round object for my garden etc... No dozen roses for me please! Happy Valentines everyone.
We got a babysitter and went out to our favorite local restaurant on Sunday night for our V Day celebration.
Tonight I'm making lamb kofta and zucchini. For dessert, my daughter and I made a cherry pie with cut-out pastry hearts on top instead of lattice. Looks so pretty!
Filet with asparagus and a cab. Dark Choc-o-love bar for dessert. Simple. Easy. and then we can go out next week to a restaurant, if we want to - no need to fight the amateurs tonight.
I definitely cook a meal that I try to make special.
Tonight it will be this roasted feta and fig appetizer, these pink goat cheese hearts in a salad from Joy the baker , these black bean and butternut squash burritos, and as the finale, this cake - chocolate with red wine - from smitten kitchen. I did all the time consuming steps last night. It will be my 33rd valentine's day with my sweetheart.
I'm making cornish game hens! They were on mega sale after Christmas and have been sitting in my freezer ever since. Should be interesting, I've never made them before.
They're going with mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts, and wine.
i have no idea what i am making for dinner, but there will be butter fudge cake (cut into heart-shaped pieces) with strawberry ice cream for dessert!
Home cooking for us tonight too. Grilled steak + asparagus, roasted potatoes, sauteed onions and mushrooms, and chocolate lava cakes for dessert; + candles.
We're waiting til Saturday to do our Valentine's Day meal so that we can take our time and make something delicious. We're going to take some inspiration from our Maine honeymoon: oysters for appetizer, lobster for the entree, and grilled blueberry muffins for dessert. Plus, a bottle of champagne we got at our wedding will be opened. I'm definitely looking forward to it!
homemade (even the pasta!) lasagna, because why not something that takes time and energy to show I care? =)
Did you see this on David Lebovitz site today?
This article was so beautifully written, it brought tears to my eyes. My husband and I are in our 70's and tonight, when we have dinner at home, we are going to get up and dance. What a wonderful idea!
We're going to make salmon because it feels more special than our typical chicken or beef. Don't know what will go with it yet, though!
Whatever you decide to cook, make it healthy! No sugar, white flour, processed foods or rice or potatoes. You'll feel a lot better after the meal.
Thursday is usually our "take-out" night, but we are making an exception for Valentine's. My husband went to Chinatown yesterday and got two bags full of lobster and snow crab legs. I was feeling mildly guilty about all this cholesterol so I picked up a head of broccoli. So lobster, crab legs, butter, and broccoli is our menu! Can't wait!
I am the main cook so tonight as a Valentine's day meal I am taking the night off and we bought some nice cheese to have with bread and wine. I am very much looking forward to it.
Aren't you the romantic!!. I believe a good time can be enjoyed at home if you create a high-end restaurant setting, cook your love's favourite meal and some. He will no doubt enjoy it more. It is saying you really care and do not want to be caught up in the hype
I am cooking in tonight - well trying to share with my boyfriend. My honey always wraps his arms around me while I am trying to wield a sharp knife....lol not the best time to do it.
I am making almost the exact same menu! Great minds ;)
My fiance and I have been together for 6 1/2 years, and since we're a young couple we've never had a lot of extra cash to blow on V-day. Our tradition has always been cooking together and renting a movie (not necessarily romantic - one year we watched There Will Be Blood!). We're making homemade pizza too! This recipe:
http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-prosciutto-and-arugula-pizza-178350
Can't recommend it enough!
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzvydg1Wgd1r5jtugo1_250.gif
My husband and I are away from home doing our week of home care for his Mom. He will fire up the grill for his fav -- hamburgers! -- and I have a Mardi Gras cake and coleslaw all ready made.
Eating out on Valentine's Day usually means prix fixe menu with inflated prices, crowded restaurants and rushed service. We usually celebrate it by going out a day early, and I cook a fancy 3-course meal at home on the day of. Has been working out great.
That being said, I'm still researching a menu for tonight. A little unprepared on my part this year....
We go to White Castle for Valentine's Day...they require reservations, have table service and serve the sliders by candlelight...seriously! No $200 tab for indifferent food, we pay $20 max for our indifferent food and leave a nice tip:)
We even did this before we had kids, but it is extra-special to make a family night out of it now. Plus if some fries end up on the floor, no one bats an eye. There are always a bunch of elderly couples at the Castle for Valentine's Day, they make me smile.
Happy Valentine's Day to all amzing staffs at the Kitchn! Thanks for inspiring us all year long:-)
We're going out another night. Too crowded and too weeknighty for us to go out on a Thursday. We're making sweet potato and black bean tacos with lime cilantro slaw and chipotle crema. To make it more than an ordinary taco night, I baked off some lime coconut squares. Nothing fancy, but we'll enjoy it and each other.
I served my young daughter a berries and cream mini-parfait in a cordial glass before she got out of bed; we chatted about our day as she used a tiny spoon to eat and I sipped my coffee. We like to celebrate everyday, our way and today's holiday inspired me to do something new.
Our favorite turkey burger recipe at home, with a side of brussel sprouts. I may attempt a quick chocolate pudding recipe, but we are looking forward to a relaxing evening at home!
Going out tomorrow night for tapas, but tonight it's breakfast for dinner with heart shaped raspberry pancakes, eggs, and thick cut bacon. Yay.
It's our first V-Day as a married couple, so I've decided to start a tradition...Chinese takeout from our favorite place.
We're going out this weekend to celebrate instead.
Seared steaks, garlic parmasean pasta, veggie salad with home made balsamic dressing, and baked fruit for dessert, with good dark chocolate for my honey. I am not that into chocolate, but he lives for dark chocolate.
My son is actually cooking dinner tonight for his grandparents (my parents), his girlfriend and I. :-) He is making his own rocked-out version of mac 'n cheese. YUM!!!
My sweetie came home early from work with a migraine...:( I will still make dinner and perhaps between the dinner & Maxalt he will feel better. DInner is going to be BBQ'd salmon, garlic mashed and broccoli with lemon, parsley & parm on top - Yum!
Seared scallops and salmon, haricot verts.......and Oreos for dessert. Lame right? But a special treat nevertheless.
I'm the primary cook in our house, but at 8 months pregnant I'm feeling less and less motivated in the kitchen. Last night my husband made us delicious Chicken Fajitas (from the Cooks Illustrated Science of Cooking book he got me for Christmas). I played sous chef for a little while, then sat on the couch relaxing until the meal was ready. Chocolate fondue for dessert! <3
I'm the primary cook in our house, but at 8 months pregnant I'm feeling less and less motivated in the kitchen. Last night my husband made us delicious Chicken Fajitas (from the Cooks Illustrated Science of Cooking book he got me for Christmas). I played sous chef for a little while, then sat on the couch relaxing until the meal was ready. Chocolate fondue for dessert! <3
The very first time I made a "real" stew was on Valentine's Day six years ago. My daughter was a little baby, and we were broke. I wanted to make a romantic dinner for my husband, so I had some neighbors help me set up a little "cafe" on the tiny little back porch we had on our apartment. I actually used a staple gun and a whole bunch of duct tape to make a red satin canopy on that little stoop, and then I squeezed in a tiny table and a couple of chairs. I cooked all afternoon, and once the baby was in bed, I served him three courses out there. He was so excited about that beef stew that I have made it regularly ever since.
Here's my recipe: http://bit.ly/12lgMwu
We made spatzle, schnitzel, sauteed mushrooms and some white gravy. Topped it off with a german beer. Very tasty. An extra veggie would have been good, but time and burner space got the better of us.
My husband and I don't make a big deal of Valentine's Day -- our wedding anniversary is Feb. 5 so we do something fancy to celebrate that. No gifts allowed for V-Day -- just an exchange of nice cards with heartfelt messages. I hate, hate, hate the pressure that comes along with this holiday that tries to make men feel bad for not forking over $$ for jewelry, flowers, chocolates, etc., and makes many singletons feel crappy about their relationship status. I had many years of that, and it's stupid. I don't need an arbitrary holiday to acknowledge my loved ones -- I do that all the time! ...and now I will step down from my soapbox. ;)
That said, it's nice to have an excuse to spend the extra time to make a little fancier dinner than is our usual weeknight fare (my husband works long hours!). For V-Day, I made a nice dinner at home -- lamb ragu over polenta, prefaced by a simple arugula salad with lemon-dijon vinaigrette. Since we love a good cheese plate for dessert, we ended with the baked feta with fig compote that lazy_lurker had as an appetizer (thanks to the Kitchn for the great recipe -- I've sent it to a few foodie friends to try).
It was really quite lovely having some quiet time at home with my husband. We live in Manhattan and have plenty of opportunities to experience great food at great restaurants. No need to join the masses for special prix-fixe menus at over-busy restaurants on Feb. 14.