VALENTINES DAY
Guide to a Night In
I LOVE Valentines Day!! (I love making a big deal out of every holiday—but there’s something so fun about all the over-the-top red + pink-ness of February 14th)!!
If your valentines plans this year include a “night in” instead of going out, here are a few fun ideas to make the day special! Keep reading for ideas on What to eat, what to do, what to wear, and what to gift!
WHAT TO EAT
Whether you go fancy, or festive, or casual— set the scene with table settings to match the vibe of your holiday meal! Put a box of candy hearts by each plate, or get a flower arrangement, or hang up some paper hearts, or use fancy glasses and dishes… go as big or as simple as you want but it’s fun to make things fun!
Ideas for Red + White dining
All growing up, and still today, my mom did a “Red and White Dinner” where all of the food on the table had to be red or white from the entree to desert! It was such a fun tradition that we always looked forward to!
Breakfast/Brunch : *Liege Waffles (like the ones from waffle love.. you can make them ahead of time, and they are so special and yummy!) include toppings in the color scheme like Strawberries, raspberries, white chocolate chips, whipped cream, raspberry syrup, *buttermilk syrup, red and white sprinkles, sliced bananas….you could also use those same toppings on something a little different like fluffy Japanese Pancakes!
Some Ideas for sides are fried or boiled eggs (no yolks if you want to reallllly stay true to theme) sour dough or white bread toast, bacon, ham, cream of wheat cereal, oatmeal….
Casual/Lunch: Grilled cheese (with white cheese) and tomato soup on the side, white *chicken chili (my fav), chicken salad sandwiches, or home-made personal pizzas (get a bunch of toppings, let people make their own—bonus points if you make them heart shaped)!
Fancy/Dinner: Entree options could be pasta with marinara or alfredo sauce, steamed lobster tails, *sheet pan bruschetta chicken breast (or really any chicken breast variation), grilled shrimp or *honey walnut shrimp. For sides you could do rice, mashed potatoes, beets (my fav), frog eye salad, steamed or roasted cauliflower, tomatoes with fresh mozzarella, melted raclette cheese (over bread, potatoes, prosciutto, veggies, etc), a charcuterie board
For desert: *Cheesecake topped with cherries or strawberries, pound cake topped with berries and cream, tapioca or vanilla pudding, any cake/cupcake of the white or pink or red-velvet variety, sugar cookies, cherry chip ice cream. vanilla bean ice cream (could be served with berry syrup on top), creme brulee if you have a blow torch on hand
Other ideas for fun holiday dining (not necessarily red and white foods, but dress it up with your table setting, displaying or serving things in heart shapers, etc).
Fondu: Cheese for meat, potatoes, bread, crackers, and veggies and Chocolate for fruit, cinnamon bears, marshmallows, and small pieces of pound cake
PROTIP: I bought these cute fondu warmers on amazon to make it festive and fun—They are now sold out, but I’ll link some similar ones that if you order now with prime will make it in time! You can also do fondu in a small crock pot, or in a double boiler on the stove!
my sold out fondu set
Ideas for what to eat if you don’t want to cook- Lots of local restaurants are offering “take home valentines day dining” I’ll list some that are local to where I live in Utah!
Gourmandise Bakery is doing take home steak dinners— there is some cooking to be done but it’s all prepped to make your work in the kitchen as minimal as possible Find it HERE
Grapefruit and Thyme is baking up some yumminess for you to take home— a “lovers box” includes 1 savory pie, 1 sweet pie, a ceasar salad, and a soda syrup find more info HERE
Taste in provo offers their afternoon tea service to go! pick up the sweetest boxed up afternoon tea
Papa Murphey’s Does heart shaped pepperoni pizzas you can pick up on Saturday and have ready to throw in the oven for an easy-peasy festive meal!
WHAT TO DO
If you’re staying home…
Cook Together…. or bake… or both!
Whatever you’re eating, make it together, cooking class style! Make an activity out of it! Or if cooking together isn’t your thing, make some heart shaped cookies (have them baked ahead of time if you want a “decorating only” type of activity)
Movie Night
Pick the movie ahead of time, or at least 1-2 options so you don’t spend the night deciding what to watch (maybe buy a new one ahead of time, or rent one to stream). Set a “show time” and make it special with a “concession stand” filled with your lover’s favorite treats, some home popped popcorn, and a “no phones” rule. We have this “home made” microwave popcorn bowl that we. LOVE you can add as much butter as you want just like at the theater! get it on amazon HERE (order asap for it to make it in time!)
Game Night
If you have family or friends that will be included in your holiday celebration, some games we love to play with groups are:
If you want a more romantic take on game night try these games for couples:
Make a home-made game (memory made with pics of you and your love…etc)
Valentine Exchange
Yep…just like elementary school:) It can be fun to do with friends, just with you and your love, or for a family party! Especially if you have kids at your house, who might not be getting the normal school valentine experience due to Covid, make some mailboxes (turn it into a holiday activity if you want, or have people bring their own, or keep it simple and set out some paper bags) and have everyone in the family bring valentines to pass out! They can be home made, or store bought, whatever people want to do!
WHAT TO WEAR
You can dress it up, or dress it down—whether there’s just two of you celebrating, or the whole fam, it’s fun to have a “dress code” for your party!
Make it a PJ party (goes well with a Red + White Brunch or a movie night)
Make it a color scheme theme (everyone has to wear red, white, or pink clothing to dinner or for the whole day)
Make it a formal affair, tell everyone to dress their best for dinner— there’s no reason you can’t be fancy just because you’re at your own house!
Make it sexy—get something fun to wear, like these valentines sets from Chantel Lauren
WHAT TO GIFT
I love to do little things for all the valentines in my life—it’s the cheesy puns and cute presentation for me…;)
For Galentines: If you’ve got the best girlfriends and/or sisters around, they’ll love getting a little valentine from you!
Scrunchies in on theme colors paired with a cherry chapstick or a box of candy hearts
Pick a candy (like Extra gum, or sweethearts, or anything you can plan a pun around) print out a note that makes the treat make sense and voila! you’ve got a perfect little valentine to pass out to your friends!
cookies, baked goods, or balloons are great for neighbors, friends, and family members you want to share some love with this month! You can make them yourself or pick them up from a local shop!
For HIM or HER or YOURSELF
Some Manly soap like this Dr Squatch Brand Men’s Soap Bars
favorite treats
boudoir photos— follow these links for more info on taking boudoir, and gifting it!
Flowers From a Local Shop, many florists will do valentines bouquet specials!
Love Notes in a creative way (love pills, Paper hearts cut out, sticky notes on the mirror or car or bedroom door)
something small and cozy like socks or slippers
PRO TIP
Valentines day is a great opportunity to make others around you feel special and loved and thought of—if you have time to think outside of your normal “valentines” —Grandmas, Aunts, Neighbors, Teachers, Service Providers, or even your mailman. are all people who would probably be tickled pink by a surprise valentine from you! You could even buy a box of cheap ones from the store and leave them with people around your life that might not be in your immediate circle.
You can find all recipes linked above, plus more valentines ideas on my Pinterest boards:) click HERE to to to pinterest
