The day of celebrating the ones you love has become quite mass marketed these days but you can still enjoy the prick of Cupid's arrow without the help of Hallmark or a large bouquet of roses...
My personal favourite way to spend Valentine's Day is enjoying time together and making each other something special rather than purchasing the common V-Day gifts, here are a few idea's for your sweetie if you're feeling crafty...
Home made chocolate dipped strawberries
These babies aren't as complicated to make as you may think:
All you need to do is get a pint of strawberries (or fruit of your choosing)
Bring a pot of water to a light simmer (do not boil or you will burn the chocolate)
Place a heat proof bowl atop the pot that fits sitting just above the water
Add chocolate chips or bakers chocolate (chopped) and continuously to stir until it melts completely
Lower the heat and dip the strawberries into the melted chocolate
Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and refrigerate them until the chocolate hardens
You can find a cute box (the loonie store's usually have small boxes or tins that work well)
Place each strawberry inside a cupcake liner and inside the box or container and viola,
Bring a pot of water to a light simmer (do not boil or you will burn the chocolate)
Place a heat proof bowl atop the pot that fits sitting just above the water
Add chocolate chips or bakers chocolate (chopped) and continuously to stir until it melts completely
Lower the heat and dip the strawberries into the melted chocolate
Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and refrigerate them until the chocolate hardens
You can find a cute box (the loonie store's usually have small boxes or tins that work well)
Place each strawberry inside a cupcake liner and inside the box or container and viola,
A delicious home made gift for your sweetheart!
Red, Red Wine
You can pair the strawberries with a nice wine as well.
One of my favourites is Ripassa (an italian wine) which you can buy for around $17 at most liquor stores but Lindeman's is another good option at $11 a bottle.
Dinner a la Maison (at Home)
I also like making a special dinner to share in the comfort and privacy of our home!
One of my personal favourite cuisine's is Italian and my favourite go to girl for recipes is Giada De Laurentis - check out the link below for her quick and easy
I like to serve it with shrimp, pan fried with butter, extra virgin olive oil and italian seasoning.
For an extra special touch set the table and add some candles for a centrepiece!
Scrapbooking
In place of buying a card from the drugstore I've taken to Scrapbooking.
A few years ago I started a special Scrapbook that I filled with a few pages that I created myself and gave it to D with the intention of adding to it every year.
It's a nice way to show you put thought and effort into something and also keep it more personal yet it's something you can both look back on and treasure for years to come!
Michaels craft store is a haven for scrap booking supplies but you can usually find great paper and accessories at Wal Mart or your local Dollar Store too!
Make a Mixed Tape (CD)
Kick It Oldschool ... or at least semi old school since cassette tapes are no longer around and create a mixed CD of music for your loved one, it can be romantic songs including one's that may hold meaning to you both or simply music that you know they will enjoy.
If you are above and beyond using CD's then you can also create a playlist for their Ipod.
The bottom line is not to stress out about making it "perfect" after all it's not about what you give or receive but about stopping to take the time to appreciate each other.
Happy Valentine's Day!
No comments:
Post a Comment