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 Show your family how much you treasure them with a home-cooked Valentine dinner!
Idea: Set each place setting with an individual card and treat. For home-baked recipes perfect for this special day, see our Valentine Treats section!
Décor and More
It’s just one day, and it’s oh-so special. No need to break the bank on store-bought decorations, though. Check out some terrific tips for a festive atmosphere in a snap!
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Scout out all the rooms in your home for anything red or pink: blankets, vases, framed prints, faux floral arrangements, hats, candles, books and the like.
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Group your gathered items where they have the most impact: in the foyer where front-door guests get a peek, in the dining room where you’ll dine together, and in the living room where you relax.
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Resurrect Grandma’s old lace tablecloth and doilies. This is the perfect time to use them!
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Have the kids make hearts from red and white paper doilies to hang on mirrors and windows. If you don’t have paper doilies on hand, make the hearts “snowflake style” from plain paper.
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Instead of a traditional tablecloth, gather a thin red blanket, clean pink sheet, or length of red or pink fabric and “snake” it along the center of the table. Add different styles of candle holders intermittently along the fabric trail. (Tip: Flatten fabric under candle holders for stability. For fire safety, use glass hurricanes or tall candlesticks to keep fabric away from open flames.)
 Fun Food Ideas
Any food can become Valentine fare with a little imagination! Try these ideas to transform regular recipes and ingredients into food custom tailored to the day!
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Color it! Use red at every opportunity with your meal: strawberries and cherries, red tomatoes and bell peppers, and red sauce on pasta all come together to make a stunning spread in red!
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Shape it! Shape your favorite pizza into a heart, form crescent roll dough into individual heart shapes before baking, mold refrigerated bread dough into heart-shaped bowls for soup or salad, top a pot pie with heart-shaped refrigerated pie crust, or add your family’s favorite casserole to a buttered heart-shaped cake pan for a big table wow!
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Draw it! Use diced red veggies or red sauce to spell “I Love You” or to draw a heart on an appetizer plate or casserole.
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Sprinkle it! Paprika or chili powder lightly sprinkled on refrigerated breadsticks gives them a Valentine blush!
Family Foods that Say I Love You
Start your meal by giving everyone an opportunity to say something they appreciate about another member of the family. Then delight ‘em with festive food selected just for the occasion! Here are some of our favorites:
Valentine Desserts
The dinner’s over – or is it? Don’t forget the best part! We’ve got loads of Valentine dessert ideas in our Valentine Treat section. Check it out!
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