Staying at home for Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to mean Netflix and dinner on the couch. Whether you’re looking for a fun activity to do together or need some help with dinner inspiration, I’ve got you covered! Sharing some of my favorite at-home date ideas and easy but impressive dinner recipes to make your Valentine’s Day fun and cozy.
At-Home Date Activities
I love this idea because it gives me an incentive to try new wines. Plus, talking about wine is always interesting. When else can you say you’re getting hints of pine-crusted berries on the nose and a finish of warm mushroom soil? Whether silly or serious, wine tasting is just plain fun. There’s also the added level of sophistication by saying you’re “wine tasting” instead of straight-up drinking. (At least that’s what I tell myself!)
It’s cold in most of the country right now, but don’t let that deter you from this idea. Picnics don’t always have to happen outside! Jed and I have picnicked on the floor at home quite a bit.
Whenever we’ve moved to a new city, we would arrive before our furniture, which meant most meals were eaten on the floor for the first few days. Any time we celebrate an anniversary of living in a city, we commemorate it with an on-the-floor picnic. With the cats.
Make champagne cocktails
Pop the bubbly and have fun playing bartender with some of my favorite champagne cocktails!
Dinner Date Ideas
Looking to impress that special someone with your culinary skills but have no idea where to begin? No worries, I’ve got some easy, foolproof pasta recipes that are way more flavorful than they are difficult to make!
Why pasta? I used to not be domestic whatsoever and pasta was pretty much the only thing I could make without starting a fire. Even though I love to get in the kitchen now, pasta remains my go-to because I’m all for maximum flavor with minimal effort. If you want to go the extra mile, you could even make your own pasta, which is a fun at-home date idea, too! Just make sure you’ve got plenty of wine and patience.
My Go-To Pasta Recipes
Angel (Chicken) Pasta
For a long time, this was the only dish I could make successfully. The sauce is a dump-and-stir kind of concoction so you cannot mess it up. The recipe calls for chicken, but I prefer to make it with shrimp and/or smoked sausage. I think it’s more flavorful with this combo but it’s also really fantastic meatless!
Cacio e Pepe
There are only 5 ingredients. What could go wrong? My friend, Andrea, is an incredible chef and her cacio e pepe recipe is perfection. (Actually, all of her recipes are fantastic. If you don’t follow her, you should!)
Million-Dollar Spaghetti
This pasta is basically lasagna on steroids and made with spaghetti. You’re going to want seconds. Full disclosure, this dish is on the heavier side. So, you may want to eat light or have dessert first if you know what I mean. 😉
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