Delicious Ways To Celebrate Your Valentine at Home
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Fun & Simple Chocolate Waffles the Perfect Valentine’s Day Breakfast!
What do Chocolate and Valentine’s Day have in common? Everything!!! Call me a hopeless romantic but my absolute favorite day of the year is Valentines Day. Champagne, chocolate, roses, and hundreds of renditions of "My Funny Valentine" (Rodgers & Hart circa 1937 from the musical Babes in Arms) playing throughout the day. From Frank Sinatra to Chaka Khan, Ella Fitzgerald to Big Muff, Paul Brown jazz guitar, every genre of music imaginable! What could be better than that! Needless to say, we make it a day of culinary traditions. I like to set a fun, whimsical and romantic table to set the mood, then we start the day with strawberries and champagne and a chocolate inspired Valentine’s Breakfast, Chocolate Waffles! Super chocolatey, crispy on the outside, surprisingly light and spongy on the inside, with whipped mascarpone cream & pure maple syrup, a decadently delicious way to start the day!
Valentine’s Day is synonymous with Chocolate, so I thought I would share some of my favorite Fun & Simple Chocolate Delights! Baked Chocolate Donuts, Decadent Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes, a Flourless Chocolate Torte with Cabernet Glaze, a lusciously light and airy Chocolate Mousse, Dark Chocolate, Sea Salt, Caramel Cakes, and my rich Chocolate Souffle. Simply click on the photos for the recipes!
About drinking champagne…the glass actually does matter! I love the Coupe, classic, nostalgic, elegant and romantic, but not good for bubbles if you are a big fan of keeping your bubbly, bubbly. The Flute is perfect for young Champagne and great for keeping the bubbles. The Tulip is my second fav…perfect for mature Champagne (aged to the point where it will not gain further complexity by continuing to store) and believe it or not a regular Wine Glass is ideal for high end more complex Champagne varieties. In addition to being festive and delicious, champagne also has some major health benefits, in moderation of course. Scientists say that drinking 3-4 glasses of champagne per week may actually help us live longer! Not only is it heart healthy, just as good as red wine, it improves circulation and may reduce the risks of cardiovascular disease. Champagne is low in calories compared to other wine varieties and according to a study at the University of Reading (and others) champagne can boost brain health and help prevent dementia and memory loss. Full of antioxidants, bubbles are great for your skin and skin tone. As if I needed another reason to love champagne!
Lily Bollinger said it best, “I only drink champagne when I’m happy and when I’m sad. Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I’m not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise, I never touch it, unless I’m thirsty.”
A perfect compliment to champagne on Valentine’s Day is my Lobster Cocktail, also delicious with fresh shrimp, and a wonderful beginning to a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner at home. So simple and can be prepared a day ahead of time, just put it together when you are ready to serve. This simple, yet sophisticated and decadent appetizer could just as well be an elegant meal, served in a martini glass alongside a nice chilled glass of bubbly, I can’t think of a more beautiful way to start...or finish! You can boil the lobsters yourself, or have your fish monger steam them for you, making it even more simple to prepare.
Shall we move on to a Fun & Simple romantic dinner for two? This Chateaubriand is sure to woo your Valentine, serve with your favorite Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon, the quintessential dish for two!
Chateaubriand for Two! The quintessential Valentine’s Day Dinner
So, that’s it! My idea of the perfect Valentine’s Day at home! Of course, it’s all about the food, lots of champagne and chocolate, all while enjoying Your Funny Valentine.
Me and My Funny Valentine at home in Hilton Head.
