Old-Fashioned Valentine’s Day

I’m having an old fashioned Valentine’s Day this year. We won’t be solo, but will enjoy the otherwise silly holiday with some great friends who know what Valentine’s Day is all about – showing off how much you love your partner and your friends.

We’re going to shower the love on our friends this year by hosting a vintage Valentine’s Day dinner. We’ll start the meal with a modern twist on a familiar cocktail, the Sidecar. Giada De Laurentiis’ version is martini-style and loaded with, get this, Limoncello! It’s delicious and perfect alongside the Barefoot Contessa’s classic Cheese Puffs. We may also add some ham-wrapped jumbo shrimp, but that may force us to explode far sooner than need be, and that’s what dinner is for!

Our main course will include surf and turf – marinated rib eyes in red wine and lobster tails that have been poached in white wine and butter, lots of butter and a little parsley for old-style glitz. I couldn’t imagine a better accompaniment than a plump baked potato. This one will be topped with a sauté of sage and cream-blessed wild mushrooms.

Dessert will be welcome after a long break with some music, a fire and more wine. Our friends are going to make some rich chocolate clementine cups that involve some crazy good ingredients like chocolate (duh!), clementine juice and mascarpone cheese.

The decor will be quite simple. Maybe some candles and red roses? The fire will provide ample warmth and atmosphere. And perhaps will play a few old-fashioned board games like Monopoly or Scrabble? Or maybe we’ll have to upgrade there and hit the Wii…