Monday, December 31, 2012

Cooking Dinner on Valentine’s Day

Many couples celebrate Valentine’s Day by going out to eat at a special restaurant. In fact so many couples do this on Valentine’s Day that getting a table at a highly sought after restaurant will likely involve making reservations well in advance and restaurants which do not take reservations may require long waits to be seated on Valentine’s Day. However, couples who are looking for a change of pace on Valentine’s Day can try cooking their own dinner on Valentine’s Day. This article will provide some basic tips for cooking dinner on Valentine’s Day and will also provide some ideas for making the activity of cooking more unique.

The most important tip we can offer for those who are planning to cook dinner on Valentine’s Day is to keep the meal simple. This does not mean you have to serve something boring. Rather it means you should plan on cooking a meal which is not overly complicated or difficult to make. This is important because if you plan a meal which is too difficult you may spend too much time in the kitchen working on the meal and not enough time enjoying the results of your efforts with your loved one.


Another great tip for cooking dinner on Valentine’s Day is to make sure the meal you select is one your partner will enjoy. When selecting the meal, consider your partners personal preferences as well as allergies or any dietary restrictions. This will help to ensure you are cooking a meal which both you and your partner can enjoy. For example a steak dinner may seem romantic but if your partner is a vegetarian she may not appreciate this type of meal.

If you are planning to cook dinner on Valentine’s Day, you should also purchase all the ingredients ahead of time. This will help to ensure you are not scrambling at the last minute to find a few hard to find ingredients. It will also help to alleviate a great deal of stress which could occur if you find yourself unable to find some of the key ingredients and having to make substitutions. However, if you plan ahead and buy all of your ingredients a day or two in advance, you do not have to worry about rushing around on Valentine’s Day to get everything ready and can spend more time preparing for the meal by prepping vegetables or making dishes ahead of time.

You might also want to consider asking your partner to help you cook the meal on Valentine’s Day. This is a fun way to make the act of cooking dinner a way for the two of you to spend some additional quality time together. If you are planning an elaborate meal, you and your partner can work together to make sure everything turns out great. Even if you are planning a simple meal, you will still enjoy the time you get to spend together and will likely enjoy the meal even more because you cooked it together.

One way to make cooking dinner together more like a date is to plan on taking a cooking class together on Valentine’s Day. You and your partner can sign up to take a class together where you will learn a new style of cooking. You will both learn something and you will get to spend some time together making the meal. Furthermore, you will likely be able to bring the meal you made home to share. This means you will not only have a great meal but you will have had a great time making the meal together. This is a great idea for couples who are on a first date because it can be a real ice breaker. During the class you will be involved with working together and following the instructions. Afterwards you will have a great deal to talk about because you will automatically have something in common. You can share your thoughts on the class or even stories about the mistakes you made while in class.

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Celebrating Valentine’s Day Apart

There are a number of reasons why a couple may find themselves spending Valentine’s Day apart. Couples who are in a long distance relationship, business trips, shifts which prevent couples from being together, sickness and family emergencies are just a few examples of reasons why a couple may find themselves spending Valentine’s Day apart. While you may certainly understand the reasons why you and your loved ones cannot be together on Valentine’s Day it does not make it any easy to deal with this situation. You may still feel sad and lonely if you find yourself in one of these situations. However, there is home for those who are spending Valentine’s Day apart from their loved ones, there are a few ways for making the day a lot more fun. This article will provide information on ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day apart in a number of different scenarios.


First we will consider the case of a couple who is in a long distance relationship. For this couple, they may be used to spending important days such as Valentine’s Day, anniversaries and other holidays apart so it may not be as difficult for them to deal with. However, there are ways this couple can still celebrate Valentine’s Day together. One way to do this is to both rent the same movie and watch it while on the phone together. This may run up your phone bill but if you have unlimited evening minutes you and your partner can chat away on your cell phones while you watch the movie together. You might even consider both ordering the same type of food such as pizza or Chinese food so you will feel even more together for a little while.

Next we will consider a couple who finds themselves spending Valentine’s Day apart do to an unexpected business trip. This can be particularly difficult because the couple is not used to being apart on important days and likely did not have a great deal of time to prepare for spending the holiday apart. In this situation the couple should discuss Valentine’s Day as soon as they realize they are going to be spending the holiday apart. While discussing it they can decide whether they want to celebrate before they separate or after they are reunited. It is also important for the couple to try to at least have some contact on Valentine’s Day even if it is over the phone or through email. This will allow the couple to feel like they are together in some way so they don’t get too lonely. Having flowers delivered to your loved one while you are separated is also a very thoughtful gesture.

Finally, we will consider the case of a couple who cannot spend Valentine’s Day together because one or both of them does work which involves odd shifts. This could include doctors, firefighters, police officers or a variety of other professions. Individuals in this type of situation are probably used to their odd schedule and making time to be together outside of working hours. In this case the best way to deal with being apart on Valentine’s Day is to plan on celebrating together when it is more convenient. This may not seem like the most romantic option but sometimes it is important to remember that you love your partner every day of the year and you don’t have to be together on Valentine’s Day to prove your love for each other.

Celebrating Valentine’s Day a Day Late

There are many couples who enjoy celebrating Valentine’s Day but are often annoyed or stressed out when they try to celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14th. This is because one of the most popular ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day is by going out to dinner. This can lead to overcrowding and long waits to be seated. Some restaurants do not take reservations and even the ones that do often have difficulty honoring these reservations when there are huge crowds on Valentine’s Day. As a result there are many couples who opt to celebrate Valentine’s Day by going out to dinner a day or two late or even a day or two early. There is nothing wrong with this and it can often result in a much more relaxing Valentine’s Day celebration simply because it is taking place on the 13th or the 15th of February instead of the 14th. This article will provide some information on celebrating Valentine’s Day a day late.

If you are planning to take your partner out to dinner to celebrate Valentine’s Day but are having trouble making reservations you might consider making your reservations for the day after Valentine’s Day or for the first weekend after Valentine’s Day. This will give you many additional options and will help to make your planning easier. However, if this is what you are planning you should probably also consult your partner to make sure celebrating a day late or even a few days late will not be disappointing to your partner. This is an important factor to consider because there are many who are very adamant about going out to celebrate on Valentine’s Day and may be extremely disappointed if plans are made for a day late.


If your partner will be extremely disappointed about celebrating Valentine’s Day, it might be a good idea to alter the plans rather than delaying them. For example if you want to avoid having to wait more than an hour for a table at a fancy restaurant, try cooking a great meal for your partner instead. You will still be celebrating in a really fun way but you won’t have the stress of dealing with a crowded restaurant.

Sometimes it is not merely a matter of convenience which makes it necessary to celebrate Valentine’s Day a day or two late. You or your partner may have an unusual work schedule which would make getting together on Valentine’s Day extremely difficult. For example doctors often work a few long shifts per week which can interfere with Valentine’s Day plans. If you or your partner is in this type of situation it is best to discuss Valentine’s Day ahead of time and figure out what will work best for the two of you. You might decide it would be a good idea to celebrate few days late or you may even agree to just exchange cards for Valentine’s Day. Whatever you decide you should make sure it is a decision which makes you both happy.

Finally, if you and your partner are planning to celebrate Valentine’s Day a day or two late it is important to remember that you should still treat your celebration with all of the excitement and enthusiasm as you would if you were celebrating on the 14th of February. For example if you would buy a new dress, get your nails done or get your hair done for Valentine’s Day you should still go ahead and do these things even if you are celebrating Valentine’s Day late. It will help to make the celebration feel more fun and exciting.