by Anne Sanders

Created on: February 22, 2010

Valentine’s Day is a day for lovers and for lovers of food.  Besides all the couples that spend the evening dining out together, many choose to stay in and enjoy a special night at home.  After all, what says love better than caring enough to make a meal cooked especially for your better half? Making a special meal for your loved one doesn’t have to be hard, if you know some easy but alluring ways to say “I love you” from the kitchen. 

Morning Surprise

Evening is when we usually have the most time to spend on a meal, but if you’re in the mood, surprise your sweetie with a breakfast of heart shaped pancakes or French toast, if that’s what your love prefers. Pancakes can be flavored with a mashed banana and cinnamon, cocoa and sugar, chocolate chips or blueberries.  Put them right in the batter and then pour it into a heart shaped cookie cutter. You can also just shape the batter by pouring the right and left side of a heart and pouring less slowly into the pan as you get to the point at the bottom.  If all else fails, cut into hearts after the pancakes are done.

French Toast can be cut into heart shapes, using a cookie cutter or a butter knife, but do it before dunking it in your egg coating.  Don’t forget almonds and vanilla or almond extract in the French toast egg mix with plenty of cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg.  A nice touch of red for Valentine’s Day is strawberry or raspberry flavored syrup, which is easily made by putting one part jam with one part syrup and microwaving for a minute or two.

Roast your favorite flavored coffee to wake up your love with the rich scent.  Whipped cream is a must for the meal and if you buy the can instead of the tub, you can put a dollop in your lover’s mouth when he awakes along with a kiss.  Put some on the pancakes or French toast if there’s any left.  To round out the meal, add bacon or sausage. Lastly, cut up some kiwi or cantaloupe and throw in some strawberries or raspberries and purple grapes for a splash of color.

Evening Delight

When cooking a special evening meal, choose between elaborate and easy, or a combination of both.  For an appetizer or main course, seafood has the reputation of being an aphrodisiac and in most cases, it’s easy and fast to cook. Choose shrimp or oysters for little or no preparation as you can buy the oysters raw and ready to be popped in your mouth. Shrimp takes mere

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