At Home Date Dinner for Valentine's Day

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Not sure how to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year? I highly suggest making a ‘Simple but Special’ meal and having a lovely night at home! This can be as a family, with your sweetheart, or with some friends.

You can do this a number of ways depending on who you will be celebrating with. Here’s the basic formula.

Festive Tablecloth

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Candles

+

Simple but Special Homemade Meal

That’s it!

Let’s dig into it a bit more.

Festive Tablecloth + Candles—

You do not need to buy any new tablecloths or candles. Pull out something you have and find a way to make the setting festive—pinks and reds in most any combination work well, cut out a few paper hearts to layer under your centerpiece, maybe add a faux flower in a vase.

For the candles, you can use one big candle in the center, a bunch of taper candles in candlesticks, or anything in between. Again, you do not need to go buy anything new. Since it is one dinner, and meant to be a low-key night, don’t stress about it. It’s fun to pull together what you have and make something festive from it.

Simple but Special Homemade Meal—

What is a ‘Simple but Special’ homemade meal, you might be wondering? It’s something I’m hoping to talk more about on here, but basically it is a meal you wouldn’t normally make on a weeknight. It takes a bit more effort to prepare or maybe needs a long time to simmer. For our family, we love to make Homemade Spaghetti and Meatballs. It is not hard, but it does take a bit more time because it needs to simmer. The results are always amazing, and it feels special and a bit fancy.

A few other ideas that come to mind are

Any of these meals, served with a simple salad and maybe some French bread would make for a lovely meal!

In terms of dessert, you can make a cake or cookies, or to keep it simple, pick up a bar of high quality chocolate and divy it up accordingly. (These Hu chocolate bars are my absolute favorite, and they have no vegetable oils or lecithins in them!)

Other Thoughts / Variations—

For families, make sure to plan ahead with your meal so it will be ready when your family normally eats dinner. If there are things you can prep the night before, that would be a huge help. While you are cooking, enlist your spouse to entertain the kids for a bit to keep them from asking for 10,000 snacks while you are trying to concentrate :) or have your spouse help cook and put on a movie for the kids or maybe print out a few Valentines’s Day coloring pages they can work on before it’s time to eat. Definitely enlist the kids to help clear off and set the table. My daughter loves to pick the plates and silverware. My son loves to assign where everyone will sit. Ha!

For an at-home date with your spouse, put the kids to bed a bit early and have a later dinner just the two of you. It’s so nice to have time to talk together and connect, but it isn’t always feasible to get a babysitter. This is a great way to enjoy time together without going out. We try to have an at-home date on Friday nights. We feed the kids something simple—macaroni and cheese, peanut butter and jelly, spaghetti noodles with a jar of sauce, and then I put the kids to bed while my husband makes a special dinner. Then, we light candles and enjoy a meal with no one asking how much more they have to eat before they can be done. :) Wine or cocktails are a nice touch too.

For friends, enlist everyone to bring something for the meal. The host can make the main part of the dinner but have someone bring salad, someone bread, someone a dessert. If someone loves to decorate, assign them to the tabletop decor. If someone is your wine or cocktail connoisseur, put their talents to use. What are friends for if not to gather together for a special meal that everyone contributed toward. Light the candles and linger over dinner, or head to the living room to play a game or watch a movie.

I hope you have the most lovely, special Valentine’s Day at home this year!

Homemade Spaghetti and Meatballs

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Spaghetti is one of my favorite meals! This recipe is from Dylan’s grandmother, and it is amazing! It has come to be one of our family’s meals for special occasions—birthdays, Valentine’s Day, as well as Christmas Eve. I love to set a fancy Christmas Eve or Valentine’s Day table and dig into a plate of scrumptious spaghetti with homemade meatballs. There is nothing better!

This is from Valentine’s Day a few years ago, but I just love penelope’s face here. :)

Homemade Spaghetti & Meatballs

Sauce Ingredients

  • 1/2 onion, chopped

  • 2 cloves of garlic

  • 2 – 16 ounce cans of tomato sauce

  • 1 – 16 ounce can of tomato paste

  • 1 tablespoon sugar

  • 1 tablespoon oregano

  • 1 tablespoon basil

  • 1 tablespoon parsley

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

  • 1 – 2 bay leaves

  • Dash of Tabasco sauce

  • salt and pepper

  • 1 cup water

Meatball Ingredients

  • 3 slices of old bread soaked in 3/4 cup of water

  • 1/2 onion, chopped

  • 1 tablespoon parsley

  • 1.5 pounds of ground beef

  • 3 tablespoons of Parmesan Cheese, shredded

  • 1 egg

  • Salt and Pepper

For Serving

  • Thin Spaghetti Noodles

  • Parmesan Cheese

  • Salad and French Bread

Sauce & Meatball Directions

  • Before you start the sauce:

    • Put the bread slices into the bowl of your stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl) and cover with the 3/4 cup of water.

  • Make the sauce:

    • In a large pot, saute the onion and garlic in 1/4 cup of olive oil.

    • Add the rest of the sauce ingredients, stir to combine, cover the pot, and simmer for 30 minutes.

  • As the sauce is simmering, make the meatballs:

    • Give the bread a good stir, now that it is softened, to break it up.

    • Add all of the remaining meatball ingredients into your bowl with the bread. Gently mix until just combined.

    • Form into large meatballs. Set them on a cutting board or tray as you work.

  • After the sauce has simmered for 30 minutes:

    • Gently add the meatballs to the sauce. Just plop them in and put the lid back on.

    • Continue to simmer for 90 minutes to 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes or so to make sure it isn’t sticking to the bottom of your pan/burning. (If it doesn’t seem to be bubbling enough, turn it up just slightly. If it seems to be sticking on the bottom, turn the burner down slightly. Be very gentle as you stir the meatballs. You don’t want to break them.)

When you are ready to eat, boil the thin spaghetti noodles, drain, and divide into bowls. Serve with sauce and meatballs on top. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese to your heart’s content.

We love to make a fancy meal of this, so we usually have salad and warm french bread for a delicious meal!

I hope you love these Spaghetti and Meatballs as much as we do!

Thanksgiving Edit

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Image via Domino

To me, Thanksgiving is the exclamation mark on the Autumn season. A time to enjoy the bounty of the harvest and savor the last of the Fall leaves before we turn our attention to Christmas and the winter season.

In honor of my favorite holiday, I wanted to share a round-up of things to help as you get ready for your own Thanksgiving.

THe Menu—

First and foremost, I’ve got to share my go-to Thanksgiving Menu. I change things up here and there, but this is the basis for our meal each year. Sometimes tried and true is best!

Pie Crust Tips + Tricks

I’m hoping to make a Homemade Pumpkin Pie this year for our Thanksgiving gathering. I’ve been working on my pie crust throughout the year, and I recently came across a few helpful articles from King Arthur Baking—

  1. How to Make Pie Crust in Your Stand Mixer

  2. All Butter Pie Crust (because I don’t use vegetable shortening and don’t have access to a good source for Lard.)

  3. Pie Crust Decorating Basics / How to Crimp a Pie Crust (Video)

Other Dessert Ideas

We also usually make a Cheesecake for Thanksgiving because it’s my husband’s favorite, and it’s become a tradition.

And a few years ago I shared Thanksgiving Dessert Ideas If Pumpkin Pie Isn’t Your Thing. All of those options still look so tasty!

Decorating the Table

Moving right along to table decor. Aubergine/purple/magenta, as seen in the image at the top, will always have my heart, but for this year, I am in love with these glittered pumpkins.

I would love to get 3-5 small, white pumpkins and add a gold glitter around the stem. I will run those down the center of the table with gold candlesticks. It’s pretty simple, but I think it will be lovely. I like the use of pumpkins or gourds to add a natural element to a Thanksgiving table.

Here’s the tutorial for Glittered Pumpkins from Childhood Magic—

Place your pumpkin in a box or tray to catch excess glitter. Paint the top of your pumpkin with Mod Podge and sprinkle the glitter over the wet glue. Shake off excess glitter and once the glue is dry, paint another layer of Mod Podge over the glitter to seal it.

I also really like these Twig and Leaf Place Cards (via Bored Panda) to add some color and a little whimsy to the table.


Activities for the Kids

Idea Via Parents.com

I’d like to do an activity with the kids during Thanksgiving week. I really like these trees with watercolor leaves. I can’t find any information on the original activity, but I would use this Leaves Coloring Page from Rae Ann Kelly.

Another idea is a Paper Leaf Table Runner. I like that this has simple materials and the kids could write things they are thankful for on each leaf before it’s all assembled. Maybe instead of using it as a table runner, I could either make it into a wreath or a garland for our mantel.

That’s all I’ve got for now. I hope you have a lovely Thanksgiving full of good food and relaxing time with family and friends!

The Watermelon Edit

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I was searching my Pinterest for a watermelon recipe I remembered saving last summer, and I was so inspired by all of the hot pink hues that graced the results.

Watermelon is not just for eating…although it is lovely for that! From cocktails to mocktails to frozen treats, watermelon is the quintessential summer fruit. But the hot pink hue is also perfect for a jolt of summer in your decor.


A. This Watermelon Cherry Tequila Bomb via Heather Cristo looks stunning, and the combo of watermelon and tequila is very intriguing. This would be perfect for a hot summer night!

B. My kids would love this Watermelon Limeade via Bon Appetit, and let’s be real, I would too. This is on my list to make this weekend.

C. These might not have watermelon in them, but they are the perfect shade of pink! Cherries are another summer favorite, so a batch of these Tart Cherry Limeade Popsicles via Paper & Stitch should definitely make an appearance for cooling off on a hot summer evening.

D. This Greek Couscous Salad with Watermelon and Feta via Katie at the Kitchen Door was super tasty! We all loved it! It was light and refreshing but also a really wonderful blend of flavors. It will make another appearance on our menu soon for sure.

E. Don’t have watermelon on the menu? No problem! Just add these Watermelon Seed Napkins. Originally via Caroline Z Hurley, these would be a really fun DIY.

F. I love, love, love the saturated pink of this duvet. If you want to bring summer vibes to your bedroom, use this Hot Pink Bedding via Remodelista as your inspiration!

G. And the creme de la creme of watermelon inspired hues, this sitting room cannot be beat! I love the saturated hues of the walls and the coordinating chair. It’s also a really fun mix of vintage and modern. Image via Lonny.

And for good measure, here is the Golden Flower Goods’ Guide to Picking a Watermelon. I’m working on perfecting when to harvest a watermelon from my garden, and I will make sure to share what I find.

Our Collection of Christmas Books

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We don’t have a huge collection of Christmas books, but I think they are a fun mix of Christ-centered and just for fun. I think they capture the magic of the Christmas season, and I delight in reading each of them with my children. Here’s what we have…

Our collection of Christmas books

The Christmas Promise

The Christmas Promise Storybook: A True Story from the Bible about God’s Forever King by Alison Mitchell is a great addition to any Christmas library. It is a retelling of the Christmas story from a very pointed perspective that Jesus is the promised King of the Bible. He is the new King, the rescuing King, the forever King. I like the illustrations, and I like that it is a simple but clear story about the importance of Jesus’ birth. It is aimed at children age 3–6.

Song of the Stars

I think the publisher’s description does a great job capturing the essence of this book—"Song of the Stars, written by bestselling author Sally Lloyd-Jones, takes children on the journey of Advent and the anticipation of Jesus’ arrival. All of creation comes together in this poetic and majestic telling of the Christmas story. Join every creature as they celebrate the arrival of Jesus!”

It is geared toward children age 4–7, and I think the poetic language does lend itself best to that age bracket. However, younger children can certainly engage with this book. I like that it takes a different perspective on the magic and anticipation we feel at Christmastime while still pointing to the reason we celebrate Christ’s birth.

The Nutcracker

The Nutcracker, based on the New York City Ballet’s production of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker is illustrated by Valeria Docampo. It is my very favorite version of The Nutcracker! I love, love, love the illustrations, and I think it does a great job of capturing and retelling the story. It is thorough but not too wordy. It pairs very well with The Story Orchestra: The Nutcracker (next on the list), but if I could only have one, I would choose this one!

The Story Orchestra: The Nutcracker

The Story Orchestra: The Nutcracker by Katy Flint is a beautiful production of The Nutcracker, but what makes it unique is that as you read each page, you can press a button to hear an excerpt of an orchestra playing Tchaikovsky’s score from the ballet. The illustrations are also very well done! I really like this one paired with the longer version I listed above; this is more abridged. I do like that this one is more interactive and introduces children to the music. If you can get your kids to go through it slowly, you can have a great conversation about how the music evokes different moods and feelings and actions going on in the story. It’s a fun addition to any Christmas collection, for sure.

Little Blue Truck’s Christmas

My daughter, Penelope, has always loved the Little Blue Truck books. We have many of them. Little Blue Truck’s Christmas is really cute for fans of the Little Blue Truck. It has the same lilting story, while counting and delivering Christmas trees. It’s cute and fun and has twinkly lights at the end! For littles, this is a fun Christmas book.

The 12 Days of Christmas

I’ve always loved the song about the 12 Days of Christmas, and this version by Jill Howarth is really cute. It’s in a board book format, so it’s great for toddlers and preschoolers. The illustrations are fun and festive and adorable!

The Colors of Christmas

Also by Jill Howarth, The Colors of Christmas is really cute for toddlers and preschoolers! It is simple, but the illustrations really shine. It captures the colorful, merry spirit of Christmas in a simple board book.

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas

I got ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas (illustrated by Mr. Bodington’s Studio) last year to use as part of our Advent calendar on Christmas Eve. We actually don’t do Santa with our kids, but I think this book embodies the magic and excitement that kids feel on Christmas Eve. I really like that this one is done with a more modern style of colorful illustrations yet uses the traditional wording of the poem, “A Visit From St. Nicholas” by Clement Clarke Moore. It’s a fun book to read during the season.


Tell me, do you have any favorite Christmas books that you read with your kids?