Eat Your Heart Out: Foods to Share With The Ones You Love

I have a tendency to feed those I love. I’m a feeder. I have always been a feeder and will find any reason to bake or cook.  A birthday coming up?  I will bake a cake.  An anniversary? Chocolate fudge. Last day of class? Muffins. Funeral? Quiche.   There’s always a reason to feed!  And what better excuse than Valentine’s Day?  Here is my guide to the most nourishing aphrodisiacs to make for your Valentine.  And if you’re not a savvy chef, or are a dorm dweller living sans kitchen, there are plenty of prime dining out opportunities that invite romance and happiness.

Waffles

Bring a romantic touch to breakfast by investing in a heart shaped waffle iron.  I typically reserve this handy kitchen devise for Mother’s Day, but may be dusting it off this Sunday (for someone whose name just so happens to be Sunday.) Decorate your waffles with red berries and a liberal amount of homemade whipped cream.  If your Valentine is not into the sweets you can get a heart shaped mold for eggs sunny side up, which would look nice next to heart shaped toast. You can also get a heart shaped butter mold for the toast. You can use the same mold to make ice and put hearts in their OJ.  Don’t be worried about going overboard with the heart shaped foods.  Valentine’s Day is about excess.

Fondue

At the end of the day when you are nestled with your sweetheart, you will realize that a nice way to wind down is to eat fondue by the fire on a deerskin rug.  Chocolate and cheese: choose one or both, go crazy!  It’s the perfect activity for a couple.  As you passionately stab your fondue fork into chunks of fresh bread, your Valentine will be sure to take notice and will most likely fall deeply in love with you.  You can also make a romantic game out of it.  Each time a piece of bread falls into the cheese, or a strawberry falls into the chocolate, that means you must kiss one another.  Those are the rules of fondue.

Beets

My childhood of Nickelodeon taught me that beets are nature’s candy, and the vibrant reddish purple variety look top notch in a salad.  Remember the lesson I taught you for breakfast?  Excess.  Cut the beets into hearts before tossing them on a bed of mache with goat cheese and walnuts.  A fabulous appetizer for your loved one.

The Diner

You know that cliché image of the couple at the diner splitting a milkshake with two straws?  You should do it.

Ethiopian

I enjoy eating family style and see it as a way for friends and lovers to bond.  Ethiopian is the ultimate experience in sharing food.  You and your lover will be eating from the same large and in charge plate.  At Ethiopian all dishes come on top of a bed of injera (a spongy crepe-like bread made from the teff grain.)   The bread it used as your utensil to scoop up the various meats and vegetables.  As you share your meal you and your loved one will become instantly closer and the spiciness of the food will leave you and your Valentine breathless and runny nosed.