My least favorite time of the year is around the corner and, being single once again, I am in need of something to do that doesn’t involve chocolate hearts and pink stuffed animals. While I commend those of you who have dates this year, for those of you who don’t here are few ideas on how you can make sure you don’t end up sitting in a dark room eating ice cream by yourself.
Have a “Screw You Valentine’s Day” bake off: Get a bunch of friends together and hold a baking challenge. Nothing screams “screw you” more than a little competition. Have each friend bring a baked good and sample each of the different desserts to determine the winner. You can even have different categories such as vegan, non-vegan and gluten free. By the end of the night, everyone will be so high off of sugar that they will forget what holiday it even is.
Get a bunch of friends together for a dinner party: Make sure that you have nothing remotely close to a themed dinner. Stray away from anything red or heart-shaped. Get a bunch of single friends and make a random dish that you’ve always wanted to try. For this, think ethnic. And since you’re single, you can eat all the garlic and onions you want. Or have everyone make something and have a plethora of food that will send everyone into a happy food coma.
Try a new restaurant that has been at the top of your list: While everyone else is going out to dinner with their dates, make a date with a group of friends to try that one restaurant that has been on the top of your restaurant “to do” list since the beginning of freshman year. At dinner try the weirdest thing on the menu, and feel free to make fun of those who are on actual dates.
If all else fails, succumb to an evening of chocolate and cheesy movie watching: Sometimes you are inevitably sucked into the complete lameness of Valentine’s Day, and may want to join in the festivities. If these feelings should occur, gather friends and make these easy chocolate truffles:
Ingredients
– 8oz high quality dark chocolate
– ½ cup of heavy cream
– ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
– cocoa powder, coconut flakes, and chopped peanuts (for coating)
Directions
– Bring the heavy cream to a boil in a heavy saucepan
– Chop chocolate and place in a glass bowl
– Add the cream and vanilla and stir until the chocolate melts, let sit for 2 hours until room temperature and the consistency of frosting
– Roll into small truffles and then into choice of coatings
– Enjoy with a Ryan Gosling movie, preferably The Notebook or Crazy, Stupid, Love. That’ll get you in the Valentine’s Day spirit!
So folks, this year if you’re single on February 14th, take the day as an opportunity not to wallow but to get together with friends. Of course anything that deals with food is music to my ears; so don’t hesitate to try something new and fantastic this Tuesday!
