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Holidays give us a great excuse to get creative in the kitchen, and Valentine’s Day is no exception. There’s a world beyond the standard box of chocolates that finds its way into many homes on this day of amour. (Though we aren’t turning our noses up at those…we aren’t crazy!)
Today we’re sharing 10 creative ideas for celebrating this day of love. Some are savory, some are sweet, and all are amazing!
Savory Ideas
Charcuteries Boards, Cups, and Bouquets
Charcuterie is definitely having a moment. It has been for a little while now, which means there are tons of great ideas ready to inspire you, like this adorable charcuterie heart.
Fruit, cheese, and cured meats mingle with fresh herb sprigs and a few strategically placed flowers on this heart-shaped board. Don’t have a heart-shaped board? No problem. Just arrange the elements on a standard cutting/serving board in the shape of a heart. Absolutely adorable.
Want to know how to make those cute salami roses? Check out this Food Network tutorial.
Another fun version of the charcuterie board is the charcuterie cup. We love a grab-and-go treat we can hold with ease, and these hit the mark. Mix sweet and savory, or go with your favorite combo.
And lastly, I present to you the charcuterie bouquet – genius! Use long wooden picks to skewer a selection of fruits, cheeses, and cured meats (there are those salami roses again!). Tuck in some long sprigs of rosemary and lay the arrangement in a sheet of parchment, wax, or butcher paper. Tie on some ribbon and voila – an edible bouquet your friends and family will be talking about for days.
Caprese Salad Hearts
Another savory – and healthy – option are these charming heart-shaped caprese salads. What a great idea! To make them Valentine-worthy, just cut the mozzarella into a heart shape (a cookie cutter works well for this). That’s it – simple, yet memorable.
Rounding out the savory ideas are these incredibly cute heart pizzas. How fun are those?! Make them individually by stamping hearts out of pizza dough that has been rolled out and is ready for topping. You can use a large heart-shaped cookie cutter – the biggest ones are usually about five inches, though you can find larger ones on sites like cookiecutter.com. Or your could cut the hearts free hand with a sharp knife.
Top, bake, and watch them disappear.
Sweet Treats
Valentine Fruit Skewers
We love an easy, but thoughtful creation and that’s what you get with these Valentine fruit skewers. Just three ingredients – watermelon, strawberries, and red grapes – are needed to wow at your next brunch. Or sub in other fruits, like blueberries, bananas, pineapple, mango, etc.
Use a small heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut hearts out of thick watermelon slices. Cut strawberries in half and using a knife, remove the core to form a heart shape. Thread them onto wooden skewers at intervals with the grapes, arrange on a platter, and serve.
White Chocolate-Dipped Madeleines
The perfect cakelike cookie, madeleine’s are perfect for pretty much any occasion. Lightly sweet and easily decorated, you can transform them to suit any holiday. (Shop for madeleine molds here.)
This Valentine’s Day version has them dipped in white chocolate and then speckled with red, pink, and white sprinkles and tiny edible hearts. I may have to make these this week!
Pastry Love Letters
Yeah, I was hooked when I saw the picture. Pastry and sweet-tart fruit filling – who wouldn’t want to wake up to these? Make them using your favorite pastry recipe, or take a shortcut and use frozen puff pastry. Another idea to add to my baking bucket list!
Rice Krispie Heart Pops
No matter how old we are, the allure of the Rice Krispie treat remains. They’re low in fat, too, which makes them that much more tempting.
This version adds a little red food coloring to achieve the pink hue. Cut them with a heart-shaped cookie cutter, insert cake pop sticks, and you’re done. Just remember to save some time to enjoy all the extra love and gratitude you’ll get from your family.
Sparkling Pink Lemonade Cocktail
With all this food, you’ll need a proper beverage. And this delightful cocktail is perfect and easy to make.
Fill a champagne flute with 1/3 raspberry lemonade and 2/3 sparkling white wine. Top with a few fresh raspberries, sip, and enjoy!
Interested in more Valentine’s Day ideas? View our post on how to DIY a sweet, rosy candle ring, take a peek at some adorable door decorations, and scroll through a host of other creative inspirations.
Happy Valentine’s Day!