Valentine's Day Cocktail Party for Two

Valentine's Day is less than a week away and like previous years, I was having trouble thinking of what to do for my husband.  I have heard people say that this is a holiday for women, but that just seems like a poor excuse to get out of having to do something for your significant other to show them how much they mean to you.  Yes,  you should show your love and appreciation for your partner every day, but its nice to have this holiday to really go all out with a nice and romantic gesture.  

Brainstorming what to do for my husband….well immediately I knew what I didn't want to do--anything super traditional.  I am not a big fan of overloading on the hearts/cupid decor.  I can understand a touch of hearts decor, but after this holiday is over, when else are you going to be able to use this stuff?  The answer…next valentines day.  I just cannot justify spending that kind of money on stuff you are only going to use one day out of the year (Christmas Decor is up for an entire month in my house so don't even try to argue that one with me). 

What did I come up with?  I came across these Scalamandre Placemats by Caspari while perusing Amazon.com and was immediately hooked!  My valentines idea suddenly became clear, I was going to make a romantic cocktail hour for my husband (with a mini cheesescape of course) and then round out the evening with a  dessert and champagne bar (*I will be sharing those details on Wednesday).

Table Decor:

• Votives- I used my Tiffany & Co. Crystal Rock Cut Votives, which I have talked about in my article on Coffee Table Candles.  Other great votive suggestions for this coffee tablescape would be: 
  • CB2's Hatch Candle Holder, CB2's Frosted Glass Candle Holder, West Elm's Mercury Tea Light Holders 
• Flowers- I kept this aspect of the table very traditional with deep red roses.  
  • For the large rose bowl, I used slightly over a dozen roses.  If you don't have a rose bowl, I highly recommend getting one.  I am not an expert at flower arranging, but having this rose bowl has made this arrangement look professional.  Additional bonus- you can buy rose bowls very inexpensively like this rose bowl available at Amazon.com.  
  • For the bud vases, I used CB2's Ai Bud Vases and suggest filling them with either African Roses or Spray Roses.  

Table Setting:

• Placemats- Scalamandre by Caspari (Set of 4)
• Napkins- CB2 Restaurant Dinner Napkins (Set of 4)
• Napkin Rings- I had purchased my horn napkin rings from Williams Sonoma on sale.  They no longer carry the napkin rings, but here are a few similar options:
  • Pottery Barn Horn Napkin Rings (Set of 4), Simon Pearce Polished Horn Napkin Ring, Kenneth Cole Reaction Home Horn Napkin Ring
• Coasters- I used my Brass Chilewich Dahlia Coasters. 
• Stemware- Pictured are my William Yeoward Fanny Champagne Flutes.  A few additional champagne flute options would be:
  • Riedel Vinum Champagne Glass (Set of 2), Lenox Marchesa Imperial Caviar Gold Champagne Flutes (Set of 2), Williams-Sonoma Somerset Champagne Flute (Set of 4), CB2 Cheval Clear Flute
• Cheese Board- I used the Godinger Plume Cheese Board with Server
• Cheese Knives- The Godinger Plume Cheese Board does come with a cheese knife, however I opted for a set of 2 silver cheese knives.  Here are a few different options if you are looking to grow your cheese knife collection:
  • Jean DuBost Laguiole 3-Piece Cheese Knife Set- Stainless Steel, Sur La Table Hotel Cheese Knives (Set of 4), Michael Aram New Molten Cheese Knife Set
• Small Serving Bowls- The crystal bowls pictured below are actually antiques that I inherited, but here are a few small bowl alternatives:
  • Julia Knight Peony Round Bowl 6", Libbey Crisa Tempo Square Bowl (Set of 12), Sur La Table The Cambridge Collection Footed Serving Bowls

Food & Drink:

• For the Cheeseboard:
  • Camembert Heart Cheese- The only heart on this table!  I was perusing the cheese section at Whole Foods and came across this Camembert Heart from the Old Chatham Sheepherding Company.  I couldn't resist!  Pictured above I have garnished it with fresh julienned sage, because I felt it needed a little color for presentation purposes.  I've actually noticed a fair number of grocery stores carrying heart shaped cheeses right now, like Trader Joe's.  Even if you can't find a heart shaped cheese, there are still so many great cheese options available for your Valentine's Cheesescape.  
  • Cypress Grove Midnight Moon- This is a personal favorite of mine.  I cannot get enough of it and it's definitely a cheese that you will see time and again in my cheesescape photos.  Why do I love it so much?  This gouda has delicious nutty and brown butter notes, pairs beautifully with a variety of preserves/ chutneys and always seems to be a crowd favorite (especially for my husband and myself).  
  • Chutney- I went with a personal favorite of both mine and my husband (since we are going to be the ones eating it), Virginia Chutney Company's Hot Peach Chutney.  I love the combination of sweet and heat, plus it pairs beautifully with the Midnight Moon.  
  • Fresh Red Currants- I am totally in LOVE with currants at the moment.  Not a common choice, but their tart/slightly sweet taste is fantastic.  They pair beautifully with a  variety of cheeses and are a great addition to your glass of bubbly (as you will see in Wednesday's Post).  It is towards the end of their peak season, but I am still able to find them in some local grocery stores.

• Cheese Accompaniments:
  • Whole Grain 34 Degree Crisps- Available in a number of grocery stores, specialty food stores and online. 
  • Dried Pear Simple & Crisp-Available in specialty food shops, Whole Foods and Online. 
  • Sea Salt and Rosemary Crostini- Available at Whole Foods.  
  • Tart Dried Cherries- Available at most grocery stores and online at Amazon.com
• Nut Dish:
  • Spicy Cayenne Chickpeas by 2 Armadillos Co.
  • Trader Joe's Sweet and Spicy Pecans
  • Trader Joe's Rosemary and Seasalt Marcona Almonds 
  • **For additional nut ideas, check out my post on Cocktail Party Preparedness: Food & Beverage
• Champagne and Sparkling Wine Suggestions:  
  • I think champagne or sparkling wine is the perfect Valentine's cocktail.  Enjoying a bottle of bubbly with your significant other seems pretty romantic to me!  The type of champagne/sparkling wine and price point are totally up to you.  If you are looking for suggestions, I would recommend: Domaine Carneros by Tattinger, Moet & Chandon Champagne, Chandon or Perrier-Jouet Grand Brut.

While this is only Part One of my two part Valentine's series, I hope that this concept has inspired you to possibly think beyond the typical Valentine's Day fare.  There are so many romantic gestures and home accessories that you can do/use to make Valentine's Day special, thoughtful and romantic for your significant other.  Stay tuned for Part Two of my Valentine's Series on Wednesday, where I show you how to round out this cocktail party with a very sweet ending.  

DIY Valentine's Favors

I love giving cute little edible gifts to all of my close friends for Valentine's Day.  This year I decided to step it up a notch not only with the gift contents, but also the wrapping.  Off I went in search of fresh wrapping supplies and inspiration for the actual gift contents.  

How did I fare?  Well it was certainly a very "fruitful" trip to say the least.  There are so many cute treats and ideas in stores at the moment.  And yes, I had some serious shopping success (probably more shopping success than I actually needed…but theres always next year, right?).

For the Wrapping: 

• Red Glitter Takeout Boxes- I actually found these at Pier1 on clearance from Christmas (Christmas Red vs. Valentine's Red = Same Thing!).  Since they no longer have these in stock, I was able to find a bunch of similar options to share with you all from OrientalTrading.com.
• Clear Cellophane Wrapping Paper- This is a wrapping "must-have" for me.  I use cellophane when wrapping any of my perishable gifts as well as many traditional gifts.  It's pretty, protective and displays my gifts beautifully.  Best places to find cellophane wrapping include: Michaels.com, Target, Amazon.com and World Market.  I also am a fan of using the clear cellophane treat bags for baked goods.  
• Ribbon-  I am a HUGE believer in saving nice ribbon that I receive on gifts.  My heart breaks a little each time I see to see perfectly good ribbon that could most definitely be used again, get thrown in the trash.  However, collecting ribbon doesn't guarantee that you will have the right colors available to you when you are say, wrapping Valentine's Day treat bags.  I went to World Market for the Pink Grosgrain Ribbon.  Purple and white grosgrain ribbons can be found on amazon.com or at Michaels. 
• Gift Tags- I used different types of tags for these little gifts.  On the takeout boxes I found these adorable chalkboard sticker hearts at Target.  Target has a second Chalkboard Sticker Heart with a red backing (also very cute!).  For the champagne bottle tags and other cookie bag tags, they were actually Home Goods finds, so I don't have a link to the exact tags.  However, I was able to find very similar tags to share with you from Target and Amazon. The best part about these tags is that they provided the perfect canvas for sticker decorating.  If you aren't up for buying tags that can only be used once a year, buy more neutral tags that you can adorn with festive stickers. (**Note- Metallic Sharpies and Chalkboard Pens are my recommendations for best writing utensils on these tags)

Valentine's Day Treat Ideas:

• Chocolates Wrapped in Metallic Foil- Valentine's Day is all about the chocolate.  These little hearts not only look great in a gift bag, they are delicious and the price point is what I'm talking about (I paid about $3 for 2 bags at Walgreens (or equivalent drug store).  You can also find these chocolates on Orientaltrading.com, Target and most Grocery Stores. 
• Popcorn- Love Angie's Boom Chicka Pop.  It comes in so many flavors and doesn't go stale immediately after opening (perfect for parsing out into small wrapped goodie bags).  
• Pressed Cookies-  I love my OXO Cookie Press.  Not only can I use this press year round (not just for Christmas anymore!), but it also comes with a mini recipe book (I made the chocolate and classic butter cookies for Valentines Day) AND each batch yields 50+ homemade cookies!  What's not to love about a homemade gift (especially when its cookies)?
• Mini Champagne Bottles (for ages 21+)-  This is the priciest part of my post, but a fun addition (so what the heck, why not!).  World Market sells an assortment of mini champagne bottles (in stores only).  I am also a fan of the Sofia Mini Champagnes and Pommery POP Rose Champagne Miniature.

I must say that I did feel somewhat like a Valentine's Day Goody Bag Factory while coming up with all of these different options.  It was fun, delicious and I definitely perfected my cellophane wrapping technique in the process (another great skill for my resume).  In all honesty, I really think that a homemade gift (even if the contents are store bought, adds a special touch.  Whenever someone makes that extra effort (even if its just adding stickers to a gift tag), it doesn't typically go unnoticed and gift recipients really do appreciate the additional thought associated with something homemade (at least thats how I feel, but I hope you do too!).  Happy Valentine's Day!