Make it :: Romantic Valentine's Dinner

I don't do restaurants for Valentine's Day.  It actually feels the opposite of romantic to me.  Eating a set menu of overpriced lobster and oysters with a crowd of people all packed into a restaurant.  No thanks.  I'll go out another night and save Valentine's Day for a nice at-home meal.

I think "romantic" and "fancy" get paired together too often.  A lovely meal at home doesn't have to include caviar and $30 a pound steak.  A lovely meal at home is usually making something special for your sweetheart.  Mr. Hedin loves comfort food, so for my valentine I like to make something warm and comforting like Chicken Pot Pie.  Chicken Pot Pie is always a winner at our house.  It's comforting, delicious, and quite simple.  

Click here for my recipe.

Dessert is where I go all out this time of year.  Usually, if we are interested in dessert, we just grab a bowl if ice cream or a handful of candy.  Done.  But Valentine's Day calls for something more special, more elegant, more decadent.  Like a Flourless Chocolate Torte.  This is actually not Mr. Hedin's favorite.  He would prefer a pie or a crisp or anything with fruit.  Fruit is super limited this time of year and I am not a fan of canned or frozen.  But chocolate is always in season.  And delicious.  I'll eat this.  I like to use the recipe from Nordstrom's cookbook.  But Martha has a good one too here.