Why fight crowds at a fancy restaurant? Light a few candles, lay a blanket on the floor of your living room, open some wine and get nibbling. (Oh, and eat delicious food, too.) The Liquid Muse points you in the right direction, starting with dessert first - hello chocolate!
Bring a little Oscar flare to your picnic with Celebrity Chef Wolfgang Puck, owner of the famed Spago in Bev Hills and chef for the annual Academy Awards Governor’s Ball. He launched his own line of iced coffee, last year, and uses one as an intriguing ingredient in this recipe for Mocha Coffee Truffles. If dipping things in dripping chocolate is more your speed, Gisele Perez of Small Pleasures Catering shares her recipe for chocolate fondue in the post below this one. Want to mix chocolate AND booze (who doesn't)? My Chocolate Covered Cherry cocktail is an intoxicating Valentine’s Day indulgence.
Brush up on your gourmet cheese knowledge before you pack a picnic with The Cheese Impresario. And, sommelier-turned-vlogger Adam the Wine Guy features Taste-A-Long videos featuring all sorts of domestic and imported vintages. (See how “monkey time” improves your palate!)
Build a basket on a budget at Fresh & Easy. The econo-friendly gourmet grocer has over 170 great value wines, most under $10. Try the Montcadi Cava Rose, normally only $6.99, on SALE for $4.99! Or the McGuilgan Barossa Shiraz, normally $12.99 but on sale now for $8.99! Treat your sugarpie to a box of Sweet Boutique Gourmet Swiss Truffles ($3.99) and the incredibly delectable and decadent 14-ounce mega “One Huge Hunk” Chocolate Bar with Pecans & Fruit ($4.29). btw - With or without a man, “One Huge Hunk” can inspire a lifetime romance!
The Oaks Gourmet in Hollywood, a purveyor of fine food, wine and spirits has made to order gift baskets filled with champagne, chocolates, truffles, wine, gourmet cheese and even small kits to make your own s’mores! With prices ranging from $45 to $145, this romantic fare is less expensive than dining out – in a more private setting. Oooh-la-la.
Finally, if you or someone you know gets a sparkly new addition to their left hand on Valentine’s Day, start drinking, ahem I mean “wedding planning” right away with The Bubbly Bride: Your Ultimate Wedding Cocktail Guide. How better to say “I’ll live with you for the rest of my life” than while holding a martini glass high in the air? (There’s also a whole chapter on how to pick the perfect bubbly… so you may even want to nab a copy before Valentine’s Day.)
What do you mean you didn’t know we were so romantically inclined over here at The Liquid Muse? We’re not saying that Cupid is a regular barfly or anything… but that little lush sure loves a good nosh and a lip-smacking cocktail.