Valentine's Day Hearts Dinner

It has been a couple of days since Valentine's Day and we have been busy so I am finally catching up. I have never done much for the family for Valentine's Day because it is not something we have celebrated much. Hubby used to do some more elaborate things while we were dating. The first year we dated he cut out hundreds of tiny hearts and put them on strings to make a curtain in front of my dorm room door. It was very sweet just knowing the amount of time he had spent making it. When we were married for the first few years he would buy me a new chick flick and we would watch it together. That has gone by the wayside as we have gotten older though. Now we are more likely to watch the movie Valentine's Day instead of purchasing a new one. I have not done much for him because he does not like to receive gifts, Hubby would prefer to purchase things for himself when he wants them.

Our MOPS group was giving ideas for how to celebrate with your family, and I got a few ideas. One was to put up hearts on the kids' doors each day for reasons why I love them. I thought this would be a fairly easy idea, and it might mean a lot to them. I decided to give this one a try, and I put the hearts up the night before they would see them after they went to bed. Then on Valentine's Day Eve I added the final heart, some streamer chains, and heart-shaped balloons) because what child doesn't love balloons, plus I had some leftover from Big Man's valentines.

The reaction to this was not as big as I expected at first. On the first morning, Bear came out of his room and asked me to read what each boys' heart said and I did. His reply was, "Mine is the worst one of all!" By the way, his first heart read, "I love your hugs, " because he is a big-time hugger! The next day brought a more positive response both Bear and Big Man said they liked the hearts and they wanted a new one every day. Bear specifically requested 1,000 of them. Mr. T just danced around saying, "You love me!" So overall it ended up being a positive experience and I think they will ask for it again next year if I forget.

The other idea was from one of the older Mentor Moms in MOPS who does not have really young kids anymore and can help advise those of us who are still in the trenches. She said that one tradition she did for years, with her family and still sometimes does with her grandchildren, was to have a Hearts Dinner. She defined that as having everything in the meal have red in the color or be heart-shaped. I thought my kids would think that was a lot of fun
so I would give it a try.

I also wanted to make sure I was doing things that Hubby liked to show how much I love him too. We started dinner with a roasted pear, walnut, and goat cheese salad that both Hubby and I enjoy a lot. I added some strawberries this time for the splash of red color, and also to replace the pears in Bear's salad since pears are not a favorite. The salad is wonderful as is with the tangy goat cheese, the soft sweet roasted pearts, the crunch of the walnuts and the leafy greens. The strawberries just added some additional sweetness and fruitiness. They were wonderful in the salad.

For our main course, we had Roasted Red Pepper & Goat Cheese Alfredo Sauce from Lauren's Latest on top of red and white heart shaped pasta that I found at Aldi while I was shopping this week. It is hard to see the shape of the pasta when it was all mixed up with the sauce, but the boys were super excited about it being heart shaped. Hubby was excited about the alfredo sauce that we have had several times before and really enjoy. Tomato sauce would have been redder, but the roasted red peppers and goat cheese were for Hubby. He and I really like goat cheese and this sauce is creamy, tangy, and luscious. We also like our bread for soaking up and leftover sauce, and the boys just like bread. I made some Italian bread and after I sliced it I used a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut it into hearts for the boys and they liked the heart shaped bread too.

Finally, for dessert, I made sugar cookies for everyone and I personalized them with names and sprinkles later. I know that chocolate is more traditional for Valentine's Day, but this one goes back to Hubby again, and chocolate is not his favorite. He does enjoy a good sugar cookie though, and so do the boys as long as there is plenty of frosting and sprinkles. The boys all enjoyed the Hearts Dinner and I think it might be something I would carry forward as something fun to do. I may change up the menu a bit, but the idea is a lot of fun.

Do you do anything special for Valentine's Day?