Valentine’s Day is a celebration of love. Whether you’re with your partner, kids, parents or friends, skip the reservations this year and create something delicious together at home. Get creative with the menu and draw on shared experiences, like a honeymoon or favourite holiday getaway, to inspire a memorable meal. From a romantic dinner for two to a family-friendly pizza party, we have all the inspiration you need.
Recreate It Together
Revisit cherished memories with a romantic meal prepared by you and your Valentine. Toast to your love with a fruity-fizzy negroni made with freshly squeezed juices. Reminisce while preparing saucy mussels and clams and savoury-sweet marinated roasted peppers. For the main course, dish up the perfect pair: steak and potatoes. Then, end the night with a mouthwatering dessert.
Culinary collaboration tip:
Decide who will be chef and sous chef. That way one person will be responsible for cooking, while the other takes care of all the prep work. Put on some of your favourite tunes to set the mood as you work together.
The Menu:
Family Dinner Is Better Together
Create new memories with a DIY pizza and movie night for chefs of all ages. Let the kids decide how they want to top their pie, from classic Margherita to swapping out traditional tomato sauce for on-trend barbecue sauce. For dessert, all you need is love — but a little chocolate helps. Little ones will love lending a hand to bake our easy Chocolate Chip Cookies. Then cuddle up on the couch for family movie night with a bowl of popcorn.
Culinary collaboration tip:
Get the kids involved. Your little chefs can help prep the dough, shred the cheese and top the pizzas (to ensure a perfect pie, check out our guide to homemade pizza). You can also have them mix up the cookie batter and popcorn seasonings.
For V-Day pizza inspiration, check out our list of easy-to-make pizza options:
- Double Cheese Classic Margherita Pizza
- Mixed Mushroom & Prosciutto Pizza
- No Limits Thin-Crust Chicken Pizza
- Chicken Naan Pizza
- Taco Meatloaf Pizza with Zesty Salad
- No-Cook Prosciutto & Arugula Pizza
- Butter Chicken Pizza
- Potato, Caramelized Onion & Rosemary Pizza
V-Day desserts:
Dream Destination
Celebrate the City of Love with a French-inspired menu. Share your passion for food over mini vegetable tarts made with white wine-infused veggies tucked into tart shells. Onion soup topped with melted fromage is a pairing that goes straight from the taste buds to the heart. With help from your partner, this honey-glazed chicken comes together quickly. Sharing is better together over dessert, especially when it’s sweet and warm crêpes, complete with bananas and sticky caramel sauce.
Culinary collaboration tip:
This is a shared cooking experience that will let you both contribute to dinner and work through the menu together. Learn from one another’s expertise and be open to the unfamiliar. Learn something new together to help hone your skills.
The Menu:
Cozy Comfort Food
If you are heading to a cottage with family or friends, make sure to equip yourself with a menu that helps put the “comfort” in comfortable. Cook up a feast starting with rich macaroni and cheese, made extra special with bits of lobster. A big group means hearty mains, so show your love with crunchy oven "fried" chicken. Then, curl up with a cup of cocoa and serve alongside our Apple-Raspberry Crisp to complete dessert.
Culinary collaboration tip:
Split your group into teams – one team for each course. Make each group responsible for prepping, cooking and cleaning up. This strategy divides the work and also helps to avoid chaos in the kitchen.