Hello Friends! Thank you for coming by the blog for our "Falling In Love with Home Decor" blog hop. I'm Jenn :), nice to meet you! This is such a great group of ladies and I'm very excited to a part of this with them. If you are hopping over from Gabrielle's blog post at militarymamasfarmhouse.com , I appreciate you being here! She has such a wonderful website filled with lots of resources and beautiful photos. So grab a cup o' joe or a glass of wine, and settle in for a fun trip through this "saucy" post and all of the others on the hop.
I don’t know about you, but since I’m pretty much an empty-nester, I love date nights at home! When the kids were little, I used to love getting out of the house for a date, but now I appreciate the joy of cooking, listening to good music (maybe some karaoke), watching a movie and cuddling on the couch with my hubby. The best part is, it's all in the COMFORT of my own home (It could also be that I'm just getting old ha ha). That’s why I have been working so hard these past few weeks to show you how much fun it can be to create your own Valentine’s date night at home!
Set the table for two with options like: white romantic flowers and greenery, candles of different heights, gold and marble accents, natural wood elements and a beautiful ruffle linen runner. The elements that make this romantic are the soft and gentle features: the ruffles, the petals, the shiny gold and linen. The XOXO and I LOVE US signs came from Michael's.
For the table setting, I choose classic colors that reflect the wedding day: white and gold!!! What better way is there to celebrate the day of love than with the colors of wedded bliss? I used gold utensils, three types of stunning glasses (water, wine, dessert wine), fancy plates with fun patterns and layers, white glittery chargers, gold rimmed napkins, and cute napkin tag with the name of your loved one written in gold sharpie. 99% of these pieces were purchased at Homesense Canada.
Three course meal: (recipes below)
1-Appetizer: Prosciutto Wrapped Cantaloupe with a Limoncello Moscow Mule Cocktail.
Cantaloupe with Prosciutto
2 cups Cantaloupe chunks
10 Prosciutto slices
Mint sprigs for garnish
Directions: Wrap each piece of cantaloupe with a piece of prosciutto. Place on a platter with bunches of mint as a garnish.
Limoncello Moscow Mule
2 Moscow Mule mugs
½ cup Ice
2 shots of Vodka
1 shot of Limoncello liqueur
½ a lime, juiced
Ginger beer to fill (about a 1/3 of a cup)
Mint leaf and lemon wedge for garnish
Directions: Fill your mug with ice. Add the vodka, liqueur, lime juice and stir. Fill to desired level with ginger beer and garnish with a mint leaf and lemon wedge.
2-Main: Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs with Parmigiano Reggiano and Grandma’s Garden Salad with Homemade Dressing.
Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs (find recipe I used here from Taste of Home )
Simple Garden Salad
½ head of iceberg lettuce, torn
1 red leaf lettuce bunch, chopped
1 hot house tomato, diced
½ cup cucumber, diced
4 green onions, sliced
Directions: Add lettuce to a large bowl and toss. Add prepared vegetables on top. Serve with a bit of salad dressing (recipe below) right before eating.
Grandma’s Salad Dressing
1 cup of light tasting oil (vegetable, canola, grapeseed)
¼ cup of white vinegar
1 Tbsp fine sugar
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
Directions: Add all ingredients to a mason jar and shake well before serving.
Pair with a deep bodied Merlot. The one we chose was this beautiful peppery and oak infused 2015 Merlot by Tinhorn Creek. It had bursts of blackberry and cherry and was so delicious!
3-Dessert: Chocolate covered Strawberries with Caramel and Sea salt. Serve with Vintage Port.
Chocolate Covered Strawberries with Caramel Drizzle and Sea Salt
15-20 Strawberries
1 package of bakers semi-sweet chocolate
1 tbsp oil
1 container of caramel sauce
1 tsp sea salt
Directions: Melt your chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water. Once melted add the oil. Take it off the heat and start dipping in your clean (and dry) strawberries, leaving out the green stems. Place on a plate to harden for 5 minutes. Drizzle your strawberries with the caramel sauce and sprinkle a little sea salt on each.
Pair with a port of your choice. Port and chocolate are divine together! We had this amazing 2011 vintage port by Graham’s. It was sweet and had such a beautiful depth to it. I found the cutest little mini wine glasses to serve this in. How adorable!?
Music is in my heart and soul. I can't live without it and it is the backdrop for my life! So many wonderful memories over the years are connected to music. Here are some of mine that I love for a romantic evening. I dare you to listen and NOT be in a mushy gushy mood....keep in mind I was born in 1977 ;)
My Top 10 Music Playlist for Romance:
Come Away With Me- Nora Jones
To Really Love a Woman- Bryan Adams (Our wedding song we danced to)
Endless love- Babyface & Mariah Carey
Let’s Stay Together- Al Green
I Finally Found Someone- Barbra Streisand & Bryan Adams
The Way You Look Tonight- Tony Bennett
Can’t Help Falling in Love- Elvis Presley
Until the End of Time- Justin Timberlake
Take Me There- Rascal Flatts
Unconditionally- Katy Perry
If you’re not into this kind of music, smooth jazz would also be fabulous!
Movies are such a great way to connect you to the emotions of the heart. Here are a few of my all time favorites!
My top 5 Romantic movie choices would be:
1-Don Juan Demarco: 1995- featuring Johnny Depp as the title character will bring some steam back into your relationship, but don't worry it's rated PG-13.
2-Shakespeare in Love: 1998- one of the most romantic movies of all time, winning best picture and featuring Gwyneth Paltrow as Shakespeare’s love. Rated R
3-Pride and Prejudice: 2005- brings the classic courting process back to life. A true romance with Kiera Knightley is sure to get all the fuzzy feels going. Rated PG
4-Mama Mia: 2008- If you are looking to laugh and have some musical fun, then let my girl, Meryl Streep sweep you away to the classic songs of ABBA. Rated PG-13
5-Phantom of the Opera: 2004- The most popular Broadway show of all time, turned to the big screen featuring Gerard Butler in his singing debut as the Phantom. This tragic love story is heart wrenching but also shows how love conquers all! Rated PG-13
I’m sure you’ve all seen these films, but they are just a reminder of some of my favorites for you to see again and again.
I have sooooo enjoyed putting this blog hop post together for you and for my hubby and I of course ;) . I hope that you will let me know how your Valentine’s date goes (all clean versions please lol!!) and tell me all about what you planned and if you used any of my suggestions. Comment below! I appreciate your reading this blog post and your continued support. Remember to always have fun! Life is too short, so take the night to really appreciate the one you love. Have a great Valentine’s Day everyone! #Vdaybloghop . Come see me on Instagram soon!
The next stop on this hop is over at kelciesvintagenest.com where you'll meet Kelcie and her fabulous diy's :) . Her blog is beautiful and she has tons of resources for you!
Here's a complete list of the wonderful ladies participating in this "Falling in Love with Home Decor" blog hop: Dabbling and Decorating, Military Mamas Farmhouse, Kelcie's Vintage Nest, Steeplechase Manor, House of V Decor, Life on Country Pines Farm