Valentine Food Gift Ideas

The combination of luscious chocolate with sweet, ripe strawberries is hard to beat. This is a particularly romantic choice, and goes great with a bottle of champagne too. You can actually make these at home or buy them at an online Valentine gift shop. If you are making them yourself, make sure your local store actually carries large strawberries, because they can be difficult to find in February sometimes. These can be as simple as dipping the strawberries in melted chocolate, or as intricate as doing multiple dips in different flavors, covering with flaked coconut, nuts, candies, etc. The biggest thing to remember is the shelf life of these morsels is very short (one day is best, two days max), so you'll want to make them as close to the gifting time as possible. And don't forget to save a couple for yourself!

If you are looking for a unique gift to satisfy a sweet tooth, you can't go wrong with an iced cookie bouquet! These are typically made from jumbo iced cookies, which are arranged in a container so they look like flowers. Most men won't appreciate real flowers, but if they love cookies, they'll love this gift! Once again you can make one yourself if you have time and some artistic ability, otherwise there are many designs you can find online that look great and taste good too! Women will love the uniqueness of this gift as well, and for a truly great surprise, have it delivered to their office.

If the thought of making your own cookie bouquet is too much for you but you still want to go with a homemade cookie gift, consider making a giant heart-shaped cookie. All you need is a heart-shaped pan and some cookie dough. If you don't have a heart-shaped pan, you can always use a round cake pan, and just cut out the shape after baking. I'm sure you can find something to do with the extra baked cookie! Top it off with some red sprinkles or better yet, use some red food coloring with a store-bought tub of white frosting to ice the cookie.

Another Valentines take on dessert - this is a great idea for anyone that loves cheesecake. You can make this yourself if you can find a regular spring form cheesecake pan that comes with a giant heart-shaped insert (it looks like a giant cookie cutter). You could also make mini heart cheesecakes as well in one of those heart-shaped muffin pans. This one looks best if it is decorated. So cover it in rich chocolate ganache and then write on it with white icing to make a great impression. You could also make regular New York style cheesecake, and serve it with red strawberry or raspberry sauce.

The love affair between women and chocolate is well known. While most men won't admit to chocolate cravings, many do still enjoy eating it more than they might fess up. If your valentine is a chocaholic, then giving them a box of French truffles, dark Belgian chocolate, or other chocolates is sure to be appreciated. It's even better if you know what kind he or she likes in particular, like dark chocolate, or cream-filled milk chocolates, etc. If your sweetheart bought you chocolates in the past and you shared with them, try and remember which ones they picked for some guidance. If you aren't sure, you could also consider a valentine chocolate gift basket. These typically come with a variety of types and flavors, and might include Godiva, Ghirardelli, or other fine chocolatiers.

If you can cook, this is a great surprise and one that your sweetheart is sure to appreciate. To make it memorable, cook something that you know your significant other really likes. If you've never made it before, you might want to experiment, either when they are not at home, or at a friend's house. Make sure to set the table with your finest dishes, cloth napkins, a couple of candles, and maybe a little music to set the mood. This is a great gift to combine with one of the other sweet desserts mentioned above too. Here are a few ideas on things to cook for that special Valentine's Day dinner:

Lobster - Lobster is one of those foods that are considered a true indulgence by most. And most people do not live near a location where live fresh lobster is easy available. That's why getting a fresh shipment of lobster (lobster gram) makes a great unique gift. They are even red to go with the Valentine color scheme. I don't recommend this for anyone that is not already familiar with the proper way to cook and serve lobster, or for those that haven't tried it before, as it can be an expensive way to learn. For those that know how to cook it and enjoy this seafood delicacy, it would make a truly impressive and memorable dinner.

Salmon Steaks - Another treat that is not an everyday item for most people, and the steaks are even sort of heart shaped!

You can make just about any everyday food into heart shapes too for a special treat. Try heart-shaped pancakes (great for breakfast in bed), or buy heart-shaped steak or ravioli. You can even make homemade heart-shaped pizza or meat loaf.

If you aren't a great cook, don't worry. Instead, if your valentine has a favorite restaurant that they don't get to visit very often, a gift certificate is a great way to encourage them to go, and take you along of course. If you are certain you have no other plans, you can make the reservation at the restaurant for Valentine's Day yourself, and then present them with the gift before you arrive so they know that you're paying for dinner. Otherwise you can use it on a future date to celebrate your valentine's gift.

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