Our traditional Valentine's dinner has always been heart-shaped meatloaf. My recipe has a sweet and sour tomato sauce topping so it goes well with the theme. When my girls were very young, they insisted on pink mashed potatoes to go along with the meatloaf. After the kids grew up and out on their own, I had many Valentine's dinner parties and it was always with the heart-shaped meatloaf. Always a big hit. Now, I just make it for the two of us.

The pizzas look pretty.

You could make regular round or square ravioli (or pierogis, or empanadas or egg rolls or anything in that family--premade wonton skins should be easy to come by) and paint or stamp pink hearts with beet juice. Actually, shaping empanadas into hearts shouldn't be hard, and the dough is easy to make and work with.

I actually bought wonton skins. The stamper I have is just a smidge too big to work for the biggest ones I could find.(of course) I have not thought of empanadas! I wonder if he would like those? I sometimes make a chicken pot pie type thing, without the pot,just dough in a heart shape. That's kinda like an empanada.....

I've used dumpling wrappers for ravioli. Most markets have them in the cold section near the tofu. Sometimes frozen. Easy to work with. Nice and thin.

A heart can be cut out of a puff pastry, pie pastry, or biscuit dough topping a stew type thingy.

I always make a heart shaped meatloaf and put mashed potatoes 'frosting' on it and sometimes draw hearts with ketchup on it.

I just have this picture in my mind of two steamed lobsters, on a plate, in the shape of a heart. Silly, but that's what came to mind. By the way, I too collect hearts. Just not kitchen hearts. Though, I don't know why since I also love to cook.

You could always make a potato stamp. It should work just as well with beet juice as it does with ink. If you have the little heart cutters, there's a trick I saw on TV to make the carving even easier. Press the cutter into the flat cut surface until it's halfway in, or even 3/4. Cut away the potato around it, then remove the cutter. Very straight sides and sharp corners with little work. But empanadas are delicious, and you can always tweak the flavors to suit your valentine.

When our kids were at home I always made a heart shaped meatloaf for Valentine's day. After they grew up my husband and I would go out. He has been gone over 6 yrs now so the day isn't special to me any longer. I am going to a luncheon tomorrow at the senior center with a lot of other widows.

Rose, sorry for your loss! The senior centers are a great place to find companionship!

Our ukulele group often plays at SC holiday luncheons! We get everyone hopping before their meal!

tiptoe .... through the cupcakes ...

they're the bestest ... they're the love cakes ...

How about something like this on a chicken? Not the bathing suit but a heart or something. I hope I did not offend anyone with this.

Black Forest cake is one of DH's faves and it's one of the few that I don't make so I order it for him on valentine's day. This year I'm making German rindsrouladens for him, good match for the cake. Only instead of either noodles or potatoes for a side he likes rice, not very traditional but he likes it so that's what he gets. Only make this for special occasions like his B-Day or Valentine's because it's pretty labor intensive. We never go out on Valentine's day, I can't stand the crowds and noise and hurried atmosphere on popular dining-out days.

Judy Good - that's hysterical!

I ended up asking him-sort of. Here is a transcript of our conversation.

Me: What should I make for Valentines dinner?

Him: Whatever

Me: No I need you to tell me what you want.

Him: Why? Just make food.

Me: I cant decide what to make. It has to be special.

Him: Special?

Me: Yeah. Like heart shaped.

Him: You make heart shaped food all the time.

Me: Not all the time.

Him: My cornbread was heart shaped last night.

Me: So?

Him: You make heart biscuits every Sunday.

Me:So?

Him: My breakfast is on a heart shaped plate.

Me: yeah, well the food isnt heart shaped....

Him: What are the choices?

Me: I was thinking some heart shaped ravioli,or patty melts.

Him: WTF is ravioli?

Me: Stuffed pasta

Him: Stuffed with what?

Me: I was thinking a mix of Italian sausage, chicken and cheese.

Him: And you just eat it like that? No sauce or anything?

Me: Of course there is a sauce. I was thinking if I made it I would make my homemade spinach alfredo sauce.

Him: Have I eaten that before?

Me: yes. You loved it.

Him: Uh huh. What was the other thing?

Me: Patty melt

Him: that's like a burger right?

Me: Yes. It's a burger on bread instead of a bun.

Him: that sounds easier. If you have to make something fancy, make that.

Me: okie dokie.

So i have the dough rising for the heart bread now. I don't think he knew that I was gonna make the bread. He probably thought I was just gonna cut store bought bread into a heart shape. ( not that I haven't done that before....)

We have the same conversation, except his fall back is make me a hamburger. I asked if he wanted Crawfish Ettoffee, since you liked it at a restaurant we used to go to. He said, "you made that the other day and I told you it was ok." "No, I made seafood gumbo." Him, "Isn't that the same thing?" No. "Well, just make what ever you want."

We are having meatloaf, turnip greens, sweet potatoes, and cornbread.

Heart shaped cornbread????

Nope, Cornbread sticks. Off topic, I bought this shovel the other day.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0716HHRYV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It was from this thread.

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5866530/treat-yourself-to-this-shovel#n=35

Ooooo.....

I love it! I've got a amazon gift card coming and I am gonna order it too!!! Thanks!

Our grocery has a VD special on... 2 KC strip steaks and 2 lobster tales for $20. I'll pick one up on the way home today as well as some flowers. Too cold to grill out tonight so we will have VD dinner on Saturday. I'll make a side salad and some twice baked potatoes to go along. Might pick up some chocolate covered strawberries too.

It's our 25th anniversary as well! Her MS is causing some issues so she didn't want to go out to celebrate.

French toast (after you cut into heart shapes), bread pudding, crumbs for other food, croutons... Doesn't he eat it?

Not really. He is a simple man, food wise. I will make other sandwiches and probably some garlic toast out of the heart one in the next few days. The non heart loaf will probably go funny before I get to it. I have no room in the freezer either. Oh well.

I saw these ribeyes at the market the other day.

Amy,

Bread pudding

1/2 cup butter

1 loaf stale bread, any kind of bread, torn into small pieces

1 egg

3/4 cup self rising flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup raisins

1 cup milk

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Add softened butter to bread. add rest of ingredients and mix well with hands. Too soupy, add more bread. Too dry add more milk. Place in greased 9 x 13 pan, I use Pam. Bake in 350* oven for 1 hour.

Sauce

1/3 cup heavy cream

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter

Heat over low heat and do not let boil. You can add 1 1/2 tablespoons rum, I don't use rum.

As Justin Wilson said about his grilled fish, "This is Diet Food".

My "Mikey" likes it.

If you don't want to make "hearts" you can do something with artichoke hearts...

See! You could have used one of those as a stamp before you cooked it!

Story: The shovel digression reminded me. I have a hammer. I'm not sure exactly where I got the hammer but I had it in college. It might have been a freebie that my father handed off to me. I got all kinds of weird things that way. I still have it. It hammers things. It has a good claw. I can lift it. All's good. But one day, my father was at my house helping me with something and asked for a hammer, so I handed him my hammer. He looked at it with great disdain and a little puzzlement. "That's not a hammer," he said. Um...it's a better hammer than those flowery girly ones, but whatev. So he went to his truck and got a "real hammer" (not bigger nor heavier, surely better balanced, separate head and wooden handle, whereas mine is all in one, probably some kind of pot metal with a chrome finish and rubbery grip, but I don't know what made it so much more real. I think you have to be better at driving nails than I to know). After he finished the job, he tried to give his hammer to me, though I wouldn't let him. It was his favorite hammer. He'd had it since long before I was born. What greater expression of love is there than a man who wants to give you his favorite hammer when you don't even know why it's better than the one you have?

If I had a hammer.......I'd hammer in the moooooooooorning.....I'd hammer in the evening.....all over this town!

Plllog, I would have loved your father ... such a sweet gesture 😊. Amylou321, I hope your SO appreciates all the trouble you went through to prepare your very romantic Valentine's supper. Guys can be so clueless. I'm afraid I didn't go to that much trouble and instead made ham with scallop potatoes for supper tonight. There'll not only be leftovers for another supper but sandwiches & pea soup. I love when it works out that way.

That looks lovely, Amy. You have shown your feelings for him with the care and love you put into the dinner preparation.

The conversation you had with him sounds like the ones I have with hubby.

Me: What do you want for dinner?

Him: I don't care; whatever you want to make.

Me: Ok, I will make such and such.

Him: I don't want that. What else can we have?

Me: How about this thing?

Him: Nah, I don't feel like that either.

Me: Something or other?

Him: I dunno.

Luckily he cooks a lot of our meals so I don't go through that frustration very often!

I'm afraid we aren't very romantic. We are having simple grilled tuna salad sandwiches with roasted corn salad for dinner. But, it's one of our favorite meals and we will prepare it together, so I guess romantic is in the eye of the beholder(s).

pillog, that's a great story and a special memory of your dad.

We had tuna melts and clam chowder, by request.

Happy Anniversary, Jack, I'd love the grilled steak and lobster tail. Very rare on the steak, please.

I didn't make anything heart shaped, but I did splurge and buy lobster to make lobster rolls, which Elery had never eaten. Vegetable slaw and butternut squash on the side, it was good.

Annie

The local grocery store had two prime rib in heart shaped pan or surf and turf again in heart shaped covered pans. I debated but at -16 who wants to grill?!! We had Scallops over pastry shells, pink champagne, shrimp cocktail and strawberry glace pie for dessert.

Annie - thanks! I love Lobster rolls but haven't had them in years. When I lived in NJ back in the 80s we went up to Maine a few times and had some type of lobster dish every meal. Hard to beat lobster fresh off the boat.

It's supposed to get into the mid 40s this afternoon here. I need to get out on the deck and clear the snow off the grill and deck so I can grill dinner tonight. I also bought 2 pounds of some real nice asparagus to go with dinner. It was on sale for $1.79. I need to buy 20 lbs. and pickle some while it's in season and cheap.