Valentine’s Day for the foodies – Easy ideas for kids and couples

Valentine’s Day is tomorrow, and if you’re like me, you’re wondering how it got here so fast. Don’t stress. Food is one of the greatest expressions of affection, so lean on it to create easy, thoughtful Valentine celebrations, starting at breakfast.

Your equipment lies in the grocery store, and you can pick it up today on your way home. Here are a few ways to stay out of the doghouse and make the day a little more interesting.

• Serve fresh berries with frozen vanilla yogurt for breakfast. It’s a departure from regular yogurt, feels like dessert but is still a reasonably healthy start to the day.

• Cut lunchbox sandwiches into heart shapes. OK, my older children would die if I did this to theirs, but it certainly works for some age groups.

• Leave a Whitman’s Sampler on their pillows. Drug store chocolate is indeed drug store chocolate, but for kids especially, there is something so satisfying about having your own box just so you can hunt for those few yummy pieces.

• Heart-shaped homemade pizza for dinner is one strategy, but think about hearts in a different way. Serve a salad of hearts of palm, hearts of romaine and artichoke hearts. Add fresh Parmesan and a homemade vinaigrette.

• Sometimes the greatest meals for two are the least traditional. Make a big salad. Buy components for a charcuterie platter and serve them on a big wooden cutting board. Savor the goods slowly with some great wine.

• Want to serve seafood? Opt for scallops. Sear them in butter and olive oil over medium-high heat for one minute on one side and 30 seconds on the other. Remove from pan. Make a quick pan sauce with white wine and more butter, pour over scallops, top with fresh chives and parsley and serve. Simple and sexy.

• Forget Champagne. It’s overdone. Pair parts of your dinner with imported beer, under-the-radar wines or a great Scotch or Irish whiskey.

• When in doubt about what to make, play to your loved ones favorite flavors or dishes. You can’t go wrong preparing something whose sole purpose is simply meant to please someone else.