Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day: The Holiday of LOVE! With so much commercialism, it is hard to remember the true reason we all look forward to holidays. They give us a break from the normal every day routine and allow us an opportunity to take a few minutes to focus on the meaning of the holiday.
I love Valentine’s Day and have hosted many dinner parties to gather with friends in celebration of LOVE! I go all out. The table is set with fine china, white embroidered table cloth, and fresh flowers. I prepare a special dinner with at least two desserts and, of course, there is always chocolate. Each guest is asked to tell a special story of how they met or something funny that happen in their adventures with their partner over the years. The wine and stories flow.
Julia Child was an impressive person and one of America’s greatest French cookbook authors. I am a huge fan of hers and have been inspired by her passion to celebrate love. Like me, Julia had a thing for Valentine’s day! Julia and her husband Paul would craft original Valentine’s cards and made it a tradition to send out these cards instead of Christmas cards. What a much better time of the year to focus on this kind of personal expression of love, after yearend pressures have passed! I encourage everyone to take a break from store bought cards and candies, and create something unique and special for the love of your life. This Valentine’s Day, take time to celebrate love!
How to fold a Love Letter Napkin
5 things Julia has Taught Us About Valentine’s Day
- The Unambiguously Romanic Toast is Essential – Deliver a toast that’ll make your beloved melt. One of Julia’s favorites: “You are the butter to my bread, and the breath to my life.” My favorite romantic quote is one I learned from my grandmother: “Here is to the One, and only One, and may that One be He (or She) who loves the One and only one, and may that One be me!”
- The Meal you cook for Valentine’s Day is forever! – So you spent a whole day shopping. Then you endured a sweaty, seven-hour cooking session. Even if that soufflé you stressed about disappears in 5 minutes—your efforts are not in vain. The memory of a lovely meal never fades. As Julia’s first cooking teacher in Paris, Max Bugnard, once told her: “You never forget a beautiful thing that you have made. Even after you eat it, it stays with you—always.”
- Cooking is the Only Gift You Really Need! – With a carefully planned and cooked Valentine’s dinner, you don’t need to sweat buying any other gift for your beloved. “I think careful cooking is love, don’t you?” Julia once said. “The loveliest thing you can cook for someone who’s close to you is about as nice a valentine as you can give.”
- The Pleasure of Food is Related to All Other (Ahem) Pleasures – Julia was no shrinking violet. She pursued intimate pleasures with her husband, Paul, the way she slapped a chicken around the kitchen counter–with gusto. “The pleasures of the table, and of life, are infinite,” she said. “Toujours bon appétit!”
- In The End Just Being Together Is A Gift – A perfect romantic relationship, like the perfect French meal, is something you never want to come to the end of. “The secret of a happy marriage is finding the right person,” Julia observed. “You know they’re right if you love to be with them all of the time.”
Comments are closed.