Ideas for an Affordable and Romantic Valentine’s Day Date

All you need for a romanticValentine’s Day date at home is a home-cooked meal, dessert including champagneand a classic romantic movie. With a little bit of pre-planning andstrategizing you can avoid the stress and pressure of Valentine’s Day.

Foryour home-cooked meal that is sure to impress, choose a simple menu: a one-potdish and a dessert you can make the day before.  

Lookfor simple menu ideas in popular cooking magazines like Real Simple, CookingLight, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine and Every Day with Rachael Ray. Some simplemenu examples from these magazines are pot roast, pan-seared scallops androasted chicken.

Fordessert, simplicity is also the key to a stress-free Valentine’s Day. Try chocolatecovered strawberries, red velvet cupcakes, heart-shaped sugar cookies,chocolate pudding or simply buy the traditional box of chocolates.

Lastly,pair your home-cooked meal and dessert with a super-romantic movie and aninexpensive bottle of champagne. Below are popular romantic movies to consider.For more romantic movie recommendations, read Entertainment Weekly magazine, Cosmopolitanmagazine and Time magazine.

Casablanca (1942) —Humphrey Bogart andIngrid Bergman are passionate lovers in this romantic movie with an intenselove triangle set in Morocco during World War II. Bogart is jaded nightclubowner Rick Blaine and Ingrid Bergman is his ex-lover Illsa whose husband needsBlaine’s help to survive.

Gone with the Wind (1939) — Vivien Leigh is thebeautiful and scheming Southern belle Scarlett O'Hara whose reality changesforever with the outbreak of the Civil War. The dramatic Scarlett struggles tosurvive the war and its aftermath, as well as her passionate, torturedrelationship with the man who is her soul mate, Rhett Butler played by thedashing Clark Gable.

Doctor Zhivago (1965) — Omar Sharif and JulieChristie are illicit lovers against the turbulent backdrop that is the RussianRevolution. Shariff is Zhivago a man torn between passion for his muse andfidelity to his wife.

Shakespeare in Love (1998) — Set in the 16thcentury, Joseph Fiennes is William Shakespeare and Gwyneth Paltrow is Viola inthis fun recreation of the young Shakespeare’s early career. After sharingtheir love for theater Viola and Will become embroiled in a forbidden loveaffair.

LoveActually (2003) — It’s Christmastime in England and people are falling in loveand out of love with the right people and the wrong people.  This is the story of 8 people who followtheir hearts and find love, actually. The incredible ensemble cast includesEmma Thompson, Keira Knightley, Liam Neeson and Laura Linney.

The Princess Bride (1987) — This lightheartedcomedy is a tongue-in-cheek version of the classic fairy tale. Cary Elwes isWesley, a poor stable boy who falls for the beautiful Buttercup, played byRobin Wright. This sweet, sentimental love story is made hilarious by supportingperformances by Wallace Shawn, Billy Crystal, Mandy Patinkin and Andre theGiant; one for the whole family.