Crafting the Perfect Valentine’s Day on a Budget

From A Street Car Named Desire to Sweet Home Alabama and Hope Floats to Elizabethtown, the charm of the American South just makes our Main Streets the perfect backdrop for sweeping romance stories. Whether the windows are decorated for the holidays or the football boosters are hosting their annual summer carnival, a love story is always brewing here in the South.

While there aren’t many quintessentially Southern ways to celebrate this Hallmark holiday, here are some tips from our experience:

Getting Started:

Instead of putting on your little black dress and stepping out for Valentine’s Day, our trick is to bring the party indoors. That fancy $15 cocktail tastes the same sitting across the table from your loved one as it does in the bar, plus you can put those savings towards stocking your bar with a fun selection for later down the road. We’re also suckers for an easy sangria, especially if you zhuzh it up with some red berries for the holiday.

Of course you need appetizers to enjoy together at home too. If you’re going this route, you have to try either our Buffalo Chicken Bombs or our Jalapeno Poppers. They might not be the most romantic on presentation, but they both bring the heat.

The Main Course

If you are reading this and you haven’t started searching for reservations, many restaurants are already booked solid unless you want to eat super early or super late. Some restaurants also have limited or special menus for Valentine’s Day to reduce the strain on the kitchen, so why not try a steak at home.

Here’s our southern secret for the perfect steak: Get your cast iron skillet smoking hot and add a pad of butter. Season a filet or ribeye on both sides with salt and pepper and sear that sucker for about 2-3 minutes on each side until medium rare while spooning the melted butter over the top. Best steak you’ve ever had, at about a third of the price. You can buy a better cut of meat with all those savings!

And another fun idea, try dressing up to cook together at home! It might seem silly, but trading your pajama pants or leggings for a cute dress and putting on some makeup can make a night in feel like more than a Tuesday. Plus you don’t have to put on your heels (unless you want to). We are admittedly pretty into dips, but… fondue makes a fantastic Valentine’s Day recipe. This recipe is fantastic and the article has some great tips for anyone who hasn’t made fondue before: https://www.wellplated.com/cheese-fondue-recipe/.

Dessert

If food can be romantic, nothing rises to the top more quickly than chocolate-covered strawberries. Instead of buying dried out pre-made ones at the store, put together a fruit tray and let Taste of the South Dips turn up the heat with our dessert dips – Salted Caramel, Creamy Chocolate Ganache and Vanilla Cream Cheese. This trio is a perfect pairing for winding down (or skipping the crowds).

PS: If you haven’t seen the movies above, we can promise they’ll be perfect for your Valentine’s Day this year. Enjoy a dinner on a dime, and spend more time with your sweetheart rather than waiting in a restaurant lobby or an Uber!