Inspired Valentine’s Day Ideas with Drink Guide

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For the past two weeks, we’ve posted ideas to help anyone, even in the most precarious of situations, have a great Valentine’s Day meal. Ranging from the dieters to the budgeters, we’ve created simple recipes and great meal plans. Here is a guide from everything you need for any special event from drinks, to desserts, to cooking tips.

Today is all about inspired ideas.

Drink-Guide

Wines 

A good rule to live by, especially if you’re not a sommelier (wine expert), is to pair basic types of meats with certain wines.

Beef

Lean Cut: Light or medium bodied red wine

Example: Zinfandel, Cabernet, or Merlot

Fatty Cut: Bold reds

Example: Petite Sirah, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon

Kid’s choice: Root beer

Pork

When pairing with pork it depends on how the pork is cooked. But staying with a sweeter wine is a good rule to follow for a perfect pairing.

Red: Zinfandel

White: Pinot Grigio

Kid’s choice: Apple cider

Chicken

White meat: Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay

Dark meat: Pinot Noir or Zinfandel

Kid’s choice: Sparkling cider (Martinelli’s)

Fish

Salmon: Red wine, such as, Pinot Noir

White fish, oysters, and other shell fish: White wine, such as, sparkling wine or Sauvignon Blanc

Kid’s choice: Pellegrino with lemon and mint

There’s something about Valentine’s dinner that says meat. Whether you make beef, pork, or chicken, meat is the way to go when cooking a romantic meal. Here is an internal temperature guide for all the classic Valentine’s dinner meats.

INTERNAL-TEMP-INFOGRAPHIC

 

We’ve also compiled a week’s worth of classic and inspired Valentine’s Day desserts. However, our personal favorite is the vanilla and ginger creme bruleeGinger Creme Brulee with Grapefruit

For more ideas on how to make this weekend romantic, easy, or cheap, scroll through the Gygi blog for more Valentine’s Day ideas and inspiration.

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