Valentine's Day Spectacular!

Anyone who knows me knows that Valentine's Day is my favorite holiday. Most of the time, that means people groan when they find out and assume I'm one of those gals who needs diamonds and Kobe beef and presents and the like. Not true...well, I do kinda buy into the whole flower bit but that's all! :) I love the romance of Valentine's Day and just like to do something different, something special on the day. Each year, that means different things. Two years ago, we went ice skating and to Finale's. Last year, we colored and went to a matinee. As long as we're together and being mushy, I'm happy. But there are some common elements that carry over each year.
See, it was on v-day two years ago that Anthony faked me out by making the Saturday prior the big celebration. I kept hoping he'd propose while out and about in Boston, but he fooled me. He did plan an awesome day, so I forgave him for the lack of marriage talk. :) However, the real V-day was the following Wednesday, and we had low-key plans to stay in and cook his famous nacho dip and have mini molten chocolate cakes just to mark the passing of the actual day. That's when he sprung the question on me.
Now, each v-day is now a special anniversary that we enjoy even more. That means our annual tradition involves, at the very least, nacho dip and molten cakes. This year, we decided to stay in on Saturday; we figured every other couple would be out en masse and that just didn't seem as romantic. So we picked out a bunch of chick flicks ahead of time, gathered a recipe for molten cakes and made sure we had everything on hand for a long weekend in. We thoroughly enjoyed our movie marathon, and loved our dinner and dessert over candlelight. It was nice, private, and romantic and I was a very happy camper. I know v-day is a commercial holiday that normally dictates the man spend more money than is practical just to "keep up with the Joneses," but I just see it as a good day to celebrate and focus on your love for your significant other (or friends or family). And what's wrong with that?

Special shout out to my dad...He was the first man in my life to make me feel like a princess, and he still goes out of his way to make sure I know it's true. He has gotten me Valentine's Day flowers every year since I can remember, and I always look forward to them! I think that started my fixation with v-day flowers, and fortunately I married a man who is also happy to oblige. :)

P.S. This was our first year making our own molten cakes, and we actually found the recipe in a Cooking Light magazine. The only "light" thing about it was it used egg substitute (of course we used real), but it still asked for cups of white, brown, and powdered sugar! Whatever. Ironically, they were a huge kick in the pants and hard for even me to get through one of them on my own. But the recipe was really pretty easy, and they turned out great. I would highly recommend giving that dessert a try for special occasions!