Valentine's Day

In honor of Valentine's Day I put together a dinner party. I decided to use a lot of pink and red for the décor. I also displayed a lot of candy on the table because, at least to me, candy is the best part of Valentine's Day. I chose a menu that was simple, but still felt special and festive. I went with an easy menu because I know Valentine's Day is on a weekday and a lot of people don't want to cook an elaborate dinner after a long day at work. 

Décor: For this party I made candy the main focus of the table by putting different types of candy in various different size vases and containers. I used heart shaped lollipops to fill an apothecary jar. The apothecary jar added some much needed height to the table, which made the table more visually interesting.  I also  decided to go with a red tablecloth  because it made all of the white platters pop, which helped draw your eye directly to the food. I also added some various other pink and red décor elements to the table because I think red and pink look very pretty together and Valentine's Day is the perfect excuse to use that color combination. I added my own artistic touch to the table by cutting hearts out of pink and red tissue paper and taping the hearts to clear votive candle holders. The candles looked really pretty lit and I felt it was nice way to make my table a little more customized and special. I also scattered the 2" conversation candy hearts around the table because I thought they were fun and added a festive touch to the table. 


Where I Bought Each Item:

Pink Tealights, Pink Plates, Pink Heart Candies, Red Heart Decals & clear votives: Party City; www.partycity.com


Large Conversation Hearts & Mini Heart Pops: candy.com
*This is a great source if you are looking to buy bulk candy for a party. On this website you can find any color of rock candy, M&Ms or various different types of lollipops. 

Square White Plates: Pier 1, Small Rectangle Server; www.pier1.com


Red Glitter Candles: B&J Florist Supply, NYC;(212)564-6086


Apothecary Jar: Crate&Barrel, Delfina Covered Jar Small; www.crateandbarrel.com


Pink, Red & White M&M's: CVS; www.cvs.com


Cake Plate:Home Goods, www.homegoods.com


Flowers: Fresh Market, www.thefreshmarket.com

Menu:

Hanger Steak With Mushrooms and Red Wine Sauce:  www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Hanger-Steak-with-Mushrooms-and-Red-Wine-Sauce-367758

Mashed Potatoes


Salad: Greens, cranberries & pine nuts


Macaroons: La Maison du Macaron, 132 West 23rd Street, NYC; www.nymacaron.com

Shrimp Cocktail & Cocktail Sauce: Balducci's, www.balduccis.com
*I like serving shrimp cocktail in martini glasses because it's a nice presentation and its a great way to give everyone their own individual cocktail serving and dipping sauce. 






Heart Cake: Betty Crocker cake mix in a heart shape pan. 

Raspberry Chocolate Kiss Cocktail: www.marthastewart.com/315960/raspberry-chocolate-kiss-cocktail?center=276967&gallery=326691&slide=256434

Schedule:
2 Weeks Before: Buy décor items. Order candy from candy.com


2 Days Before: Buy Flowers and set table to see if you need anything else. 


1 Day Before: Buy macaroons and groceries. Make cake and also the simple syrup for cocktail. 


Morning of Party: Finish setting up the table 


1 Hour Before: Make cocktails, but wait until a few minutes before the party starts to add the ice. Also, make appetizer by putting shrimp around edge of martini glass and putting cocktail sauce in the center of each glass. (Store in refrigerator until the start of the party)


50 Minutes Before: Make mashed potatoes & start your hanger steak. Put your oven on a low temperature and reheat steak and potatoes in oven before serving. 


A Few Minutes Prior to Party: Put ice in cocktail glasses and turn music on.