Happy Valentine's Day

Whether you look forward to Valentine's Day or dread it with a passion, you have to admit our intern's article from last year is cute. So cute that we decided to slack off and repost it so we'd have more time to each chocolates. Good decision, right? Enjoy!

Is Valentine’s Day already here? Yes! V-day is indeed just around the corner. So for all you single ladies who potentially end up in the kitchen cooking for/with a cute guy, here are some tips: (this could also be useful when ordering at a restaurant come V-day date night and even for you ladies in relationships, you might want to take this advice to ensure your man stays around until next Valentine’s Day!)

Avoid:

• Ingredients and/or foods that give you bad breath leaving you unkissable at the end of the night. Excessive amounts of onion and garlic are not necessary.
• Anything that could potentially get stuck in your teeth. Steer clear of pesto and oregano.
• Any foods or food combos that leave your stomach feeling unsettled so you have to cut the date short or make an embarrassing dash for the bathroom.
• Ingredients that you are (or even could be) allergic to. Don’t let his cuteness blank your mind of foods that cause you to swell up like a chipmunk, break out in a rash or start coughing hysterically. Especially those allergic to strawberries: watch out! Strawberries are a classic V-day dessert ingredient.
• Any type of food that is genuinely hard to eat. Anything ranging from hard to cut and could end up flying across the room to anything hard to keep on the fork causing you to put an empty fork in your mouth each bite and leaving you starving by the end of the meal.
• No chopsticks unless you have some experience! Otherwise your concentration will shift from your date’s conversation to a mental war keeping your food between chopsticks and you’ll end up having to tell people about your date with a plate of rice and spring rolls.
• Anything messy. It is not lady-like to spill your food or get covered in it.
• Anything that requires you to eat with your hands or could potentially cause you to assist with your hands.
• Any dish too spicy at risk of potentially passing out when trying to breathe normally attempting to appear cool and collected.
• Any foods that are too chewy leading you to swallow whole pieces and at risk of choking.

Let us know if you think of any other V-day dishes that could be disastrous! And for a safe bet, check out our disaster-free Valentine's Day recipes, like our Sweetheart Cupcakes.

Glass of Sass: Cozy Valentine's Day

Check out the latest Q&A in our new Glass of Sass column. We know our sassy fans have questions, and we've already poured a glass of wine so we're ready to fire off some answers!

Got a question of your own? Send it in and we will answer it in a future column!


I don't mean to be a grouch but Valentine's Day drives me crazy! There's all this pressure to buy overly expensive gifts and then go out to a nice dinner, which inevitably won't even be that nice because the restaurant will be jam-packed and the menu will be pre-set with stuff they probably prepared way in advance. Yuck. But if I offer to cook my husband a meal at home is that going to look cheap? Or will it look like I don't care enough? Help!

I'm pretty sure any man (or person, for that matter) would LOVE to have a meal cooked for them. So no need to stress! You can always just slip on a cute, casual dress, light a few candles and the night will feel special without you even having to leave the house (or fork out a ton of dough).

Try these easy recipes for a foolproof, cozy, and romantic evening:

Shrimp Diavolo

Chocolate Truffles

Simple Summer Picnics

Summer is (obviously) a great time to get outdoors and enjoy the fabulous weather. And picnics can be an easy way to have inexpensive and fun meals outside. To make sure your picnics stay simple (and don't make you miss the conveniences of home!) try these tips:

FAMILY PICNICS

Food. Keep it easy with this Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad, which you can make in advance and refrigerate. It has all the food groups so you know your family will get a full meal. Bring along some baked potato chips and fresh fruit, like watermelon and apples, and you're set!

Drinks. Fill a cooler with juices boxes for the kiddo and soda, beer, or white wine for the adults, and plenty of water for everyone.

Entertainment. Bring a volleyball net or badminton set if you're going to an area that allows set-up. You can find them pretty inexpensively at your local sporting goods or discount store. Or even just a ball or frisbee to throw around.

Miscellaneous. Bring plenty of napkins and wet wipes - watermelon is great but somehow manages to end up all over the place. Toss in a few paper plates and plastic forks and you're set.

Remember - the goal is to keep it simple! Grab just a few things and head to the beach/park and enjoy a family night out. No need to bring everything from home!

ROMANTIC PICNICS

Food. Grab a selection of gourmet cheeses and sausages at your local wine and cheese shop (or even grocery store), and toss in a baguette as well. Prepare this easy Fruit Pizza in advance for a refreshing dessert. Simple and totally tasty!

Drinks. Grab a bottle (or two) of sparkling wine or white wine. Either is great when enjoyed al fresco. Splurge and bring real champagne/wine glasses on your picnic. If you have a wine chiller, that's ideal. Otherwise, just keep it in your picnic basket out of direct sunlight and drink it fast enough that it doesn't get hot! And don't forget the corkscrew!

Miscellaneous. Little touches like a real knife, a wooden cuttingboard, and a traditional picnic basket really jazz up a romantic picnic while still keeping it simple.

The main thing to remember with picnics is that everything you use, you have to carry. So choose wisely and pick the few things that make it special while leaving everything else at home. And remember - you don't need to eat any more on a picnic than you would at home. No need to bring vats of potato salad or 20 pounds of watermelon - you'll just end up trashing most of it or lugging it home. Keep it simple and enjoy the great outdoors!

Hump Day with Bradley: Top 5 Aphrodisiac Foods

Hey ladies! It's not all beer and barbecue over here - I do have a softer side. Check out today's tips on the top five aphrodisiac foods. Be sure to tell me which ones you'd like to try ...
- Bradley


You've probably heard rumors and myths about certain foods having aphrodisiac qualities. While the FDA says there are no aphrodisiac foods, I say that takes all the fun out of it. So here are 5 foods to try next time you're in the mood to, er, get in the mood. Can't hurt, right?

1. Chocolate. The sedative in this dual-action treat helps with relaxation (thus lowering inhibitions) while the stimulant helps increase desire for physical contact. Considering it was banned from monasteries in the past, my bet is there's something to this myth.


2. Garlic. Bad breath? Sure. But it might be worth it for the increase in blood flow it encourages. Cue in more stamina and extra energy.


3. Caviar. Loaded with zinc, this delicacy aids in the production of testosterone, which can help increase stamina. Not big on fish eggs? Pine nuts also have a large dose of zinc, so toss a few on your pasta for a romantic dinner.


4. Honey. While "boron" may not be the sexiest word, honey is jam-packed with it, which means honey can stimulate estrogen production in women and testosterone production in men.


5. Almonds. It's not the almonds themselves so much as the aroma. Whip up some pastries with almond extract and fill the air with a sweet, sensuous smell.

Ready to try at home? Start with these easy Chocolate-Covered Strawberries and see where the night takes you!

5 Recipes for the Perfect Dinner Date

Whether you're single and planning a date with a new interest or cozied up and happily married, it can be really fun to have a semi-fancy "date night" at home. That is, until it's time to plan what to serve! Here's a simple guide with 5 easy recipes for the perfect dinner date:

Starter: Roasted Red Pepper Wraps
These simple apps are always a hit and can easily be prepared in advance and refrigerated until ready to serve. They're pretty light so you don't fill up too quickly.


Main: Boursin Chicken Wraps
The starter ties in nicely with this, and if you only make a few appetizers, you'll have enough ingredients for the main dish, too. This is another one you can prepare in advance and then just pop in the oven once you start eating the appetizer.

Side: Italian Artichoke Salad
Salads can get messy really quickly, and if you're trying to keep it cool in front of your date, you'll want to avoid dribbling dressing all over your chin or having veggies stuck in your teeth. While no salad is embarassment-proof, this one's pretty close.

Drink: Takes Two To Mango
It's always nice to start the night off (and continue) with a tasty cocktail. The name says it all with this drink - two ingredients equals a fabulous time!


Dessert: Chocolate Covered Strawberries
It may be cliché but there's a reason these are a popular date dessert. They're easy to eat and only require two ingredients!



These recipes should help make date night special while keeping it easy so you can focus on having fun. Happy date night!

Friday Night Date Night!

It's Friday! Time to kick back with a glass of wine and an easy dinner, right? Tonight we recommend the Scampi Tortellini - in under 15 minutes you've got a delicious dinner for 4 on the table (or a romantic dinner for 2 with plenty of leftovers).



And, as we've mentioned before, we're really into Mad Housewife Wine right now. So pop open a bottle of their Cabernet and enjoy a restaurant quality meal in the coziness of your own house!

Indulge in a Heart-Healthy Valentine's Day!

At FunnySpoon, we keep things SIMPLE. So for Valentine's Day we're going to kill three birds with one stone: indulge in delicious dishes, stick to our New Year's resolution of eating healthy, and celebrate National Heart Health Month. Sound impossible? It's easy with our SIMPLE recommendations below!

SIMPLE recipes

Whether you're cooking for that special someone or having friends over for a singles night, this menu is sure to win hearts!

• Shrimp Diavolo: In just 20 minutes, you'll have a restaurant-quality meal in the coziness of your own home. Plus you'll get 1 of your 2 recommended servings of seafood for the week - packed with heart-healthy omega-3's!




• Italian Artichoke Salad: An easy side salad that squeezes some greens into dinner (your heart with thank you!) but won't leave embarassing bits in your teeth.




• Sweetheart Cupcakes: They're just as tasty as they look but not nearly as bad for you as you'd think - just replace the vegetable oil with heart-healthy olive oil and you're actually doing something good for yourself!

Top it all off with a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon from our obsession-of-the-moment, Mad Housewife Wine, and you'll be helping fend off heart attacks. Who wouldn't fall in love with that?

Get more V-Day inspiration with all our SIMPLE Valentine's Day recipes!

SIMPLE heart health


What are you doing this month to keep your heart healthy? Share on our blog, Facebook, or Twitter and automatically be entered to win a copy of "Living the Thin Life" by Elle Meyer. Her book lets you in on some excellent secrets and is chock full of tips on weight maintenance. Read the full contest rules.

SIMPLE survey

It would warm our hearts if you took our quick survey. We'd love to hear what you think about FunnySpoon and what we can do to make 2010 more SIMPLE for you. So if you have 43 seconds to spare, tell us what you think!

Bon Appétit!
Carrie & Vicki

Beware: Hidden Valentine's Day Disaster Dinners

Is Valentine’s Day already here? Yes! V-day is indeed just around the corner. So for all you single ladies who potentially end up in the kitchen cooking for/with a cute guy, here are some tips: (this could also be useful when ordering at a restaurant come V-day date night and even for you ladies in relationships, you might want to take this advice to ensure your man stays around until next Valentine’s Day!)

Avoid:

• Ingredients and/or foods that give you bad breath leaving you unkissable at the end of the night. Excessive amounts of onion and garlic are not necessary.


• Anything that could potentially get stuck in your teeth. Steer clear of pesto and oregano.


• Any foods or food combos that leave your stomach feeling unsettled so you have to cut the date short or make an embarrassing dash for the bathroom.


• Ingredients that you are (or even could be) allergic to. Don’t let his cuteness blank your mind of foods that cause you to swell up like a chipmunk, break out in a rash or start coughing hysterically. Especially those allergic to strawberries: watch out! Strawberries are a classic V-day dessert ingredient.


• Any type of food that is genuinely hard to eat. Anything ranging from hard to cut and could end up flying across the room to anything hard to keep on the fork causing you to put an empty fork in your mouth each bite and leaving you starving by the end of the meal.


• No chopsticks unless you have some experience! Otherwise your concentration will shift from your date’s conversation to a mental war keeping your food between chopsticks and you’ll end up having to tell people about your date with a plate of rice and spring rolls.


• Anything messy. It is not lady-like to spill your food or get covered in it.


• Anything that requires you to eat with your hands or could potentially cause you to assist with your hands.


• Any dish too spicy at risk of potentially passing out when trying to breathe normally attempting to appear cool and collected.


• Any foods that are too chewy leading you to swallow whole pieces and at risk of choking.

Let us know if you think of any other V-day dishes that could be disastrous! And for a safe bet, check out our disaster-free Valentine's Day recipes, like our Sweetheart Cupcakes.


We are happy to have Hanna Skeppner on board this semester as an intern for FunnySpoon.com. As a Swedish-American, she has many exciting ideas to add a new twist to our old faves.

Hot & Spicy Day

Heat up the kitchen with some spice tonight! This Shrimp Diavolo is perfect for date night and only takes 20 minutes from start to finish. Pair it with a Bloody Mary and turn up the heat even more!





Bon appetit!

National Seafood Month - yum!

You all know it's recommended that we try to fit seafood into our diet at least twice per week. But did you know that October is National Seafood Month? Make a super simple dinner tonight, honor National Seafood Month and get a little shrimp in your diet with one of these SeaPak Shrimp Company meals.

Shrimp Tempura & Rice - dinner in less than 10 minutes and you'll think you're at a Japanese restaurant! (Tip: Sometimes I will make this for my husband and me and Popcorn Shrimp for the kiddos. They love the rice and edamame, but don't appreciate the delicios Tempura Shrimp as much as the grown-ups do!)




Shrimp Scampi with Peas - a fantastic dinner the whole family will love. Serve it alone or pair with crusty bread & a side salad. Everyone will ask for this again and again!