When it comes to hearts, most people think of Valentine’s Day. Since hearts are so symbolic of love, it’s fair that Valentine’s would have the most. However, just because Valentine’s is over, it doesn’t mean you can’t still use hearts to show how much you care, and what better way to show it than by cooking? After all, the way to anyone’s heart is through their stomach. So, if you are looking for ideas for dinner and a date night, try making dinner at home and embrace the love by making foods in the shape of a heart! It’s affordable, fun, and something you can do together. Just be sure to ask your date about any dietary restrictions first!
Pizza
Sure, you could order a pizza, but making it at home is part of the fun experience. Plus, when you make pizza at home, you get to add all the toppings you want. Pizza is a fun dinner to make on a date because it’s easy, relatively cheap depending on the cheese and toppings you get, and delicious. As you roll the dough out, cut it into the shape of the heart for that extra labor of love. You and your date are bound to be covered in flour, sauce, and cheese by the end of the night which will make it extra memorable.
Grilled Cheese
Who doesn’t love melty cheese and bread? Grilled sandwiches are classic comfort food and can be jazzed up for a special night with a few extra ingredients. For example, adding ham, tomato, apple slices, or different cheeses to a grilled sandwich can take it the extra mile. Pair your sandwich with a bowl of warm tomato soup for the ultimate comfort meal on a cold night. To make the grilled cheese heart-shaped, use a knife to cut the shape, or use a cookie-cutter.
Pancakes
Breakfast for dinner is always a good idea. To make heart-shaped pancakes, place a rubber or metal cookie cutter on the griddle and pour the batter inside. Or, you can use a squeeze bottle with batter to outline one by hand. For extra flair, dye the batter with red food coloring for pink pancakes! You can have a topping bar with berries, chocolate chips, whipped cream, and syrup to personalize each pancake.
Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries
A classic and romantic dessert is chocolate-dipped strawberries. While people generally dip the entire strawberry, for a heart-shaped effect, cut the strawberry in half lengthwise and dip it. Strawberries naturally look similar to a heart, so you don’t have to do much work! You can make this a fun part of your date by having different types of chocolate and sprinkles to personalize your strawberries. It might get a little messy, but that is part of the fun!
Cookie Hearts
Cookies are a delicious dessert and there are so many different flavor options to make. Though most people cut shapes into sugar cookie dough, you can try cutting shapes into different doughs like chocolate chip, oatmeal, or peanut butter. You can decide with your date which type of cookie you should make and work together to make the dough, cut them into heart shapes, and eat them! And, let’s be honest, you’ll probably eat some dough too.
The secret ingredient to any recipe is love, but why not show that love by making your meals heart-shaped?!