Stay Home and Prepare a Sexy Valentine's Meal For Your Beloved

My mother told me a story last Valentine's Day about how when they were young, my father, looking to impress his young wife, took her to a fancy Beverly Hills restaurant on Valentine's Day.

"It was crowded, noisy and the waiters were stressed and over worked" she said.

And I bet it cost my father a pretty penny, too!

Food can be one of life's most sensuous delights. In addition, many foods, like asparagus, seafood, saffron, vanilla and chocolate, are traditionally believed to have aphrodisiacal qualities. So instead of busting your budget to spend the evening in an overbooked restaurant this Valentine's Day, why not have fun creating a tasty meal of luxurious treats for you and your beloved to enjoy at home.

Take in all the sensory pleasures food has to offer- not only taste, but the visual beauty of juicy red strawberries, the snap of a crispy bread stick as you bite into it. Explore the textures, mouth feel, and smells. Include lots of little nibbles that you can eat with your fingers and feed to one another. Include foods that are touted for their aphrodisiac qualities-a variety of seafood (one of the front runners in that category) like shrimp and baby lobster tails dipped in unctuous drawn butter, asparagus with saffron aioli, and for dessert, deep dark chocolate for dipping those strawberries and rich, creamy truffles.

Fill the room with candlelight, soft music, and crack open a bottle of champagne- a must! You could be really adventurous and blindfold each other as you pop treats into one another's mouths.

Keep it light, though, so you'll be ready for any other of the evening's activities that may come up.

Gisele Perez is the owner of small pleasures catering in Los Angeles, CA where she specializes in creating wonderful feasts to help her clients celebrate the special days in their lives. She also occasionally blogs as the LA to LA Chef on New Orleans, Los Angeles, food and other related topics that strike her fancy. Please visit her at either http://www.smallpleasurescatering.com or at painperdu@blogstream.com