This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Columbia Barnard chapter.
Whether your valentine is your mom, your one true love, your suitemate, or that guy you met at 1020 that one time, we’ve got some culinary tips to warm your night with sugar and spice.
The Sweet:
- Classic heart-shaped sugar cookies with pink icing: Use a wine bottle as a makeshift rolling pin!
- Sweethearts: A truly low-effort gift, but sweetly evocative of the corny nature of childhood V-days with sayings like “FAX ME,” UR A 10.”
- Ferrero Rocher chocolates: A best-loved upgrade from your grandmother’s Whitman’s Sampler. Who can say no?
The Spicy:
- Fondue: This cheesy shared dish for you and your plus one is as classically romantic as Lady and the Tramp’s single strand of spaghetti. The lactose intolerant among us can simply replace the cheese with chocolate: either way, it’s going to end up a sexy mess.
- Bibimbap for Two: Stay warm with your valentine by sharing a piping clay pot of this tasty Korean rice dish. If you want to stay local, Korean Mill in MoHi makes a tasty version for a great price, but with Koreatown so close the options are endless.
- Oysters: Scientifically speaking, their aphrodisiac function may be questionable, but it can’t hurt to test the theory yourself!
A Little of Both :)
- If you’d rather steer clear of the emotion-filled chaos that is the Valentine’s Night restaurant scene, snuggle up with a mug of Mexicali hot chocolate. The cayenne pepper in this variety takes it up a notch from your run-of-the-mill Swiss Miss. One recipe from SoCo Creamery in Lenox, Massachusetts calls for “a hint of mint, a few shots of espresso, and dashes of cinnamon and cayenne.” This stimulating mix of sweet and spicy will be sure to rouse you on an otherwise frigid night.