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DigsMagazine.com.
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can't
buy
me
love
valentine's day on
a budget
by Patricia Virella |
1 2
3 4 |
Love
don't cost a thing -- except, it sometimes seems, on Valentine's Day.
From the commercials touting how a diamond is forever, to the countless
magazine articles on five fabulous ways to spend a heap on your honey, it’s hard to get away from the idea that
the amount of money you drop tends to signify how much love you have for
someone.
Don’t fall into the money pit.
There are many amazing ways to show your sweetie your love
without robbing a bank to finance it.
The key to getting maximum romance out of a minimum of moolah? A
little bit of time, a certain amount of creativity and a whole lot of
thoughtfulness.
skip
the restaurant!
You
may think having a sit down dinner at a posh restaurant has romance
written all over it. It
very well may, but you may also be spelling b-r-o-k-e.
An even sweeter alternative is to cook at home.
Make your honey’s favorite dinner and have it ready when he/she
comes home. Or get the
evening’s celebrating started early by sharing
kitchen duties, and prepping a romantic meal together.
Either way, use cost-effective
ways to get your ingredients and with just a little bit of
effort, you can easily get a fabulous meal on the table for a fraction
of what it might have cost you to battle the restaurant crowds.
just
desserts
Once you’ve gotten your main course together, have fun
and let romance be your guide to delectably devilish desserts.
Chocolate is a favorite on Valentine’s Day and is easy to
prepare in many ways. Go
for classics like chocolate-dipped strawberries (simply melt 8oz.
bittersweet baking chocolate with 2 tablespoons butter in a bowl
over simmering water. Dip in strawberries one at time.
If you’re not using long-stem strawberries, a toothpick
makes dipping easier). Or try an easy and elegant Chocolate Mousse
(right). |
The
Easiest
Chocolate Mousse
8oz. bittersweet
baker's chocolate
¾ cup butter (about
a stick and a half)
1¾ cup heavy cream
2
eggs
2 Tbsp. honey
1 ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract (imitation
is fine)
Melt
chocolate and butter in a bowl over simmering water.
In a separate bowl, whip heavy cream until it forms
soft peaks. In
a third bowl, combine eggs and honey and vanilla. Whisk mixture until light and fluffy. Fold in heavy cream;
once combined, fold in chocolate/butter mixture.
Refrigerate at least one hour. |
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