Valentine’s day is traditionally a romantic evening with intimate one-on-one time spent with our significant other. Some couples might go out to dinner, while others might stay in to prepare a unique cuisine for that special someone. Other couples might snuggle up close to a particular movie or take a memorable trip somewhere to celebrate the occasion. While this can be fun, when it comes down to it, doing the same thing every single year can make Valentine’s Day not so impressive, especially when you spend every other day of the year with your partner anyway!
There’s no better way to mix it up than to host Valentine’s day dinner with other couples. Hosting a dinner is a great way to change things up because you still get to spend time with your partner while still enjoying the company of fun friends and their partners. They always say, the more, the merrier! We’ve put together a guide of some of the fun food, drinks, and party games that you can use to host a fabulous and memorable Valentine’s day dinner with your friends.
Related: 10-Second Recipes: Spicy, Gummy, Mango Margarita
Valentine Dinner Party Menu
When hosting any dinner party, you want to make sure that the menu impresses your guests! Especially when they could have gone to a restaurant and gotten some awesome food. Check out these simple and delicious recipes for a great way to wow your guests, while still staying on theme with Cupid’s day.
Appetizer: Roasted Balsamic Strawberry Bruchetta
This sweet and savory appetizer is a great way to bring in the holiday’s red theme while still providing a classy dish to get the pallets going. By marinating the strawberry’s in balsamic vinegar and slightly baking them before spreading them on bread with goat cheese, you’ll have a hit dish from the very start.
Main Dish: Marinated Cornish Game Hen
This main dish will have your guests even more ‘wowed.’ Made with savory ginger-soy-lime marinade, it’s also relatively easy to put together. Cornish Game is a little different from traditional chickens, which is a great way to cook something your guests have never had before. Sides you can include may be any variation of salad, roasted asparagus, baked potatoes, and anything else you think may go well with the pallet you have prepared.
Dessert: Cherry Crunch
Why not bring the Valentine red theme back for dessert? This crunch is excellent with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream on top. Thus, this is a perfect option as the ‘cherry’ on top for a delicious full-course meal with good company.
Other Tips For Your Valentines Day Dinner Party Menu
-
- Details are important: remember to use fancy tableware, pick up candles and flowers, use garnish, try warming plates, and anything else you can think of!
- Avoid committing to difficult recipes: if you don’t have an affinity for cooking and you spend your whole evening in the kitchen, your date will be bummed out they can’t spend the time with you.
- Keep portions small: it can be difficult to finish large portion sizes with rich meals. If you’re drinking as well, small portion sizes and awesome flavors will be plenty to keep your guests full and happy.
Related: 10 Second Recipes: Spicy Watermelon Margarita
Valentine Dinner Drink
For some people, drinks are just as important as the meal itself. Don’t forget to plan out a fun and memorable drink to be paired with your cuisine. Drinks can help to lighten the mood and break the ice for the games we’ve got planned in the next section!
Strawberry and Champagne Margarita
This fruity and festive drink is bound to be a crowd favorite and just takes 5 minutes to put together. For an added fun twist to the recipe, try adding Rancho La Gloria Strawberry Margarita to the recipe.
Are you looking for a fruity mix to your adult beverage routine? Check out bottled, canned, and frozen cocktails by Rancho La Gloria.
Valentine Dinner Games
Whether you know the people you’re inviting to dinner super well or not, adding simple and fun games is a wonderful way to break the ice and get to know all your guests.
Don’t Forget the Lyrics
All you’ll need is a bowl, slips of paper, and pens for guests to write on the paper for this game. Have each person write down words that are related to love and relationships on the paper, one word per slip. Put all the pieces of paper in the bowl and mix them. Split the group into two teams and take turns pulling a slip of paper from the bowl.
Each team must sing at least one line of a song that includes that word in the music. The first team that isn’t able to think of a piece gives the other team a point. Teams can fake a song if they can’t think of one, but they get an extra point if the other team calls them out. This is a great game for breaking the ice and getting the laughs rolling.
Love Questions
Dinner is a great time to play a simple game like the love question game. The group simply decides on a question that every couple needs to go around and answer. Questions can be simple, such as “tell the group when you met, and when you first knew that you were in love” or “what’s your favorite activity to do as a couple.” This is a great way to get all individuals out of the woodwork and let quieter individuals or couples have their time to shine.
Related: Rancho La Gloria: Our Story
Rancho La Gloria Serving Festive Valentine Drinks
No matter what fruity flavor you’re looking to serve at your gathering, Rancho La Gloria offers a wide variety of refreshing flavors including lime, strawberry, mango, watermelon, peach, and more. Whether you’re looking for bottled, canned, or frozen cocktails, Rancho La Gloria drinks comes with 100% Blue Weber Agave and is perfectly served with fresh lime juice. Find a location that serves Rancho La Gloria near you!
Are you feeling conflicted about what drinks to serve at your Valentine’s Day party? Rancho La Gloria is a perfect option for guests of all tastes and preferences.