Uh Oh... I'm Out of Ideas For Valentine's Day

Valentine's day is this week. The trouble with that statement is that I've run out of ideas. The fancy dinner has been done to death plus I'm still trying to recover from Christmas. I can cook a special dinner and pair it with a nice wine but as you can tell from some of the meals I make, it probably won't feel as spontaneous as it would had I just made mac and cheese all year. I guess that's the only downfall to cooking all these meals. I've proved I can cook well so it's expected and pretty much required. So what now?

I got it! Why not just get a bunch of her favorite things and make a fun bag? Oh wait, nope, can't do it because she has already done the same for me in the past. I know everyone says Valentine's day is for women but I think they are so much better at getting us things. So much so that they look forward to it even more because of that reason. For example, I know what I'm getting already. She has purchased tickets to the Michael Buble concert. Well... can't top that. I'm pumped though, because we both love Buble.

Lots of sushi... Lots of sake

I've got an idea though. And thanks to my sensitive stomach the last time I tried this, I know it's something out of the ordinary. How about we have a low-key, watch a movie like we used to when it all began, and graze on sushi and sake. Most sushi places are carryout so advantage us. Since we can save on tip, parking and ridiculous mark ups on drinks, carryout sushi sounds even better.

Alright, now this is strictly for the guys. Hopefully you know her favorite sushi. If she is new to it, do not pick out the slimy looking ones or the eel rolls. Don't forget the wasabi and the soy sauce. Take the sushi out of the styrofoam box, find your cleanest (preferably white) dish, and plate the sushi. We are skimping on the fancy restaurant so you need to triple the effort at home. That means clean the apartment, febreze the couch and not 5 minutes before she gets there. If you are going to go candles, how about you get two for the coffee table since that's where you are going to most likely eat. Just tell her that you want a more traditional Japanese sushi experience. For you to pull this off, remember to vacuum the carpet and clean out any stains you have left from the Superbowl party.

Ok now. You have a clean area to eat, the candles are lit, and the sushi is waiting on the clean plates. All you need is the sake. If you've had sake before, it's come in two forms: hot and strong at most sushi places, or as a sake bomb. I recently just learned why it's served hot. It's for the same reason you would serve crappy white wine really cold, to hide the crapiness. Don't get me wrong, high quality sake can also be warmed but serving it cold is when it shows it's true colors. If you can find a decent wine shop with a variety of wines then you will find good sake there too. Remember, sake is just rice wine. Find some small sake bowls if you can, it will give you extra points. But I know you have a collection of large shot glasses. As a last resort, pull out that old Cancun Spring Break shotglass and serve the sake chilled.

You have "prepared" a special dinner for Valentine's day. Try not to drink too much sake and don't spill the soy sauce.