Today's Savvy City Girl Recommendation: Host a Valentine's Day Party and create an evening that guarantees nothing but fun and love.
1 Host at home
Opening your home to your friends will instantly create a feeling of comfort and intimacy. Tidy up the place and throw some fun and flamboyant decorations around. Invite as many guests as will fit comfortably in your pad. Don't go overboard on the invite list - this is Valentine's Day after all. You want to create intimacy by bringing interesting folk s together in a comfortable and fun environment.
2 Invite guests who are at the stage as you, romantically
Married couples should invite other committed couples. Your best friend is single? She shouldn't mind sitting this one out. If you always see the same couples be sure to infuse some fresh blood into the mix. Invite parents from your child's school or someone from your French cooking class.
New boyfriend? You can each invite a few friends who you know are dating someone exclusively.
If you're single (and loving it), go ahead and invite other singles and specify no dates and no set ups. Or if you are recently unattached, throw an all girl party, and keep the mood playful.
3 Serve Sexy His / Hers Cocktails
Cosmo recommends a Strawberry Kiss served in a champagne glass for the girls:
- 1 1/2 oz. Absolut Vanilia
- 1/2 oz. strawberry liqueur
- splash of CranPineapple juice
- garnish: Strawberry
Combine ingredients and top with champagne
I like French Cosmos for the guys (rich burgundy in color, this is a manly but yummy cocktail):
- 3 oz. pineapple juice
- 1 1/2 oz. vodka
- 1/2 oz. cassis
- garnish: Pineapple slice or leaf
4 Play
Remember those birthday parties in grade school? Pin the tail on the donkey? Limbo? You spent the whole time laughing and trying to out-play your best friend. You didn't care what you looked like and socializing became more exciting. I know it sounds cheesy, but trust a SCG who has seen it all - even the most skeptical hipster will relish in the competitive and hilarious spirit of PLAY. And for committed relationships, competing against other couples is a fast and easy way to strengthen your bond and build camaraderie.
Play Right: Couples compete against other couples, NOT EACH OTHER. Singles can be divided into teams, or it can be every woman/man for themselves.
Some Valentine's Day Party game picks:
Belt Race Game
Split the group into partners and have two or three groups compete at a time. (This way you have several rounds).
Each team has a very large belt (or 2 tied together), placed in a circle by the couples feet. At "go" the couples need to step into the circle and keeping their backs to each other, and without using their hands, try to get the belt up their bodies and over their heads. The first couple to do this wins.
Warring Couples
Players are paired up and have their adjacent legs tied together (as in a three legged race) and stand with their adjacent arms over each others shoulders. One play is given a dessert spoon to carry in their free hand. On a table at one end of the room is a pile of tangerines.
The object of each player in the pair is different: the player with the spoon has to walk to the table, collect a tangerine on their spoon and return to the start. Their 'partner' must try to stop them, which they can do by using their free hand to knock the tangerine off the spoon, or stopping them from picking one up in the first place. HOWEVER, the 'partner' without the spoon must comply with any leg movement the spoon holding partner makes. They must walk wherever he or she wants to walk.
As you can imagine, pandemonium ensues with players, tangerines an spoons scattered all over the floor. For more strange games like this, check Strange Games.
Who Am I?
If you haven't seen Inglorious Basterds, here are the rules:
Select a theme of famous artists, bands, composers, websites, politicians, TV shows or movies and come up with a list of people or titles that relate to your theme or category. Then label 3X5 index cards with famous artists, bands, TV shows, etc...
Now that you have the idea; make as many cards as there are guests and tape them to their backs without them seeing who or what they are. They will need to figure out who they are by asking each person one yes or no question, but they can only ask that one person one question in a row (thus encouraging mingling).
Sample questions Am I a woman? Am I alive? Do I play music? Would you have sex with me? Etc...
Give Me My Sweet
This game is particularly well suited for a Valentine's Day Party. Especially for married and committed couples. It's played with partners facing each other and their hands are tied behind their back and each is blindfolded. A sweet Valentine treat is placed in their mouths (can be cake, candy bar, etc.). It can even be wrapped, however if it is, without using their hands they must figure out how to unwrap it. The couple who finishes their treat first without using their hands wins.
5 Serve Aphrodisiacs
Nutritionists and Chefs agree that aphrodisiac foods not only stand up to their mood-enhancing reputation, they also boost the immune system and are full of vitamins and nutrients that make the body more vital, energized, and ready for...you know...
Be sure to find a way to fit a few of the Top 10 Aphrodisiacs into your party menu. Remember, the closer to fresh your food is prepared, the more it retains its nutrients.
10 ASPARAGUS Try wrapped in prosciutto or crisp spears served with a hollandaise dipping sauce (my personal favorite)
9 ALMONDS Chocolate covered (#5) almond candies along side toasted almonds and halved figs (#4) makes a wholesome and colorful plate. To incorporate almonds into something a little more substantial, replace pine nuts in a Basil pesto (#6) with chopped almonds.
8 AVOCADO Guacamole is an easy answer, if not a little predicable. For an alternative antipasti, pair avocado with Basil (#6), mozzarella and olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
7 BANANAS Split, dipped, fried, ice creamed - the options are endless.
6 BASIL Serve a "make your own" bruschetta with sliced baguette.
5 CHOCOLATE Candy is lovely, but chocolate fondue is divine. Serve with a raw fruit and nut plate and dip toasted almonds (#9), figs (#4), bananas (#7) and strawberries.
4 FIGS Serve fresh cut figs quartered with a homemade honey ice cream.
3 FOIE GRAS Serve with unbuttered white toast.
2 OYSTERS Serve on the half shell raw with butter and mignonette sauce. Purchased them shucked and save yourself and your guy the headache of shucking.
1 HONEY Drizzle lightly over ice cream or cheesecake.
6 The Dinner Party
If you are going to throw a dinner party for Valentine's Day, be sure to use seating cards and put careful consideration into who you seat next to whom. Seating should be boy-girl-boy-girl and couples should be seated across from, not beside one another, until dessert, when glasses and napkins should be taken with, and couples can reunite. The harmless flirtations that naturally happen between the opposite sexes will build tension so that by the time the couples are allowed to sit next to each other, they won't be able to keep their hands off each other.
Use some aphrodisiacs for your foundation and be sure to keep the fare light.
7 Give Corsages to the Ladies
Flower, paper, sticker - it's all good. Have your husband/boyfriend pick them out. He'll get a kick out of how appreciative all the girls are when they find out it was him who selected these little treats.
8 Chillax and Enjoy
This is about creating an evening that you love every minute of. So put aside the self inflicted pressure and remember to TREAT YOURSELF WITH THE SAME GRACE AND COURTESY YOU WOULD YOUR LOVELY GUESTS, and you are guaranteed a Valentine's Day full of love and friendship.
TIPS FOR YOUR VALENTINE'S DAY PARTY
1 Host at home
Opening your home to your friends will instantly create a feeling of comfort and intimacy. Tidy up the place and throw some fun and flamboyant decorations around. Invite as many guests as will fit comfortably in your pad. Don't go overboard on the invite list - this is Valentine's Day after all. You want to create intimacy by bringing interesting folk s together in a comfortable and fun environment.
2 Invite guests who are at the stage as you, romantically
Married couples should invite other committed couples. Your best friend is single? She shouldn't mind sitting this one out. If you always see the same couples be sure to infuse some fresh blood into the mix. Invite parents from your child's school or someone from your French cooking class.
New boyfriend? You can each invite a few friends who you know are dating someone exclusively.
If you're single (and loving it), go ahead and invite other singles and specify no dates and no set ups. Or if you are recently unattached, throw an all girl party, and keep the mood playful.
3 Serve Sexy His / Hers Cocktails
Cosmo recommends a Strawberry Kiss served in a champagne glass for the girls:
- 1 1/2 oz. Absolut Vanilia
- 1/2 oz. strawberry liqueur
- splash of CranPineapple juice
- garnish: Strawberry
Combine ingredients and top with champagne
I like French Cosmos for the guys (rich burgundy in color, this is a manly but yummy cocktail):
- 3 oz. pineapple juice
- 1 1/2 oz. vodka
- 1/2 oz. cassis
- garnish: Pineapple slice or leaf
4 Play
Remember those birthday parties in grade school? Pin the tail on the donkey? Limbo? You spent the whole time laughing and trying to out-play your best friend. You didn't care what you looked like and socializing became more exciting. I know it sounds cheesy, but trust a SCG who has seen it all - even the most skeptical hipster will relish in the competitive and hilarious spirit of PLAY. And for committed relationships, competing against other couples is a fast and easy way to strengthen your bond and build camaraderie.
Play Right: Couples compete against other couples, NOT EACH OTHER. Singles can be divided into teams, or it can be every woman/man for themselves.
Some Valentine's Day Party game picks:
Belt Race Game
Split the group into partners and have two or three groups compete at a time. (This way you have several rounds).
Each team has a very large belt (or 2 tied together), placed in a circle by the couples feet. At "go" the couples need to step into the circle and keeping their backs to each other, and without using their hands, try to get the belt up their bodies and over their heads. The first couple to do this wins.
Warring Couples
Players are paired up and have their adjacent legs tied together (as in a three legged race) and stand with their adjacent arms over each others shoulders. One play is given a dessert spoon to carry in their free hand. On a table at one end of the room is a pile of tangerines.
The object of each player in the pair is different: the player with the spoon has to walk to the table, collect a tangerine on their spoon and return to the start. Their 'partner' must try to stop them, which they can do by using their free hand to knock the tangerine off the spoon, or stopping them from picking one up in the first place. HOWEVER, the 'partner' without the spoon must comply with any leg movement the spoon holding partner makes. They must walk wherever he or she wants to walk.
As you can imagine, pandemonium ensues with players, tangerines an spoons scattered all over the floor. For more strange games like this, check Strange Games.
Who Am I?
If you haven't seen Inglorious Basterds, here are the rules:
Select a theme of famous artists, bands, composers, websites, politicians, TV shows or movies and come up with a list of people or titles that relate to your theme or category. Then label 3X5 index cards with famous artists, bands, TV shows, etc...
Now that you have the idea; make as many cards as there are guests and tape them to their backs without them seeing who or what they are. They will need to figure out who they are by asking each person one yes or no question, but they can only ask that one person one question in a row (thus encouraging mingling).
Sample questions Am I a woman? Am I alive? Do I play music? Would you have sex with me? Etc...
Give Me My Sweet
This game is particularly well suited for a Valentine's Day Party. Especially for married and committed couples. It's played with partners facing each other and their hands are tied behind their back and each is blindfolded. A sweet Valentine treat is placed in their mouths (can be cake, candy bar, etc.). It can even be wrapped, however if it is, without using their hands they must figure out how to unwrap it. The couple who finishes their treat first without using their hands wins.
5 Serve Aphrodisiacs
Nutritionists and Chefs agree that aphrodisiac foods not only stand up to their mood-enhancing reputation, they also boost the immune system and are full of vitamins and nutrients that make the body more vital, energized, and ready for...you know...
Be sure to find a way to fit a few of the Top 10 Aphrodisiacs into your party menu. Remember, the closer to fresh your food is prepared, the more it retains its nutrients.
10 ASPARAGUS Try wrapped in prosciutto or crisp spears served with a hollandaise dipping sauce (my personal favorite)
9 ALMONDS Chocolate covered (#5) almond candies along side toasted almonds and halved figs (#4) makes a wholesome and colorful plate. To incorporate almonds into something a little more substantial, replace pine nuts in a Basil pesto (#6) with chopped almonds.
8 AVOCADO Guacamole is an easy answer, if not a little predicable. For an alternative antipasti, pair avocado with Basil (#6), mozzarella and olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
7 BANANAS Split, dipped, fried, ice creamed - the options are endless.
6 BASIL Serve a "make your own" bruschetta with sliced baguette.
5 CHOCOLATE Candy is lovely, but chocolate fondue is divine. Serve with a raw fruit and nut plate and dip toasted almonds (#9), figs (#4), bananas (#7) and strawberries.
4 FIGS Serve fresh cut figs quartered with a homemade honey ice cream.
3 FOIE GRAS Serve with unbuttered white toast.
2 OYSTERS Serve on the half shell raw with butter and mignonette sauce. Purchased them shucked and save yourself and your guy the headache of shucking.
1 HONEY Drizzle lightly over ice cream or cheesecake.
6 The Dinner Party
If you are going to throw a dinner party for Valentine's Day, be sure to use seating cards and put careful consideration into who you seat next to whom. Seating should be boy-girl-boy-girl and couples should be seated across from, not beside one another, until dessert, when glasses and napkins should be taken with, and couples can reunite. The harmless flirtations that naturally happen between the opposite sexes will build tension so that by the time the couples are allowed to sit next to each other, they won't be able to keep their hands off each other.
Use some aphrodisiacs for your foundation and be sure to keep the fare light.
7 Give Corsages to the Ladies
Flower, paper, sticker - it's all good. Have your husband/boyfriend pick them out. He'll get a kick out of how appreciative all the girls are when they find out it was him who selected these little treats.
8 Chillax and Enjoy
This is about creating an evening that you love every minute of. So put aside the self inflicted pressure and remember to TREAT YOURSELF WITH THE SAME GRACE AND COURTESY YOU WOULD YOUR LOVELY GUESTS, and you are guaranteed a Valentine's Day full of love and friendship.
