Hi lovelies! Even when I was single I liked celebrating Valentine’s Day, because, come on, who doesn’t love chocolate and other sweet things? Any excuse to have a little sugar is a-okay in my book and totally makes up for the fact that I didn’t get sent any red roses in my high school’s annual Flower-Grams distribution. Pssht, whatever. While we can show appreciation for our loved ones any time, the holiday is a little nudge in the right direction. I created a simple Valentine’s Dinner for my family with a few handmade elements to give our table a little polish. This would also make a great girls’ night set up. I’m sharing the recipe for the Strawberry Italian Sodas below. Hope you enjoy!
This simple dinner menu was created by painting a wash of pretty watercolors on some card stock and then hand-lettering the menu. Put it in a frame and it gets an instant upgrade.
I also added watercolor and calligraphy to some place cards. My daughter is still working on reading standard font so calligraphy is a bit out of her expertise, but I got a thumbs up on the colors.
For each place setting I cut a glittery heart from card stock and topped it with a unique calligraphy quote. I love the contrast in textures when these decorations are placed on top of the linen napkins.
I pulled out some wine glasses for the Italian sodas (in part because all my other glasses were dirty…) and I love the hint of pink that the drinks add to the table.
Last but not least, dessert gets elevated on a cake stand. These are homemade but a store-bought treat would be just as sweet.
Recipe: Strawberry Italian Sodas
Yields 4-6 servings.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 3-4 strawberries (frozen are fine)
- Seltzer water
Directions:
- Make the simple syrup by adding sugar and water to a small saucepan set over medium heat. Cook until the sugar is fully absorbed by the water.
- Remove the pan from heat and stir in the strawberries. If your berries are frozen, you can defrost in the microwave for a few seconds before adding to the mix. Allow the strawberries to infuse the mixture while the syrup cools.
- When the syrup has cooled, strain the strawberries from the mixture.
- Chill the syrup in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Then, add a small amount to each glass and add seltzer water to taste.
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