Desserts, DIY, Featured

DIY: Valentine’s Dinner Inspiration and Strawberry Italian Sodas Recipe

February 13, 2015

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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. When the syrup has cooled, strain the strawberries from the mixture.
  4. 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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