Valentine's Get Together: "Happy But Not Sappy"

So this is my (Megan's) first post.  Valentine's Day isn't my favorite holiday, I find the abundance of red and pink hearts to be annoying (even if I am dating someone).  Not every Valentines Day is going to be spent with your significant other at a fancy restaurant with chocolates and flowers and maybe something sparkly, so my idea was to have a  “Happy But Not Sappy” Valentines Day get together with friends, one that did not revolve around teddy bears or commiserating over your shared hatred of Valentines Days and boys in general.

I think the perfect get together involves your best friends, some type of activity (I like to cook and bake), lots of food, and music or movies that you can sing/talk along with.

Invitations are always a nice touch.  Here I made one in Microsoft Word using Text Boxes

Food

Potlucks are wonderful.  1.  You get lots of food from it.  2. You aren’t buying and making all of it yourself.

My suggestions are: Chili (which has chocolate in it!), chocolate covered strawberries, baked brie with  raspberry jam, and pink popcorn (!)

1. That's me with the chili; 2. Baked Bree with Raspberry Jam;

3. Chocolate Covered Strawberries; 4. Pink Popcorn

If you don't want anything remotely Valentines-y, then go for comfort food: nachos, lasagna (or any pasta), and a personal favorite, Burger Bar...might as well indulge in an awesome burger with as many toppings as you want.

Getting Your Drink On*

*If you're 21 or over!

Raspberry Bellinis (champagne with raspberry puree in it) are a tasty and holiday-appropriate drink.  But I'm a fan of margaritas and think they are appropriate year round.

1. Just a picture of a margarita (found here)

2. Raspberry Bellinis

My Margarita Recipe:
1.5 oz tequila + .75 oz triple sec +.75 oz lime juice +.5 oz simple syrup
Combine in a shaker, add ice, and shake! 
Also, depending on the strength of your simple syrup you might want to add more,
but start with the .5 oz.

Activities

I know, you usually don’t need to plan activities when you’re hanging out with your best friends but sometimes it’s fun.

Do you remember the candy hearts with little messages on them?  Well you can make them as sugar cookies and write your own message!

(courtesy of Buzzfeed)

You can get a recipe from Martha Stewart and instead of using stamps, just put icing into a piping bag with a narrow tip on it!

Movie Suggestions

Bridesmaids; The Wedding Singer; Father of the Bride; You've Got Mail

If you want to go anti-love on this one then I suggest Die Hard, Jurassic Park, 

Silence of the Lambs or any horror movie ever.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentines Day, even if it is super sappy.
~ Megan ~