Mount Pleasant Magazine Jan/Feb 2021

16 www.ReadMPM.com | www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.VOICEofMPpodcast.com M aybe you don’t feel comfortable going out to a restaurant yet. Maybe you don’t want to splurge on a night out. Or maybe Valentine’s Day just isn’t your thing. Regardless of your reason for staying in, a Valentine’s Day celebration at home can be just as romantic, fun and delicious as a big night out. All you need is a little advance planning and a lot of love. If you order a mouth-watering steak from a fancy restaurant and eat it at your kitchen table on a paper plate with all of the lights on, do you have the same experience as you would enjoying it in a wood-paneled restaurant with moody lighting and soft background music? The answer is a resounding “no.” That’s why creating the right ambience is the key to making an at- home celebration feel special. So how do you make your home feel more like a restaurant? Bust out the china. First, if you have a formal dining room, use it. There’s nothing romantic about a gourmet dinner at your kitchen island. Bust out your fancy china, even if it’s harder to clean. This is a special night, so get out that cut crystal and silver and make use of those things you’re storing away for dinner parties. If your tableware collection is lacking, order a set of plates, flatware, glassware and napkins from a rental company like Snyder Event Rentals, which offers lots of fun designs that will add to the ambience. Turn down the brights. Next, turn your focus to setting the mood with lighting. You want your space to be dark enough to feel intimate and inviting, but not so dark you can’t see your food. If you have a dimmer switch, turn those lights down to the point that you could still comfortably read this magazine. If not, see what it feels like to turn the lights off in your dining space, leaving on lights in adjacent rooms for ambient light. Then cram every single candle that you have in your house into your dining space. Put tall tapers on the buffet, votives on the table and hurricanes on the floor. Nothing says romance like candlelight, and in this case, more is more. There are only two rules: one, don’t place tall candles in between you and your honey — nothing should block your view — and two, stay away from scented candles, which mix with the aromas of your food and make things taste like soap. We can all agree that’s not what you’re going for. Get centered. If you have the energy and determination to decorate beyond these basics, fantastic! However, nobody’s going to fault you for stopping there. When BY LINDSAY C. BISHOP Valentine’s Day at Home Recipes for the Perfect Romantic Dinner