February 14 smells of roses, chocolate, and perfume. This special day is one full of beautiful music, the most important words we can ever tell our loved ones, and great food.

From dawn to dusk of this holiday, we feel special, inspired, and hopeful. Even the fact that Valentine’s Day is on a Wednesday this year, right in the middle of another workweek, won’t get us down. On the contrary, it means that we can have a little celebration on Wednesday and a slightly bigger one on the weekend.

The holiday has different meanings all over the world. For example, in Finland and Estonia, February 14 is “Friend’s Day”. Follow this tradition and send some warm words to your closest friends—they’ll definitely appreciate it. In Norfolk, a county in the East of England, Old Father Valentine doesn’t forget about children. On the holiday eve, he leaves small gifts or sweets for them.

And if you and your beloved have already established some unique Valentine’s Day traditions, what about adding new flavors to them? Your morning should not just start with your usual cup of strong coffee and toast with raspberry preserve, or whatever you and your significant other usually have. Your evening meal shouldn’t just be confined to the pasta you cooked the night before.

Let’s make the whole day different and flavorful! Check out these Valentine’s Day recipes to make your celebration even more delicious.

Ideas for Your Hasty but Very Romantic Breakfast

Treat yourself with something tasty, quick-to-cook, and festive. Your standard coffee or tea will pair well with any of these ideas.

Heart-shaped blinis with your favorite caviar
Original hand-made heart-shaped blinis from Marky’s were specifically created for Valentine’s Day! Serve them with fresh cream cheese and Sturgeon or Beluga caviar. Enjoy breakfast time with your partner and make sure your workday is going to be wonderful.

Crunchy baguette with original foie gras
That’s not all! We recommend adding something piquant to it. Duck foie gras harmoniously pairs with fig and cinnamon chutney or black cherry spread, for example. If you wish to come up with a really outstanding treat, you should opt for white truffles. That’ll be a scrumptious culinary present!

Plus, cute cherry tomato hearts

These will become an amusing and tasty decoration to your festive meals. You simply need to cut away about 1/4 of a cherry tomato, ideally at 45°. Stick the two bigger parts together with adorable Cupid’s arrows toothpicks or plain toothpicks. Serve the tomato hearts with Mozzarella balls and enjoy.

Dreamy V-Day Dinner (That Is Incredibly Simple to Cook)

These two dishes seem to be created for one another. Pork roast with dried fruit and spices plus heart-shaped roasted potato will prove to be the perfect choice for your romantic Valentine’s Day dinner.

Pork Roast with Dried Fruit and Spices

This is a delicious meal that will be the perfect culinary solution for this winter evening. All you need to do to bring it to perfection is set the right temperature in the oven. Fruit and spices will do the rest of the work.

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 lb. boneless pork loin
• 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1 cup dried cherries
• 1 cup dried figs or fig condiment
• 1 cup dried or candied apricots
• 3 stick cinnamon
• 1 tsp. black pepper ground
• Mediterraneo spice mix to taste

Directions:

1. While the oven is heating up to 500°F, boil the dried fruit, cinnamon sticks, and wine in a saucepan. Let it all cool for 15 min. Then drain the fruit and remove the cinnamon.
2. Toss the spice mix and pepper in and rub 2-3 tbsp. of the medley inside of the meat.
3. Layer the meat with the fruit and roll it into a log shape. Tie the roast with butcher’s twine. Then rub the outside of the meat log with the oil and remaining spice and pepper medley. Place the roast on a rack in a roasting pan.
4. Reduce the temperature inside the oven to 325°F. Roast the pork for 1 hour, until the temperature reaches 155°F.
5. Let the meat cool for 15 min. before slicing and serving.

Heart-Shaped Roasted Potato with Cumin

It’s cute. It’s savory. It’s warm. So it’s exactly what you need this evening! This dish will be even tastier if you cook it with your loved one. Maybe that’s because you’ll put twice as much feeling into those potato hearts.

Ingredients:

• 6 large potatoes (2 lb. for 4 servings)
• 2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil
• freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Let the oven heat up to 400°F while you line the baking sheet with aluminum foil and brush it with oil.
2. Then boil 1-2 quarts of water, add 1 tbsp. salt, and reduce the heat to simmer.
3. Peel and slice the potatoes. With the help of a small heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out potato hearts. Cook them in the simmering water for no longer than 3-5 min., drain them, and let them cool.
4. In the meantime, combine the salt, paprika, cumin, and olive oil to make the marinade. Pour it over the cooked potatoes, stir, and let cool for a few minutes.
5. Layer the potatoes on the baking sheet evenly. Roast for 15-20 min., turning them carefully with a spatula from time to time.
6. If you want to, broil the potatoes in the broiler for 5 min. longer or until they get golden.
7. Serve and enjoy.

Some Interesting Facts about Traditional Presents

When you don’t have time for an original Valentine’s Day gift, the all-time Valentine’s Day classics are always good options.

Roses are red, violets are blue

One beautiful Greek myth tells us that roses grew through the tears of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and through the blood of Adonis, her mortal lover, who died in her arms gored by a wild boar.

But the tradition of giving red roses on Valentine’s Day originated in the late 17th century. It’s believed to have been established by King Charles II of Sweden, who traveled to Persia where he was exposed to the art of communication using flowers. There he learned that the red rose meant true love. Since then, this meaning has spread all around the world.

“Life is a box of chocolates”

In 1868, more than an entire century before Tom Hanks coined this famous phrase in “Forrest Gump”, the first heart-shaped box of chocolates was introduced to all generations of romantics. The creator was Richard Cadbury, the reputable British chocolate manufacturer and philanthropist.

Marky’s has assembled a beautiful collection of first-class Leonidas chocolates especially for this holiday. Choose the chocolates your sweetheart likes the most and make sure a festive mood is guaranteed!

Valentine’s Day cards

Hand-made valentines became popular in the 18th century. Though their designs have changed greatly since then, their meaning has remained the same until now. 300 years ago, lovers would also decorate their cards with flowers, love knots, poetry lines, and drawings of the heart. Interestingly, the shape of heart we use today implied absolutely nothing romantic and symbolized the anatomical human heart prior to the 14th century.

Indeed, many things have changed. Fortunately, though, what we call true love is still the same good old fairy tale that each of us can try to bring to life.

Happy Valentine’s Day 2018 to you and your other half!