A Stress-Free Valentine's Day-Part 1

So I love to throw and attend dinner parties, but I often see the host or hostess running around to get everything ready, stressed and unable to really relax and enjoy the evening.

As Valentine's Day is coming up in 2 weeks, many people will be cooking at home. To avoid a stressful and tiring day, plan ahead!

Music is an important part of romantic ambiance. Create a play list on your computer, or burn a mixed CD. If you have a music collection, great. If not, the public library is a great place to borrow CDs. Pick out your music a week ahead of time, if you can. Write it down and make sure to download, buy or borrow the music at least 3 days pre-meal.

Candles create soft, flattering lighting and add to the atmosphere. Be careful to choose unscented candles for your dinner table. You don't want the scents competing with your food, which can create a slightly-nauseating experience. Candles for your room, or elsewhere can and should be scented. Choose a candle with a subtle vanilla, lilac or cinnamon scent.

Rather than clean your apartment or house the day of the event, clean a few days ahead of time, touching up the kitchen, bathroom and bedroom the day of. Avoid clutter which is distracting. You don't want your date gazing at piles of dirty dishes-you want them gazing adoringly into your eyes!

Pick up your flower centerpiece the day before and keep in the refrigerator to avoid the petals from wilting.

I will post more tomorrow about the actual meal, recipe choices and presentation.