Happy Hearts

Do you have the perfect gift in mind for your Valentine?  Looking for something beyond red roses and chocolate?  Take a peek at what the Girlz have planned for their significant others.

Judy: My husband’s idea of a great date is dinner at home: our home, with me cooking. This year for Valentine’s Day I’m planning to cook his favorite meal—veal piccata. I don’t make veal piccata very often because it trashes the stove top and floor with splatters and splashes of oil. I’ve tried every kind of cover and screen to keep the oil in the pan and off my stove, but nothing has worked. Last week, the butcher at Central Market told me how to make veal piccata without the splashes: mix the lemon juice, white wine and butter, then slip the dredged meat into the bubbling sauce. My heart is racing! I can’t wait to see if it works.

Harriet: Valentine’s Day used to be my favorite day of the year. I was a hopeless romantic for most of my life. Divorced after 27 years, I now have a new understanding of what falling in love means to me. I will spend Valentine’s day getting a couple’s massage at the Garden Spa (http://www.gardenspaurbanoasis.com) with my boyfriend Steve and I feel sure we will indulge ourselves with a lovely dinner at one of our favorite restaurants (the Mercury http://www.mcrowd.com/mercury/index.asp or Parigi’s http://www.parigidallas.com). But, the most important part of my Valentine’s Day will be the celebration of knowing I have created a new life for myself and I have the freedom and opportunity to create whatever I love on this day of days.

Karla: My husband loves to watch boxing matches, and I think the sport is barbaric. I leave the house when he orders a match on PPV. I had an ah-ha moment at the GNG boxing class last week; this is really good exercise and when a bag is on the receiving end of the punches, it's not so repulsive. Then, I thought "George would love this." That led me to the inspiration for his V-day gift. I have ordered him a pair of boxing gloves, red of course (www.ringside.com), and purchased a package of 6 private sessions with Derrick at Cooper Aerobics Center (972-213-6001). It seems appropriate to give a gift that will be good for his heart.

Alicia: I like to make things for Valentine's Day, since I find it hard enough to buy anything for my boyfriend on a real holiday. Last week I tried making Linzer cookies. They came out well and were really beautiful, but extremely time consuming, and they've been devoured by my family already! For my boyfriend, I am going to make his favorite cookies- chocolate chip. Simple, yes, but a classic, and chocolate is an aphrodisiac they say! This V-day will be laid back, but that's just how I like it!

Tamara: My husband is the romantic, not me.  And for him, every day is Valentines Day. I can never think of anything fun to give him. One time, when I was working in California, he sent me a card and a box. Everything in the box related to something in the card, including Hugs (white chocolate Hershey kisses) and of course, Hershey Kisses, an ice cream scoop, and lemon drops. So anything I can think of seems lame when compared to his creativity.  Since his favorite activity is golf, my Valentine's Day gift to him is to play golf every day the entire time we are in Hawaii.  Ok, maybe I'll take one day off.  Almost every day.  For him, it's a special treat, and for me it's easy. Our gifts to each other?  Hawaii.  That speaks for itself.

Add a comment below to share your own ideas about how to express your love on Valentines Day.