Valentine’s Day 2021 is around the corner, and if you need ideas for at home activities and dinner plans for the family, you’re in the right place! For those of us that are interested in a family centered Valentine’s Day at home this year, I’m sharing our favorite family Valentine’s Day tradition! We turn Valentine’s Day into a Fondue Fete at The White Pine Home! The girls look forward to this tradition every year and we decorate the table with flowers, Parisian themed décor, balloons, and create the perfect ambiance for our Fondue dinner party (for 4).
1. Valentine’s Day Fondue Recipe
Gruyere & Raclette Fondue
Equipment
- Fondue Pot
- Cheese Grater
Materials
- 1 cup Emmi Aged Gruyere – Shredded (60+ days)
- 1 cup Emmi Swiss Raclette – Shredded
- 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 tbsp Minced Shallots
- 1 tbsp Minced Garlic in Olive Oil Glaser Organic Farms *WholeFoods
- 1 cup Vegetable Broth – Low Sodium
- 1 tsp Cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp Grated nutmeg
Instructions
- Shred your Gruyere and Racelette cheese blocks, there should be about 1 cup of each cheese. Then coat the shredded cheeses with the tsp of cornstarch.
- In a large fondue pot, add 1 tbsp of EVOO and sauté the minced shallots.
- Add the minced garlic in olive oil, if you do not have it as an all-in-one mixture, then simply add 2 minced garlic heads and sauté briefly with the shallots.
- Add 1 cup of vegetable broth to the minced shallots and garlic mixture and bring the broth to a simmer.
- Add your cheese and cornstarch mixture to the vegetable broth, one cup at time, stirring constantly until the cheese starts to melt.
- Lastly, finely grate some fresh nutmeg, about 1/2 tsp, or to taste. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Prepare your dipping sides (this can be done beforehand). Options include:Gnocchi, Tortellini, Mushrooms, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Chicken/Ham Cubes, Baguette cubes, Carrot sticks, Apple slices, or Pretzels.
How cute are these kitchen items from Sur la Table! Surprise your family, kids, or beau with this cute apron as you whisk away your Valentine’s meal in the kitchen this year!
Shop Valentine Inspired Kitchen Tools!
2. Valentine’s Day Inspired Décor
Simple Parisienne inspired table decor creates a festive table setting for your Valentine’s Day dinner. I found these pretty plates last year featuring French phrases and pink stripes from Sur La Table, and although they aren’t available, I have linked some great alternatives [here] and [here]. I love pairing pink with black and white for this holiday, so I created this easy “xoxo” paper table runner to match. The full Tutorial can be found on my Instagram Story Highlights. Some simple white linen napkins, pink candle holders, and other small details can go a long way.
Flowers
Secondly, table décor isn’t complete without some pink, white, red, or a combination of the three, roses and flowers. Here’s a favorite from TonalityDesigns.com that I’m aiming to recreate this year. She even includes a tutorial on her DIY Love flowerbox linked below.
Create this DIY!
Balloon Backdrops
Balloons are also a great and very easy way to add festive decor that doesn’t require too much work. Here’s some inspiration for simple balloon decor that is perfect for your Valentine’s Day celebration!
Balloons are a budget friendly option to decorate for Valentine’s Day! I love using the letter balloons to spell our words like this photo above from OhHappyDay.com. Adding fringe balloon tails, crepe paper garland, and tassel garland in ombre shades of pink and red really make any balloon backdrop really POP (pun intended)! I’ve found some great options below.
Shop these Balloons!
3. Valentine’s Day Inspired Activities
Exciting crafts and activities are important for any at-home, quarantine approved, Valentine’s Day this year. Here are some of my favorites that I want to try with my girls this year! I’ve linked most of the supplies you need to recreate some of these crafts, but I always prefer using things I already have at home or can reuse for different projects. The Valentine’s Day inspired canvas art project also makes a sweet gift for grandparents, or friends, and you can find miniature sized canvases that can be used as Valentine’s Day cards instead of traditional paper cards.
DIY Valentine’s Day Canvas Art
Personalized Kids’ Valentine’s Placemats
I love these personalized placemats to have at home for the kids where I can write morning notes to start their day! What a great idea to get them motivated and inspired, and have a moment of self encouragement before starting their day.
Cookie Decorating Party
This is such an easy and fun idea for the kids, and you probably have all the supplies you need already! Create a DIY cookie decorating box! Use small pouches to separate sprinkles, toppings, and pre-bagged icing. You can make the cookies ahead of time and include them in the box. Or have a cookie decorating party one weekend, and bake the cookies together, and lay out all the fun icing, sprinkles, and toppings on the table and let them get their bake on!
Heart Shaped Crayons
For kids that aren’t into baking, or arts and crafts, this is a cool idea to have them see how you can recycle old and broken crayons to create these heart shaped marbled DIY crayons. MyFrugalAdventures.com creates a simple tutorial on how to easily melt broken old crayons into these silicon molds. It’s quick and easy, and the kids can give these as gifts, or use them at home to color! I would even suggest adding some glitter to make them sparkle.
Shop Craft Supplies!
The Valentine’s Day
Ultimate Lookbook!
Finally, Valentine’s Day is a great opportunity to create some wonderful family memories centered around the idea of love! You can create fun decorations for the house, or cute gifts for family and friends with some of the ideas in this post. You can also whip up and fun family meal that provides memories more than anything else. My family enjoys the process of cutting and preparing the fondue accompaniments, as well as dipping them in the cheese. But they definitely prefer the chocolate fondue dessert part best! They may make a mess but they’ll have the best time doing it. Here are some of my favorite 2021 Valentine’s Day inspired products that I’ve found from different retailers. I have my eye on those StoneyClover.com bags that are just the cutest!!
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Great Valentine’s Day Ideas and the fondue recipe is one of my favorites also.