Last minute Valentine

I've already told you about our Valentine tradition. We don't go all out, but do make an effort to step out together and grab a meal. Presents aren't a huge deal either - maybe a rose from Matty, or I might make a special breakfast for him.

I think the best Valentine's presents are small little gifts that just show you took the time out of your day to pick up something special. No biggie, perfect for the tightarse in us all. Read on for my selection below:

Sweets for my sweet

I'm not a sap, I swear. People who know me would expect I hate everything Valentine's Day stands for: a Hallmark holiday, an excuse to ignore your significant other for the remainder of the year. I'm afraid you're dead wrong. I love the sap, the goo and the pink frou-frou that goes with Feb 14. Look at me, I'm a so deep in this romance I'm inadvertantly busting out sweet, sweet rhymes.

We have our own tradition for Valentine's Day, borne out of the horror that is a fine restaurant on this most romantic day of the year. Tables for two only, set menus and the pressure that comes with forced affection. It's a bit car-crash-esque, so we avoid the places we normally love and go cheap and cheerful. Supper Inn is our hot spot. It's normally full to the brim with students, city workers and oldies and at peak hour, there's a line down the stairs of hopefuls waiting for their table. VBs and some (western) Chinese classics, followed by a rom-com at Russell St cinemas make for a happy Valentine's Day (I'm thinking Silver Linings Playbook this year).

Over the next week, I'll give you some recipes from my romance arsenal. Together, we will woo our significant others into submission. One sweet recipe at a time. The will have no idea what hit them. Ahhhh, food manipulation at its finest.

Pickled cucumbers

You may have heard me speak before of Matty's War on Leftovers. He rages against egg whites, spits chips at pastry scraps. He calls me a hoarder, I call it being resourceful. You say potato, I say potato. That really doesn't translate well in print, does it?

Gingerbread men

I need sleep. I started this post about six times. Each time I wrote the title “Fingerbread men”.

At first I thought Fingerbread men could be little gingerbread finger puppets, all cute and delicious and such. Then it dawned on me the alternative is cookies made out of fingers. Perhaps they’re seconds from an unsafe biscuit factory, the slogan on the packet reading “Made with the finest digits available: All pointer, no pinky”.

So. Yes. Sleepy. Incoherent. Rambling about unsavoury finger biscuits. Best I just hand over the recipe and catch some zzzs.

Passionfruit marshmallow

Right now in Australia, we've been hit with passionfruit fever. That's not some kind of tropical disease affecting your libido either. Passionfruit are cheap, in abundance and so tasty at the moment.

Panforte: the ultimate Christmas gift

I’m not a neat cook by any stretch of the imagination. I leave a trail of floury, eggy destruction in my wake. I’m proficient at most things in the kitchen, except the dishes. And although I’ve spent thousands of dollars on cookbooks, I can’t manage to keep to debris off them either.

Brown paper gift bags

I’ve been in my current job since April. I manage eight pretty excellent people. They made me feel welcome from day one so for our end of year celebrations I went nutso with Christmas cheer.