COOKING title TOGETHER BY JIM MATHIS
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aybe it’s because I’m obsessed with food, but I think sharing a meal with your partner is probably the second most intimate thing you can do. (Please don’t make me elaborate on the first, this is a family publication!) And if ever there was a time for a romantic dinner, it’s Valentine’s Day. Ladies, if you make this for your man, I’m pretty sure we’ll have a lot of happy guys in Sioux Falls on February 15. But for best results, get in the kitchen and cook together. Trust me, if eating together is good, cooking together is even better. Now, if you want to go out for dinner, more power to you. Local restaurants will be rolling out the red carpets for Valentine diners. But here’s the rub, the best reservations will fill up fast. And as I check my “Decade at a GlanceTM”, this February 14 is on a Friday this year, so restaurants that are normally busy will fill up even faster. Many small independent restaurants will fill up with regulars making reservations weeks in advance. And the bigger places will be booked solid a week in advance. While I understand the appeal of dining out and encourage it on many nights, I think this Valentine’s Day if you want to really find the way to the heart
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MAN IN THE KITCHEN
of that special someone, it’s time to head to the kitchen. So what do I recommend to set the mood and pave the way to each other’s hearts? Follow along my friends; I think this meal just might do the trick! My idea of the perfect Valentine’s meal is simple and sensual. Most importantly, you’ll be making it together. If one of you typically does the cooking, your partner may feel like the best thing they can do to help is stay out of the kitchen. I know that I am often guilty of answering Kara’s offers to help with “you can set the table.” If that’s you, or even worse, if you’re cooking and your husband is glued to ESPN, now is the chance to remind him of the times you followed him to stadiums and racetracks. It’s his turn to join you in the kitchen. With Valentine’s Day falling on a Friday, you may want to send the kids to Gramm’s or a friend’s house, but you should make those plans early too. Or maybe work with another couple and have them take the kids on Friday and you take them Saturday night so your friends can celebrate then. First, open a nice bottle of wine, a semi-dry white like Sauvignon
