Fireside Valentine’s Date Night

JENRON DESIGNS Valentine Take Out Chinese for lunar new year

Fireside Valentine’s Date Night

As Valentine’s Day quickly approaches what do you have planned for that special someone? How about a Fireside Valentine’s Date Night?

Valentines Date Night Ideas JENRON DESIGNSAs I was brainstorming what this romantic fireside “date night” was going to look like I also realized that Lunar New Year was also this week. I was also thinking, the focal color for both holidays are red, which is very helpful. Most people celebrate Valentine’s Day with a dinner out, so why not a romantic dinner in? No one should have to cook on Valentine’s Day, so “take out” it would be. That is how this fireside date night was born.A Fireside Date Night Valentines JENRON DESIGNSIt is no secret that my husband and I both love good Chinese take out. To give you little history about us on this topic, I have been going to the same Chinese Restaurant since I was 2 years old. Jade Dragon actually holds a very special place in our hearts. It is the  first date I went on with Ron, at the original restaurant location. Prior to it being sold to new owners in 2000. Lunar New Year:Valentines JENRON DESIGNSPlus we also had our Wedding Rehearsal Dinner in a private banquet hall within the original location. We had a variety of Chinese dishes, including a full Peking Duck. Imagine a scene very similar to The Christmas Story. Where the duck head was removed on a chopping block right in front of my mother in law to be. Quite the spectacle I must say, and a moment no one will ever forget.Chinese Food Valentines JENRON DESIGNSSo this cozy little date night dinner is the very same chinese food that I have been consuming for over 40 years. In fact we had a little scare the last time we ordered, and were afraid the local Lawrencevillle, take out location, had been sold off as well. I decided for this post I would give it one more try to see if it was the same food I knew and loved, and it was.  So the last time we ordered it must have been an off day or they had a new chef in the kitchen or something. Fireside Date Night Valentines Menu JENRON DESIGNSI made sure to order all of our favorite things to take us down memory lane, Sizzling Rice Soup, a Tidbit Platter, and several of our favorite dishes. Heck even the menu names kind of have a saucy ring to it for Valentine’s Day, don’t you think? I decide that we should eat directly out of the cartons with chopsticks, California style. Not only does this cut down on the amount of dishes to clean up but leftovers can easily be stored away in a jiffy.  Slizzing RIce Soup Valentines JENRON DESIGNSI found theses cute Asian motif soup bowls at my local HomeGoods. Which worked perfectly with the thick velvetine placemats and Valentine Day napkin. Yes, I know the mix is very unconventional but I think that is what makes this concept work really well. It is fun and unexpected, and creates an evening to remember. DIY Fortune Chocolate dipped Cookie JENRON DESIGNSWhile my husband was building the fire I was able to quickly dress up the fortune cookies included in the order. You can see my full tutorial DIY at Festive Chocolate Fortune Cookies. Just by adding a little melted chocolate and sprinkles they went from ho hum basics to a fun and festive treat. They kind of remind me of a conversation hearts filled with Asian wisdom. In fact, they turned out so cute I would consider doing these as a cute boxed favors or Valentine’s gift for my neighborhood friends. Cozy Fireside Date JENRON DESIGNSAfter he got the fire going, we tossed a few pillows from our sofa on to floor to create a cozy little nest. I had already spread out the picnic blanket which matched perfectly. It was a older quilt that was made by my grandmother years ago, because it is a twin size and she only made one, it has rarely been used. In fact it still looks as new as the day she gave it to my mom.Valentines Our favortie Vinos JENRON DESIGNSWe uncorked a couple of our favorite bottles of wine from Gainey Vineyard. A white, Pinot Grigio for me and red, Merlot for him, perfect for our Valentines theme. Normally, I would recommend a nice plum wine with a Chinese based dinner, but I will say it does tend to be super sweet. We lit a few red lanterns as a nod to the Chinese New Year, and enjoyed of feast.JENRON DESIGNS Fireside ValentinesWe even got a few of our fur babies to join us by the fire. You can see Khaleesi is present in this picture. She never misses out on a good crackling fire. She absolutely loves to curl up by the fireplace. We call it her “sunshine in a box” during the winter months. Twinkle Lights Valentines JENRON DESIGNSJust to set the mood a little bit more I hung up some sweet little twinkle lights a little earlier in the day. There is nothing better than twinkle lights, I would keep them up all year if I could. You can see all the supplies I used to create this fun little date night below.

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Valentines Date Night JENRON DESIGNS**Please note that this post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. These involve no extra cost to you, but may result in me receiving a small commission – for which I am very grateful! You can view my full advertising disclosure here.

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12 Comments

  1. Such a cute idea! I might have to steal this 🙂

  2. Fran

    I am planning a whole day of things to do with my girlfriend and I think I am going to steal a few of these tips at the end of the evening! Thanks for sharing

  3. How romantic! My husband and I also love Chinese! We eat it at least once a week.

  4. Bee

    What an AMAZING idea!!!! I love how you combined the two holidays and made it a Romantic Chinese New Years. I’m totally going to do this, thanks so much for the idea!

  5. This is a fab idea! Staying in, getting cozy by the fireside and having a date 🙂 BTW, I don’t like Chinese food but your pictures make it look so tempting!

  6. Kaylee@charmdate

    This is a great idea to combine two holidays together like this. Since most people will celebrate over the weekend anyways, it makes perfect sense. I love Chinese cuisine too, and it is kind of romantic to feed each other with chop sticks. Seriously great idea.

  7. How lovely is this!? What a great way to celebrate the new year and love!

  8. Although our family is trying to reduce the amount of plastic and packaging waste in our household, I just can’t go past how cute those little containers of delicious Chinese food are! Here in Germany I have yet to find anywhere that serves it that way, shame!

  9. This is an awesome idea. I have several Chinese friends who celebrate Lunar New Year. I think it would be fun to turn this into a double or even triple date! Thank you for sharing!

  10. I am an Asian travel specialist so I thoroughly enjoyed reading this article – Chinese New Year is so festive. And what a great twist on the quintessential fortune cookie! So clever.

  11. Shar

    These photos are breath taking! Perfect for a special Valentine’s night.

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