We didn’t have time to cook and photograph two recipes, and we’re not going to get anything yummy up before Valentine’s Day next week (although we will be posting them after for anyone withholding celebrations till the following weekend), so we decided to put up a list of yummy desserts and meal ideas for anyone looking to celebrate love in the next coming week. Food has long been a tradition on Valentine’s Day, whether it’s candy, a special dinner or a gorgeous dessert. Hopefully you’ll enjoy some things we’ve posted in the past.

We will, of course, begin with the most important part - dessert.

Flourless Chocolate Torte is rich, decadent and obviously a good choice for its wonderful chocolate flavor. Pair it with some raspberries or strawberries to not only make a pretty plate, but have with the chocolate, too.

Tiramisu is a classic dessert that is creamy and full of a rich coffee and amaretto zing. If your partner’s a coffee lover, chances are they’ll enjoy this one. Be sure to have time to make it day ahead.

Chocolate Dulce de Leche Bars are like the ultimate in homemade candy. And easier to make than you might think! Look for canned dulche de leche in either the Hispanic aisle of your grocery store or where they shelve canned, sweetened condensed milk.

I dunno about you, but cheesecake is love. It’s my ultimate in desserts. This happens to be a fantastic recipe we’ve made more than once - Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake. If you’re more a fan of plain cheesecake, just leave out the strawberry puree.

Maybe citrus is more your style - this Key Lime Pound Cake is perfect with its tangy sweet glaze. Hint: we made extra glaze! It was well worth it. If you can’t get Key limes this time of year, just go for the regular variety, or even try substituting lemons if you’d like for a lemon cake.

Peanut Butter and Fudge Brownies. We made these fairly recently and they were a huge hit, definitely like a dream brownie come true. These are another dessert that taste even better the next day.

Even though we made this White Sangria last summer, you can still get many of the fruits we used in it. Sangria is a versatile drink, too, and is fun to customize by adding in what suits you.

Peach Champagne Cocktails are perfect for the sweet cocktail lover. Don’t like peaches? Try substituting other kinds of sorbet to get it right for you. Choose a liqueur that works with that sorbet. Even though we haven’t tried anything but peach sorbet in this other good choices might be strawberry or mango. Don’t be afraid to experiment a little, but you might want to do so ahead of time to make sure it tastes good to you.

If you’re looking for a meal that impresses, Boeuf Bourguignon is a sensational dressed-up French beef stew and our tested version is a la Julia Child. It is wonderful, so, so wonderful. Serve it was some good crusty bread and a small salad. This is a little time-involved but has always been well worth it for us.

Shrimp Bisque is definitely a special soup for a special occasion. If you’ve ever had the lobster or crab variety you’ll like this one too. Bonus: the shrimp is more affordable.

Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic is an elegant and easy recipe that we just love. This recipe also comes with a bonus basic risotto recipe as well, which pairs perfectly with the chicken and its sauce.

Okay, so it’s not quite the right color for Valentine’s Day, but if you like fresh tuna and are willing to go out on a limb, this kicked-up adult Tuna Salad might be just what you need. It’s got a tangy wasabi dressing mixed with avocados that is out of this world.

This is one of the easiest, and tastiest, things you can make, Italian Sausage Ragu. If you like Italian sausage - and most guys and plenty of gals do - and pasta, this is it. I make it all the time for hubby and I and it’s a welcome sight on our plates on a busy work week night.

So those are a minimum amount of ideas you could consider for your upcoming day of wuuuuuv. There’s plenty more you might like after a little exploring. Whatever you choose to do, hope you have a wonderful Valentine’s Day.

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