Valentine’s Date Night Kit
Spend a romantic evening learning something new and having fun together at home!
Having a romantic Valentine’s date doesn’t have to cost much. Below are two fun activities for you and your loved one to enjoy together! Set some time aside to reconnect, laugh, and enjoy one another during this holiday focused on love.
Before you get started, take steps to make the most of this in-home date night:
If you have children, we know it can be hard to find some time alone. It’s so vital, not just for your marriage, but for the health of your entire family that parents take time to invest in their relationship and love for one another. We have put together some ideas for how to occupy your kids during your Date Night, so you can better focus on each other!
Heart-Shaped Ravioli Tutorial
What’s more romantic than an Italian dinner? A hand-made, heart-shaped pasta one! While making pasta from scratch may seem intimidating, it’s actually quite simple and something you can work on side by side. Use the step by step instructions below to get started:
1) Get Your Supplies
Pasta dough:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 3 large eggs
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Pasta filling:
- 2 sweet or spicy italian sausages, casing removed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups fresh spinach
- 2 eggs lightly beaten. One additional egg to create an egg wash.
- ½ cup ricotta cheese, plus extra to garnish
- ¼ cup grated parmesan, plus extra to garnish
Sauce:
- One jar of store bought red sauce of your preference.
Special Tools:
- Pasta maker and/or rolling pin
- Cookie cutter (heart shape for Valentine’s Day!) or a cup
- Mixing bowls, measuring cups
- Tray or clean counter to roll out pasta
- Basting brush
2) Create The Pasta Dough
- On a flat surface, create a nest with the flour. Then, place the eggs, salt and olive oil in the center of the nest.
- Combine the ingredients by moving the flour inward towards the center of the nest.
- Once all ingredients are combined, knead for 8 to 10 minutes to make the dough smooth and tender. If ingredients don’t combine fully, add a tablespoon of water and continue kneading until color and texture is consistent throughout.
- Divide the dough into four equal sections.
- If you have a pasta machine, run the dough through the machine on the “2” setting three to four times, until the dough is smooth, flat, and thin. If you do not have a pasta machine, use the rolling pin to roll each section flat, until it is slightly thicker than a piece of paper. You may need to flour the tray or counter to prevent the dough from sticking while you roll.
- Use the cookie cutter or cup to cut pieces out of the flat dough. Lay the pieces on a floured plate.
3) Make The Pasta Filling
- In a pan on medium heat, brown the sausage in the olive oil. Use a spatula to break the sausage into small pieces.
- Add the spinach and cook together. Then, remove from heat.
In a separate bowl, combine the eggs and cheeses. Use a fork to combine until smooth.
- Pour the cheese mixture into the pan with the spinach and sausage, combine.
4) Assemble The Raviolis
- Place a teaspoon of the filling mixture into the center of a dough piece. Use the basting brush to apply egg wash to a second piece of dough, then press onto the piece with the mixture so that the side with the egg wash is on the inside. Use a fork to press the edges of the two dough pieces together.
- Continue until all the raviolis are assembled.
5) Cook Raviolis
- Gently place the raviolis in a pot of boiling water. Cook for 5-7 minutes over medium heat, until tender.
- While you are cooking the raviolis, heat the red sauce in a separate pan.
6) Plate & Serve
- Divide the raviolis into equal servings and coat with the heated red sauce. You may add remaining parmesan and/or ricotta as a garnish.
- Enjoy!
Romantic Indoor Scavenger Hunt
Click here to download your Romantic Scavenger Hunt list! This list will provide you with a fun activity, a little healthy competition, and serve as an opportunity to reflect and remember some of your favorite memories and moments together.
