FEBRUARY 9, 2012 VOL. 23 NO. 5 REAL ESTATE WEEKLY™ 7

(StatePoint) If you’re planning a romanticdinner at home for you and your Valen-tine, you’ll want it to have an extra specialquality.

There are many great ways to set aromantic mood at your table.

Special Foods

There’s something very romantic aboutcooking and sharing the meal you createdtogether. For ideas, use a cookbook oronline recipe site to plan a special menuwith foods you both love, but don’t eatoften. Plan a meal with several separatecourses.

Ordering-in can be romantic too. It’s lessfuss and mess, and allows you toconcentrate on each other. Just besure to take the food out of its plas-tic and paper containers before serv-ing!

Fine Wine

Nothing says “I love you” like sharinga great bottle of wine. Whetheryou’re a wine connoisseur, or anovice, you’ll want the wine to tastegreat with the food. Pick a versatilebottle that will go well with everycourse of your meal.

For an unforgettable evening, getinspired by the land of amore and allthings fine, from Prada designs toLamborghini cars. Choose a veryspecial sparkling wine from Italy. Forexample, Franciacorta is a top quali-ty sparkling wine from Italy, madefrom Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Itsvineyards are set amongst idyllic vil-lages, castles and noble mansions,and the white sparkling wines arerich, creamy and filled with millionsof seductive bubbles.

Franciacorta pairs with a wide rangeof foods, from appetizers to salads,seafood, pasta, poultry and meat.And because this Italian wine ismade in the same way as Cham-

pagne, it provides the same festive andromantic mood.

Be sure to serve sparkling wine chilled. Soif you’re going to linger over the bottle fora few hours, keep it on ice.

The Mood

If you eat dinner at home often, you’llneed to do something to make this holi-day meal different. You can change thelook and feel of your home by creating aromantic ambience. First, turn off the tele-vision. It’s hard to get into the right moodwith the cast of the Jersey Shore duking itout in the background. Instead, playmusic you both like that’s not distractingto conversation. Just avoid songs about

breakups and heartache!

Turn down the lights and set out candlesor tea lights. Roses or other fresh flowerswill add a nice touch to the room. And, ofcourse, make sure the house is sparkling.

A Table For Two

If you can, set the table in a room in whichyou don’t normally dine. If you own a spe-cial set of dishes and utensils that yourarely use, tonight is the night to bringthem out. Tonight is also the night to usea table cloth or runner and cloth napkins.

With a little effort, your Valentine’s dinnerat home can be festive and romantic.

How to make Valentine's Day extra romantic