The way to anyone's heart is through their stomach

Valentine’s Day – a daunting holiday for many men and one of the roughest to get through.

If you’re single, you’re not exactly pleased to see all the couples flaunting their relationship. And if you’re taken or going after someone, you need to get the right gift or have reservations at the perfect restaurant, right?

Well, not necessarily.

Guys, listen up. Girls love it when you cook for them. So, if you have the right budget and enough time to prepare, why not make them a meal?

There are so many easy recipes out there you can conquer to melt a girl’s heart. You don’t even have to cook everything from scratch. As long as you can show that you put effort and care into the preparation of a dish, you will win major points.

A favorite blog and recipe site of mine is thebachelorchefs.com, which I referred to when looking for possible meals guys would want to make and eat themselves.

One of my favorites on the site is goat cheese and chive stuffed chicken breasts. The main ingredients are listed in the title, and nearly all other ingredients required can likely be found in your kitchen.

I recommend a roasted pepper salad on the side, prepared with olive oil and capers. And, if you’re looking to save a little time, you can do most of the prepping the day or night before.

Dating a vegetarian? No problem. Pasta is an easy dish to cook up. And, you’re going to need some kind of sauce. If you want to make your own, go right ahead. Make sure you have tomatoes, garlic and olive oil.

Chop up and seed the tomatoes and mince the garlic. Heat up a skillet with some olive oil and pour the tomatoes and garlic in. Stir carefully, make sure the flame is lower than medium, and let it simmer for a while.

If you are too timid to attempt making a sauce from scratch, you can always rely on canned sauces. One note of caution – alfredo sauce, whether it’s made from scratch or from a jar, can end up bland if you’re not careful.

To avoid this problem, add fresh garlic and a considerable amount of parmesan reggiano to the sauce when making it in order to thicken the sauce and add a kick.
Now, you have only one more item to worry about – dessert. This is a crucial part of the meal, but it can be easy if you follow instructions.

Once again I will refer to thebachelorchefs.com, which has a ridiculously easy chocolate cake recipe that you can make in the microwave from scratch.  
Stir all the ingredients, found online, together in a coffee mug and microwave it for about two and a half minutes.

Your significant other will surely appreciate the effort, and if all goes well, you will both have an excellent meal.

If you fear the kitchen and don’t know where to take your lover for Valentine’s Day, I will be providing you with a couple of restaurant suggestions next week.

For those who will dare to cook, make me proud. Just remember, the way to anyone’s heart is through their stomach.