A Virtual Valentine's Party

As you've probably gotten a whiff of, we're pretty on top of it this year -- we know that Valentine's Day is right around the corner. While we don't like to get too gooey about it, February 14th is an undeniably great excuse to cook up something delcious, so we've got some good stuff to roll out for you in the next few days.

In the meantime, our friend Sarah Copeland of the blog Edible Living has invited some of her favorite bloggers to celebrate the release of her upcoming cookbook with a virtual Valentine's Day party and you should definitely drop by!

What does this party entail, you ask? Well, Sarah has asked her party invitees to test their favorite recipes from her gorgeously photographed book. In the days before Valentine's Day (which is to say, now!) they'll blog about the recipes as well as "toast the spirit of newlyweds" by telling their own stories about food and love.  And to top it all off, each participating blogger is giving away a copy of the book courtesy of Chronicle Books.

Here's what's cooking so far: 

• Farmhouse is cooking up Grilled Lamb Chops with Melted Polenta (we're not sure how you melt polenta, but we're certainly willing to find out).
• E.A.T. tried his hand at Sarah's Iron-Skillet Steak with Thyme Butter.
• Mom's Kitchen Handbook, Kaitie whips up a cheesy souffle and gives a little post-children date night advice.
• Diary of a Locavore served up a simple lunch of Beet Salad with Pistachios. 
• Luisa at Lucid Food cooks Seared Halibut with Coriander and Carrots. 
• Crumbs on my Keyboard picked some Multigrain Pancakes with Chocolate Shavings
• CherrySpoon and her husband dug into Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding
•Maia Cheslow over at Dessertolicious (aka Sarah's hard working intern) gave Olive Oil Cake with Tangerine Marmalade a try

Whether you're looking to plan a dinner for your own special lady or gent, or need a little 'love does exist' boost, this is a party worth checking it out. Oh, and the seasonally-based recipes are pretty hard to beat. 

If you're feeling especially romantic this year, Sarah's beautiful Newlywed Cookbook is about as V-day as it gets, and is a great way to bask in that blissed out, oh-so-in-love glow.