Darcy Miller's Tips for Creating a Lovely Valentine's Day Breakfast Celebration

Valentine’s Day is a time to make the people you love feel special. I like to start by transforming our breakfast table into a Valentine’s Day celebration. It’s quick and easy, even when Valentine’s Day falls on a work day. (This year, February 14 is a Wednesday.) Whether yours is a romantic breakfast for two, or a surprise for your kids, friends, roommates, or entire family, you can send your valentine off to work or school with a little extra love.

I always start by decorating the table. Sometimes, I pull out red napkins or a heart-shaped tablecloth. For others, I add flowers and sprinkle the table with confetti or paper hearts before setting down the dishes. Then, I look for ways to add surprises. That could be as simple as a rose, some chocolates wrapped inside the napkin, a card, or handmade coupon for hugs or an adventure slipped under the plate.

Here are some of my favorite ways to dress up a Valentine’s Day breakfast table so everyone feels the love.

Spell It Out

Nothing is easier—or sweeter than writing I ♥️ U in blueberries on top of pancakes, as above. But you could do the same on top of French toast or a bowl of oatmeal, or swap the blueberries for another treat. In the spirit of the holiday, here are 12 things you can use to write LOVE, I ♥️ U, your initials joined by a +, or even Happy Valentine’s Day:

1. Raspberries
2. Blueberries
3. Strawberries—Fun fact: If you slice strawberries in half and remove the stem, they are naturally heart-shaped!
4. Chocolate Chips
5. Nuts
6. Red Hots (or any small, hard candy)
7. Frosting—Fill a piping bag or buy icing pens to write a message on a cake or letters on cupcakes that can be lined up to spell a word.
8. Hot fudge—The squeeze-topped bottles let you "write" on the plate.
9. Candy letters
10. Gummy letters
11. Cheerios
12. Powdered sugar—Just cut letters out of paper, set them on top of the pancakes, then sift the sugar on top. Remove the paper letters, and you’ll have a word written in relief.

The same idea also works as an after-school snack—you can write a "LOVE" note across the table in pretzels, popcorn, candy, or all of the above.

Offer Them Your Heart

A heart-shaped treat is always a welcome surprise. Plan ahead and visit the bakery or grocery store the day before to see what heart-shaped treats they have on sale. Keep them hidden in a box in the back of the fridge, then pull them out and plate them in the morning. Or, make your own!

Say It With Flowers

Go to the grocery store or your local flower shop the night before and pick up a batch of blooms. Then, wake up early to arrange them on the table. It could be one long-stemmed blossom on top of each plate or shorter ones in bud vases lining the middle of the table. Or, you can amass a bunch of flowers in one vase in the middle. As long as you’ve got the flowers ready to go (here are mine resting in my sink overnight), you can see where the mood takes you in the morning.