Valentines Day - Last Minute Ideas

Looking for some last minute gift or dinner inspiration for tonight?  Here are some classy suggestions for the procrastinator who is a romantic at heart. And you won't find these at the CVS where you usually go for last minute clutch purchases - your mate will think you planned for weeks. And everything can be scored right here in Westfield.

Cheese and Bubbly - Kings Food Markets carries a Landana red pesto cheese that is unusually bright red. Its pesto taste makes it perfect for anything from a cracker accompaniment to a topping for Valentines Day Pizza. Roll out lightly floured pizza dough, layer with pizza sauce, marinara, red onion, sundried tomatoes or sliced fresh tomatoes, and top with sliced red pesto cheese. Why shouldn't pizza get passionate? Pair with a Prosecco.

Sweet Water's Steak House - Treat your sweetie to a juicy steak that's just pink in the center. This downtown Westfield restaurant has a nice collection of wines to go with everything from salmon to filet. The salads were like works of art - from the stacked tomato, onion and blue cheese to the classic iceberg wedge. The clubby green leather chairs and fire place make it a very comfortable place to relax and enjoy a great meal. Start with malbeque oysters to set the mood, and follow with a cowboy steak or seared scallops. Full bar... it's not too late to try for a rezzie and look like a hero.

Purple sauerkraut - I discovered this by accident last year and filed it away for V-Day. Julienne a red cabbage. Heat a 32 oz jar of sauerkraut to a simmer, I like the Lancaster Farms organic sauerkraut at Alan's Orchard. Add sliced cabbage and bring back to simmer. Cover and cook on low heat for 30 minutes. You will have gorgeous, translucent lavendar sauerkraut, a soul mate to your pork tenderloin.

Chocolates - Charley's Organic Toffees are a natural way to indulge your sweet tooth. Heather Bendfelt Hays, creator Charley's Organic Toffees, recommends the USDA Organic Dark Chocolate Toffee and the Organic Sea Salt Caramels. Find them at Alan's Orchard and at markets around NJ. 

Make sure to photograph your culinary creation or picture perfect restaurant meal and submit it to Westfield Foodie's Food Photography Contest to win gift cards to your favorite Westfield restaurants and gourmet food shops, like Jeffreys, Rosies, Wild Greens, Savory Spice Shop and Tom the Greengrocer.

Food Photography Contest by Westfield Foodie

Do you take pictures of your food?

Westfield Foodie invites you to

win gift cards to your favorite Westfield restaurants & food shops
 with your photos in a food photography contest!

They say every picture tells a story. Share your foodie finds and stories and attach an original photo to enter this exciting contest organized by Westfield’s local food blogger.  Winners will receive gift cards from favorite local restaurants and gourmet food shops, such as Rosie's Wine Bar, Jeffreys of Westfield, Savory Spice Shop, Wild Greens and Tom the Greengrocer.

During the month of February, we will be accepting entrees, I mean entries, for a food photography and blogger contest. You have the food photos right in your iphone - write up what it meant to you and email it to westfieldfoodie@gmail.com to enter the contest. 




Write about something you enjoyed at a local restaurant, a spice or new food you discovered, your latest discovery, the cupcakes you made for your sons birthday, that amazing product you discovered at a specialty shop that changed your cooking forever. It could even be the way the light bounces off your tuna fish sandwich. 



It is all about sharing our passion about food with words and photographs. If you love food, and take pictures of your food, this contest is for you. Be a food blogger for a day and get gift cards to the places that put Westfield on the foodie map.






Foodtography is a trend. 250 million photos are uploaded each day to Facebook. We post eight years of video to YouTube every day. We send 200 million tweets per day. 12% are of food. 52% of people take photos with their mobile phones, and another 19% upload those photos to the web. You are not alone.

How to Enter

To apply you please submit a recent food photo and a brief description of 150 words or less. Email your photo and text to westfieldfoodie@gmail.com by February 29. 


Entry is free and there is no limit per person. All entries submitted by February 29, 2012. All ages are welcome. Photography must be original and taken with a camera or hand held device. Stories must relate to the food in the photograph and must not appear on any other internet sources.

The winning entries from all five winners will be published by Westfield Foodie. Enter online by February 29. 

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