PRIVATE CONCERT
If you are musically inclined, list your partner’s favourite songs and treat him/her to a personalised concert. If you can’t hold a tune, coax, cajole or con your friends into singing on your behalf. 

TREASURE HUNT 
If Gone Girl hasn’t ruined this for you, organise a treasure hunt, with fun clues leading your partner to spots around town that are meaningful to the two of you. To make it worth their effort, leave a little gift at each stop. 

GO ON AN ADVENTURE
Pack lunch and set out. Take a bus or train to nowhere. Hop off at any stop that catches your fancy. 
Psst: Don’t be that adventurous. Make sure you check up on “nowhere” a day before and mark out a romantic spot for that picnic lunch!

ICE SKATING 
No one we know has actually gone skating at Ice Skating Rink in Ballygunge! But there’s a place where you can glide gracefully with bae and that place is Eco Park in New Town. At Rs 150 per head for 40 minutes, it’s pocket-friendly. And all that holding hands and slipping and sliding together (before you begin gliding, that is) will fun up V-Day.

GET MESSY TOGETHER
We don’t mean melted chocolate. Bake with bae and see the romance rise like a well-beaten puff pastry. To spice things up, consider wearing cute aprons. ONLY aprons, that is. 

Here’s a recipe for Message Cookies...

Ingredients: 2 cups of sifted all-purpose flour, plus more for surface, ½ teaspoon (tsp) baking powder, ¼ tsp salt, 110g unsalted butter, softened, 1 cup castor sugar, 1 large egg, 1 tsp pure vanilla extract, royal icing, gel-paste food colouring. 

Method: Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Cream the butter and sugar in a mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy. While the mixer is running, add egg and vanilla. Add the flour mixture gradually, beating until mixed. 
Divide the dough in half, flatten each half into a disk and wrap in cling film. Refrigerate for at least an hour, or until firm. (Psst: Use this hour to pop open a bottle of wine.) 

Preheat oven. Let one disk of dough stand at room temperature until soft enough to roll. It usually takes about 10 minutes. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to just under ¼-inch thickness, adding more flour to keep dough from sticking. Cut out cookies with a 2-inch heart cutter, and place them 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. 

Repeat with remaining disk of dough. Freeze cookies until very firm, about 15 minutes. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes.

Cool them.

Divide the royal icing into half-cup portions in bowls. Tint each with pink gel-paste food colouring, starting with just a drop, mixing well, and adding more, drop by drop. Transfer one bowl of icing to a pastry bag fitted with a round plain tip one-eighth of an inch. Pipe the outline around the edge of each cookie, then fill in with frosting. Poke air bubbles with a toothpick. Transfer decorated cookies to a parchment-lined baking sheet and let them stand uncovered until dry, usually three-four hours (more drunky time!). Don’t make the layer of frosting too thick or they’ll take ages to dry. 

Use a different coloured frosting to pipe messages on the cookies. Be creative, be naughty. Then eat your cookies and act out what’s written. 

NETFLIX AND COOK
Make the V-Day binge-watch special by ditching the dial-in menu for something personal. 

Here’s a full meal made in a microwave!

Baked potatoes (starters)

Ingredients: 2 large potatoes. 

For a veggie filling, you’ll need 1 cup boiled sweet corn kernels, 1 cup chopped capsicum, 1 tablespoon (tbsp) butter; 2 tbsp chopped onions, half a green chilli finely chopped, 2 tbsp grated processed cheese, salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

For a meat-based filling: 1 cup bacon strips cut into squares (or chicken mince), 2 tbsp grated cheese, salt and pepper to taste, 1 tsp tikka masala if you want to put an Indian twist.

Method: Boil unpeeled potatoes in a tumbler of water. Cut them in half and scoop out the centre using a spoon.

Keep aside to cool. Mix cheese, corn, butter, peppers and chilli in a dish and microwave for 2-3 minutes. If you are using meat, make sure to fry the meat before in a little oil. Stuff the filling into the scooped-out potatoes, grate some cheese on top and microwave for one minute. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

Tandoori Chicken (mains)

Ingredients: 4 chicken leg pieces, 2 tsp lemon juice, 1 tsp red chilli powder, 4 tbsp thick yogurt, 2 tsp tandoori chicken masala, 1 tsp coriander powder, ½ tsp cumin powder, 2 tsp ginger-garlic paste, ½ tsp kasoori methi powder, a pinch of turmeric, ½ tsp chaat masala, 1 tsp garam masala powder, a small pinch of food colour, 2 tbsp ghee or oil, salt to taste.

Method: Clean and wash the chicken pieces. Make small slits on them with a sharp knife so that the marinade reaches inside. To prepare the marinade, mix lemon juice, salt and red chilli powder in a small bowl. Coat the chicken well and rest for 10-15 minutes. 

In another bowl, add thick yogurt, tandoori chicken masala, red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, ginger-garlic paste, kasoori methi powder, turmeric powder, chaat masala, garam masala, food colour and ghee (ghee helps keep the chicken moist and tender). Add a little salt and mix well. Now coat the chicken with this mixture. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours (marinate overnight for best results). 

Set the microwave oven to 180°C and pre-heat the oven. Put the marinated chicken on the tray and place it in the hot oven. Cook for 15 minutes. Spoon melted butter on the chicken and grill for 3 to 5 minutes or till slightly charred. Sprinkle chaat masala and lemon juice. Serve. 

Apple crumble (dessert)

Ingredients: 3 apples, ¼ cup flour, ¼ tsp baking powder, 4½ tbsp butter, ½ cup oats, ½ cup brown sugar, 1 tbsp icing sugar, ¾ tsp cinnamon powder, ¾ tsp nutmeg powder.

Method: Peel and cut apples into cubes. Place in a baking dish, dust with a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg and icing sugar. Mix brown sugar, oats, flour, baking powder, butter, cinnamon and nutmeg till the mixture takes on a crumb-like consistency. Spread it on apples. Microwave for 8-9 minutes or until apples are soft (you’ll know they’re done when the apples release juices). Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Debroop Basu and Sunandita Ghosh