Try a Valentine's Day picnic

If you're stumped for ideas, celebrating Valentine's Day is no picnic. Or can it be?

Yes, a picnic in February. Fire up the imagination and turn winter on its head. For less money than eating out at a fancy restaurant, you can create a splendor-in-the-grass mood in your own living room.

Here's the setting: A cozy fire; TV off, music on; blanket and pillows for lounging; casual food and drink at hand. Pull out the picnic basket if you have one.

No fireplace? Bring forth the candles — you may have a stash from gifts you've gotten over the years. Place them safely, of course, and as with any fire, don't leave them unattended.

As for the picnic spread, think big and buy small. When you eat and drink slowly, nibbles and sips are as satisfying and more playful than a big meal.

Menu ideas

Bread, wine and cheese can be the starting point for your indoor picnic.

--A nice French baguette is relatively cheap, between $1 and $2 at many grocery stores. Cut it on the diagonal, lightly toast the slices and top them with cheese, spreads or meat.

Here's a fast and inexpensive spread adapted from the "Party Snacks" cookbook (Harvard Common Press, 2008). A can of beans, if you don't already have one in the pantry, will set you back about 75 cents.

White Bean and Rosemary Pate

1 (15.5-ounce) can white beans, such as Cannellini or Great Northern, rinsed and drained

1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary (or 1 teaspoon dried)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Put the white beans, rosemary, 2 1/2 tablespoons of the oil, pepper and about 1 tablespoon water in a food processor or powerful blender. Process or blend until fairly smooth, with no big bean chunks visible. Transfer to a bowl or bowls and drizzle with remaining olive oil when serving.

Wine likely will be the biggest expenditure, but there are bargains out there.

--Fran Liro, wine associate at Total Wine west of the Ashley, says there are many good choices in the $10 range — red, white or sparkling.

Those include California Cabernets and Merlots, "lush and rich" Argentinian Malbec and "spicier" Italian Tuscan reds. Spanish Albarino, a white, pairs well with seafood.

If you like sparkling wines, he recommends Spanish Cava, many priced $8-$9, or an Italian Prosecco between $10 and $15.

Decent wines can be had for even less than $5, Liro says. The Canyon Oaks line sells for $4.49, for example, and Double Dog Dare, what he terms "the local version of Two-Buck Chuck," goes for $3.99 for a standard 750ml bottle.

--If you're a beer drinker, try out one or two of the high-gravity brews for something special to drink. Also, World Market has a "Create your own 6-pack" display with a variety of imports and domestics. Singles are $1.89 each.

Cheese, especially an import, isn't cheap.

--But you can keep the cost in check by purchasing small amounts. Stores such as Earth Fare and Whole Foods will cut cheese to order, say 1/4 of a pound. That way, you can experiment with something new and nice, and one or two pieces is plenty for two to nosh on.

Most conventional grocery stores have cases of precut or prepackaged cheeses, too. A package of Boursin, available three different ways, runs about $6. Ditto for a fine wedge of Saga Blue Brie or a chunk of Dubliner Irish, an aged cheese similar to cheddar.

As for meat and seafood, make a little go a long way.

--Top-of-the-line roast beef in the deli case costs about $11; ask for 1/4 pound shaved or sliced very thinly. Put a small pile on those baguette slices and add cheese or a smear of Dijon mustard or horseradish sauce.

--Another option from the deli is thin-cut Genoa or hard salamis or other cured meats, typically priced from $7 to $9 a pound.

--Seafood isn't out of reach, either. Depending on where you shop and what's on sale, a half-pound of shrimp may cost as little as $2.50. Steam and serve with a homemade cocktail sauce of ketchup, horseradish and a squeeze of lemon.

We also saw snow crab clusters on sale this week for $6 a pound. A pound contains about two clusters of four to five legs each. Simply heat and serve with melted butter or cocktail sauce.

Options abound in vegetables and fruits as well.

--Asparagus is a great pickup food, and the price starts coming down in midwinter. We saw it for as little as $1.79 a pound this week, but it likely will be a dollar higher at most stores. Still, you'll need only a half-pound for your picnic; save the rest for another meal.

Steam in lightly salted water until the asparagus is crisp-tender, 4-5 minutes for pencil-size spears. Or drizzle the spears with olive oil and roast in a hot oven (450-500 degrees) for 8-10 minutes, then salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a dipping sauce; a bottled salad dressing you have on hand is fine.

You also can wrap the asparagus with paper-thin slices of prosciutto before roasting. A quarter pound of prosciutto will yield about 10 slices and will cost about $3.

Here's a "cheater" garlic aioli sauce for dipping veggies or as a meat condiment: Roast a head of garlic (slice off the top, drizzle with olive oil and roast at 350 degrees until cloves are soft and tender). Peel and mash the cloves and stir into a 1/2 cup of mayonnaise. Add a teaspoon or so of lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.

--Small roasted red potatoes, each speared with a toothpick, are an easy and cheap finger food. Six potatoes — three apiece — cost less than $1. They are delicious at room temperature, too.

Here's how: Heat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and pat dry six potatoes. Toss with a teaspoon of olive oil, enough to lightly coat the surface. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, seasoned salt or Greek seasoning and toss again for even distribution of the spices. Place potatoes in a single layer on a roasting pan or baking sheet. Roast, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes, turning once midway, until potatoes are tender. The skins will be slightly crisp and crinkly.

--Another idea is fresh whole artichokes, a wonderful food for two to share. We saw them for $2.50 apiece last week, which reminded us how much we like them. Basic steaming instructions can be found at www.ehow.com.

When ready to eat, pull off the leaves one by one and pull through your front teeth to scrape off the tender "meat" at the end. Dip the ends first in lemon juice and melted butter for the height of flavor. Eventually, you will reach the "heart," the tenderest and meatiest part. Remove the prickly leaves around it and the thistle fuzz. Dig in and enjoy.

--Big, red, heart-shaped strawberries from Florida are starting to show up on the produce aisle and are well-priced at several stores, about $2.50 for 1 pound.

--Red and green Anjou pears are pretty and abundant. One medium to large pear weighs about 1/2 pound and will be enough for two when cut into slices.

--Many stores have seedless red and green grapes on special this month as well. They're a great pair with almost any kind of cheese.

--Stop by the olive bar — you've probably seen one if you shop around at all. It's a self-service, mix-and-match setup. For about $8 a pound, there's a choice of several kinds of imported olives, some seasoned. Often you'll see marinated mushrooms, roasted red peppers and pickled garlic, too. The smallest container allows you to get a small number, only what you'll eat at one sitting.

Jazz them up at home: Get a few each of green and black olives, such as kalamata and picholine, and add a bit of minced garlic or shallots and olive oil, a dash of red pepper flakes and lemon or orange zest.

--If Asian food is more your style, a couple of prepared sushi trays may be just the ticket. Most major grocery chains carry sushi these days, usually priced from $5 to $8. Round out the "picnic" with a container of sesame peanut noodles from the deli and feed each other with chopsticks.

Chocolate is the grand finale for Valentine's, of course. We're astounded by the explosion in brands, intensities (light to dark) and flavor combinations in recent years.

--Forget old-style boxed chocolates — bars are where it's at today. At Target, for instance, we found 3.5-ounce bars of premium quality chocolate for $2.29 in flavors such as Truffle Cake, White Coconut, Tiramisu and Hot Chili Pepper.

Teresa Taylor is the food editor. Reach her at food@postandcourier.com or 937-4886.