5 Valentine gifts to get your millionaire man

How many bags of Conversation Hearts have you eaten so far this Valentine’s Day season? I’m going to plead the fifth on my number. It’s embarrassingly high. I tell myself that eating Conversation Hearts is basically a job responsibility for me. Anyway, Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and if you’re dating a rich, successful man, I bet you’re struggling with what to get him. Well, you’ve come to the right place. I have 7 ideas for gifts that will make the man who has everything feel like a million bucks.
  1. Cufflinks
This is a tried and true dude gift that never fails. Sure, every businessman has cufflinks, but there’s always room in a guy’s collection for more. It’s a really safe bet. If you’re looking for something nice, David Yurman always has amazing designs with classic appeal. For this gift guide, I found these amazing Tateossian Mechanical Watch Cuff Links that actually keep time. Awesome, right? He’ll definitely get compliments on them and think of you every time someone tells him how cool his style is.
  1. Scotch tasting
Scotch has always been a staple drink for classy men, but I think it’s having a real moment in the sun right now. I credit that to Mad Men. Anyway, almost every man would want to know more about scotch, so organizing a scotch tasting is a great gift idea. I found several options in my area just by Googling “Scotch tasting Los Angeles.” Look in your area and see what quality options are available. You could also talk to your country club about setting up a tasting or just chat with the lead bartender at the bar of his favorite steak house. It could also be fun to turn it into a social event and have several of your girlfriends give their men scotch tastings for V-Day and do the tasting as a group.
  1. A strip dance
Give your man something he’ll never forget, a very sensual strip dance. If you’re comfortable, just go ahead and do it. But, for most of us, a little instruction and choreography wouldn’t hurt. So, look up strip classes in your neighborhood or get a private burlesque tutoring session and practice your routine. This is a priceless gift that he’ll be very, very grateful for.
  1. Lingerie
Ah, the age old question…is lingerie really a gift for him or you? I say, who cares! It makes you feel sexy and him feel, well, all kinds of things! In my book, La Perla is hands down the sexiest, most luxurious lingerie on the market. And why not treat yourself to the best when you’re treating him, right? The Maharani Chemise is super sexy and guaranteed to make this a Valentine’s Day, or more likely night, to remember!
  1. Deluxe aphrodisiacs
Aphrodisiacs come in all shapes and sizes…and prices! There are some very luxurious and expensive aphrodisiacs out there that can add up to a really special gift for your man. You can customize an aphrodisiac basket to your man’s tastes, but if you’re looking for some suggestions, I have two deluxe options for you—saffron and white truffles. Saffron is one of the most expensive ingredients on the planet and, as it turns out, can be a real turn on! White truffles are another hard to source aphrodisiac that are delicious and apparently, sexually stimulating. Add these to some honey, for eating or body painting, high quality chocolate, his favorite red and a homemade version of sexy truth or dare and you have the perfect customized aphrodisiac basket for your millionaire boo. Hope that helps you ladies who are dating men who have everything. They’re a hard group to shop for! And no matter what gift you get him, if you make him feel special in the bedroom on Valentine’s Day evening, he’ll be very grateful that Cupid shot you two with the same arrow.

The perfect healthy meal to cook for Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is a real pressure cooker of stress—expectations, romance, gifting and New Year’s resolutions. That’s right. Coming only six weeks into the new year, February 14th is often smack dab in the middle of people’s diets. And diets and holidays don’t typically mix. Diets and romance are hard to mix, too. Well, not any more! I’ve scoured the internet for some very romantic and healthy meals you can make at home to stick to your healthy lifestyle and celebrate ole Saint Valentine in style. Simple salad This is some intense salad making. She really gets into the details here, which I love. And I dig the basic dressing and how exacting she is with the ratio measurements. You can simplify this for yourself and pick up a bag of mixed greens or only do one green. But, don’t mess around with the dressing. It’s perfection. Make a huge batch of it and save it to use throughout the week. Roast chicken This is Glamour’s famed engagement chicken. The story goes that an assistant at Glamour made this chicken for her boyfriend and he proposed soon after. Then, three other women at the magazine made the chicken for their boos and got rings. So, Glamour printed the recipe in their magazine and 70 women from around the country wrote in to say they’d gotten engaged after making their men this chicken. I’m not saying this recipe will take you down the aisle, but a nice, perfectly cooked, lemony chicken sure can’t hurt the cause. Roast potatoes If you don’t think Jamie Oliver is cute as a button, I think we might have nothing in common. He’s so adorable! And his recipes are dynamite. Check out how he makes roast potatoes taste even better than normal. I love how focused on texture he is, too. That combo of crunch and creaminess just can’t be beat. Pick any one of these as a side dish for your special meal. Sautéed greens A nice dark leafy green is part of nearly every healthy diet, so this dish is a must serve. You can make this with spinach, like she does in the video, or another green, like kale or collard greens. The flavors and techniques translate perfectly to a variety of greens. Just sauté heartier greens for a bit longer. Green tea macarons Even when you’re watching what you eat, you can’t skip dessert on Valentine’s Day. So, here’s a healthy-ish take on dessert. Green tea has restorative properties that are beneficial to the body, but what’s really great about these macarons is that they’re really small. So, it’s easy to just have a bite and indulge without feeling like you’re wasting food or denying yourself a full dessert. Happy Valentine’s Day and happy healthy living!

Should you tell your man what you want for Valentine’s Day?

Valentine's Day is right around the corner. I’d love to wax poetic about how romantic the holiday is, and I do think it is, but the truth is most people view Valentine’s Day with dread and anxiety. And even though I’m a total softy and romantic at heart, I can’t blame them! Valentine’s Day is fraught with emotion, expectation and, all too often, disappointment. So, the big question is…to avoid the negative parts of Valentine’s Day, should you just straight up tell your man what you want on Valentine’s Day? Some people will tell you no, but I’m going to say a big old YES! Yeah, you should tell your fellow what would make you happy on Valentine’s Day. Here’s why. He’s not a mind reader Your man is a lot of things, but I’m guessing he’s not a psychic. (If he is, then I guess just skip this paragraph. Actually, skip this whole post! It doesn’t apply to you.) Even if he is the person who knows you best in the entire world and you’ve been together for umpteen years, there is no way he knows 100% of what you’re thinking and feeling. So, instead of expecting the impossible from him, why not give him a break and let him know what would make your Valentine’s Day as special as possible? Sometimes you need to teach people how to show their love for you in the way you appreciate most. Just because they needed that lesson, it doesn’t mean their love for you is any less or greater. Screw surprise Who cares if the nice thing your dude does for you is a surprise or not? I sure don’t. I just care that he did it. The not knowing about it before it happens isn’t the important part of a romantic gesture. The effort and emotion behind it are. Guessing what you want and surprising you with it is just the same as knowing what you want and giving it to you exactly how you expect it. He still wants to make you feel great, which is all that counts! So, don’t value surprise as much and your Valentine’s Day will be a much happier and emotionally healthier holiday. Romance is as romance does Yeah, I don’t quite get what that means either. But, it worked when Forrest Gump’s mom said it. So, I’m assuming it works here. Basically, you get to decide what’s romantic to you. Just because Hallmark and Kay Jewelers and romantic comedies tell us that in order to be our soul mate, a man has to know our deepest desires before we do and surprise us with special treats to be romantic, that doesn’t mean that it’s the truth. You can decide that your system of telling him what you want and then him giving it to you is romantic. And guess what? It really is! You’re not cheating here. You’re just taking back the definition of romance. Empowering, right? So, happy Valentine’s Day to everyone. And in case you’re wondering what I want for Valentine’s Day, I’ll tell you! A home cooked meal and a big box of dark chocolate would make my V-Day complete. Anyone going to make it happen for me?

3 Amazing things to do on Valentine’s Day when you’re single

A single woman on valentine's day
Hello, my sexy singles! I know on Valentine’s Day it can feel like all eyes are on the couples and no one out there is looking out for the single folks. But, don’t worry, my loves. I haven’t forgotten you! After all, I’ve been single on many a Valentine’s Day and I know that February 14th can be the loneliest night of the year. So, I cooked up three amazing things singletons can do on Valentine’s Day to make the most of the day and ward off the V-Day blues. Read more

5 Signs You Didn’t Get Laid on Valentine’s Day

Man is frustrated on bed that he didn't get laid
Listen up, fellas. I know you hate Valentine’s Day and that it’s a holiday created by a card company and blah blah blah. I like to compare Valentine’s Day to the Superbowl. A lot of women, including myself, could care less about football and in particular the Superbowl. But if I’m in a relationship with someone, I show up to the Superbowl party, root for the same team as my man and bring over some bomb dip (because I’m really good at making dips). I do this because I know it’s important to my man, not because I think the Superbowl is important. This same rule applies for Valentine’s Day. We know that you think it’s a stupid holiday, but it’s important to us ladies, so suck it up for one day and get over it. Read more

#AskPatti: Valentine’s Day gifts & bouncing back from sex too soon

Ask Patti Stanger
Hello, hello! Happy almost Valentine’s Day. Guys, I just came back from shopping and I swear it felt like December 24th at the mall. There were tons of men and women frantically dashing around looking for Valentine’s Day gifts for their boos. I’m so glad I got my V-Day shopping out of the way early. I got my man something special and a lot of little things for other very special people in my life. I firmly believe that Valentine’s Day isn’t just for your lover, but for everyone in your life whom you love. And some of the loves of my life are you guys! I wish I could get a Valentine for every single one of you! But, I can’t, my tweeties. So, I’ll just answer your questions. Read more