Valentines Day is coming up and it’s already time to start planning for the perfect menu. Making a gourmet meal for your special someone doesn’t have to be an impossible task. Plan ahead, create a menu with food you love to eat and then do as much as you can in advance so that you can take it easy and just enjoy a great meal together. The Virtual Potluck is here to help you with a whole variety of dishes that you can choose from. We’ve also paired up with Taste fromThe N8tion to give you some drink pairings with your meal, and mine’s non-alcoholic!

I love french onion soup and yet this is the first time that I’ve ever made it myself. The key to good french onion soup is the beef stock that you use. Get the best that you can find, or better yet make some yourself. It’s easy to do and will create the best broth you’ll ever have. My wife and I volunteer at a local cooking school and one of the dishes they made at the last class was a braised oxtail to use in a pasta dish. Being the resourceful person that I am, I asked to take the leftover bones home with me. I threw them in a pot with some carrots, celery and onion, filled it with water and simmered it for about 14 hours. Strain it and then enjoy it in so many dishes, but nothing as good as French Onion Soup.