Valentine's Day falls on a Saturday this year, which means you could plan a weekend excursion with a loved one. Many Seattle area hotels, restaurants and spas are offering Valentine's Day specials (details are below). And if you want more ideas check out these Six Seattle Valentine's Day Ideas.

Pre-Valentine’s Day Specials

Metropolitan Market sells fair trade flowers with long stemmed roses from Ecuador and Africa and Fiori Chocolatiers are sold inside.

If you've been pinching more pennies than bottoms lately, here's a date idea that will spice things up without destroying your entertainment budget. In celebration of New Urban Eats—the month-long event in which several newish local restaurants offer three-course meals for the bargain price of $30—participating chefs have been invited to show off some of their favorite recipes at local Metropolitan Markets this evening. Head in to either the Queen Anne, Admiral, or Sand Point locations from 4 to 6 p.m. to get a free taste of dishes like a rainbow carrot salad from chef Zachary Millican of Artemis or a savory chicken dish from Thomas Hamlin, chef of the new Pearl in Bellevue. Then pick up the ingredients, take them home, and heat things up in the privacy of your own kitchen (where you get to decide the dress code). Feel free to open up that second or third bottle of wine, because, after all, the bedroom is only a few steps away.

From what we've seen and read, Barack Obama is a man of eclectic tasts who likes plenty of down-home comfort food.

So, as many people plan inauguration parties, we turn for inspiration to some of his favorite foods and traditions.

Fortunately, many of Obama's preferences, such as almonds and pistachios, make for easy party munchies.

A.J. Rathbun, author of "Party Snacks" and several books on drinks and liqueurs, advises people to keep it simple with lots of finger foods: "My first bit of advice would be throw a party that you'd like to attend. You as the host or hostess have to remember that you have to have fun or no one else will have fun."

Eater Kevin Slover writes: "I wanted to find out if you had any recommendations for an Italian market that would carry the following items: canned San Marzano tomatoes; whole anchovies packed in salt; capers packed in sea salt; high-quality extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, wine vinegar, etc. Also, various cuts of veal that you can't get at the grocery store. I'm on a quest to learn how to cook good Italian food and having access to excellent ingredients is something I'm after. I figured you might know of some good sources."

I do. But I thought I'd throw the question out here on the blog, so you folks can add to my list.

First let me say that we live in a food-shopper's paradise. Many of the items Kevin's searching for may be found at our area supermarkets -- everywhere from QFC to PCC, Top Foods to Whole Foods, Metropolitan Market to Central Market (where I often buy meaty veal shanks for osso bucco). There are also many web-based businesses selling the products Kevin's looking for. For those who choose to go that route, I encourage you to support the local economy by shopping at ChefShop (whose retail store is at 1415 Elliott Avenue) and buying Ritrovo products (available via Ditalia).

However, it was only yesterday, while shopping for dinner at Metropolitan Market (Sandpoint) that I discovered a new pomegranate product I had not seen before in any of our neighborhood food shops. A brand new way for me to enjoy one of my favorite fruits ever.

Across from the deli, where I had just picked freshly roasted chicken, potatoes, beans, squash and roasted garlic (so I would not have to cook dinner and be able to make a Met Live in HD performance) that I spotted a display of containers full of dried pomegranate arils.

Meghan, the fromage expert in charge of the cheese counter, kindly offered me a sample when I inquired about them.

I was instantly hooked.

They are sweet and sour, crunchy and nutty, and chewy, all at once. I found a container with just enough to try and use for the day and headed home.

I took some of the arils with me to Pacific Place, for snacking during the first intermission of Thaïs. A few hours later, I sprinkled a handful of dried arils on a very late dinner of the roasted chicken and vegetables purchased at Metropolitan Market. And just today, for lunch, I sprinkled some more on an impromptu roasted chicken, haricots verts, potato and avocado salad, assembled with the leftovers from last night's lazy supper.

The rest have slowly disappeared as I write this.

Now, I find myself thinking up all the ways I can put these to good use. Including them alongside the membrillo (quince paste), nuts and fresh fruit on a cheese plate, covering them in chocolate, adding them to homemade local berry, cranberry or rhubarb compotes, to finish a dish of game, fruit plate or chocolate dessert. Or just to snack on by the handful.

And after pomegranate season has come and gone and I crave that tart and crunchy taste that makes me so very happy, I'll have my dried pomegranate arils and great memories to keep me company.

This can become addictive.

*Dried pomegranate arils are sold at Metropolitan Market (see website for locations). The cost is $36 a pound but the nice people at Met Market have them available in small plastic snap containers that sell for between $3-5 dollars each. And just like pine nuts or cocoa nibs (and about the same size) a little goes a long way.

• On where Seattleites can acquire some of the less common ingredients in the recipes, such as red currant jelly or lingonberries: "Scandinavian Specialties is a good source. Red currant jelly is pretty easy to find. Metropolitan Market has it, Thriftway has it. Lingonberries and things like that you can find either at Scandinavian Specialties or Olsen's or Ikea, and they're usually frozen."