Say what you will about their burgers - though it’s a challenge to think of something they haven’t said about themselves already - but White Castle’s branding and marketing departments deserve an award.

As they have done every year for a while now , White Castle will be serving candlelit dinner from 5-9pm on Valentine’s Day, complete with pink tablecloths, the Cupid Crave Kit, and BYOB bottle service - perfect for you and your totally chill significant other (especially if their name happens to be Kumar).

Photos of happy couples are posted to their website (consentually, of course) the next day. There’s nothing more romantic than a cheap date that makes you laugh. Genius!

Even if you’re not familiar with Moomintroll, Moominpappa, Moominmamma, Snorkmaiden, Snufkin, and the other cuddly-cute characters of the Moominvalley children’s book series, it’s hard not to be charmed by Iittala’s line of Moomin-inspired dinnerware and flatware. The Finnish design company pays sweet tribute to author Tove Jansson’s creations with darling pieces such as this Moomin plate, a pretty-pink display of Moomin love that will make you want to snuggle up to your smashed potatoes.

Beth of (oddly enough) The Beth Chronicles is a ThisNext kind of person, who expresses her blindingly cheerful personality in everything she says, buys, wears (she’s a t-shirt junkie)…and even drinks from. Check out her recent adventure where a friend of her, in true THisNext fashion, found the perfect coffee cup – the right size, the right shape, the right everything…but found it at a local restaurant rather than a store. And no, they didn’t steal it: they asked to buy one and got it for $4.00. They even had their choice of pink or blue. Now that’s totally ThisNext: knowing what really calls to you, and making it your own (without shoplifting).

What’s for dinner tonight … and every single other night this year? Ken in Alberta sets out to document a different dinner every single day of 2006, and he’s doing darn well so far. We applaud his dedication to the cause, not to mention his ability to turn out — and document — meal after meal, night after night. All we’re saying is, his girlfriend is one lucky gal!

Damn that lousy work, always getting in the way of important things — like making dinner. Too often we end up picking up some subpar grub on the way home from work simply because we don’t have the time to think about dinner, much less buying the ingredients and cooking them. That’s why we are so in love with The Six O’Clock Scramble. When you subscribe to the site, you receive five quick and easy dinner menus, as well as a complete grocery list for the week. Most meals take less than 30 minutes to prepare, so you can hit the ground the minute you get home. ThisNext recognizes there’s no substitute for home-cooked meals, so any way to make them easier to accomplish is manna from heaven as far as we’re concerned. (via Chef Michele’s Adventures)

We love a good dinner party, especially when it’s at your house. No but seriously, throwing a dinner party can be so rewarding. It’s a chance to bond with loved ones over delicious, homemade food — hopefully!

While you want your guests to be comfortable, throwing a dinner party is no casual affair. It takes planning, forethought and quite a lot of work. Before you spend lots of time going all Martha and making napkin rings out of recycled bicycle tires or whatever, focus first on what matters, and you’re guaranteed to thrill your guests with quality chow, and still have time to clink glasses with them. Derrick at SFist lays it out for you. (via Derrick’s blog, An Obsession With Food)