A Little Sweet - Valentine Treats

Love, love, LOVE researching for holiday treats! My favorite holiday for treats? Valentines Day of course. Here is what I'm looking to make this year. (Again, picture are thanks to their respective blogs and websites)

Darla at Bakingdom came up with these darling raspberry meringues filled with chocolate. I love the color and tiny size. I am planning on making these to fill cellophane bags for teachers and friends. And a bowl for me. Wouldn't these be great for a bridal or baby shower party anytime? So darn cute!

Sugar Cooking who loves sugar AND cooking (heh!) baked up Red Velvet Cupcakes. My Firstborn loves red velvet cake and his birthday is the first week of February. I'm going to bake a batch of these and secretly invite his friends over. He'll love it.

I found this recipe for Strawberry Napoleons over at Cinemon Girl. I've been making these for years. Its my go-to dessert when I have unexpected guests during the summer. I always keep strawberries (or blueberries, blackberries, raspberries) and puff pastry on hand. The one thing I do differently: I drizzle chocolate on the bottom pastry, top with berries and cream, then drizzle the top pastry layer with more chocolate.

Okay, I will admit that America's Test Kitchens recipe for Triple Chocolate Mousse Torte is a little bit labor intensive. Sooooo worth it! It makes a gorgeous presentation that just begs for a dinner party. Do not be intimidated. It isn't hard, just takes effort.

A Little Cuisine... Tomato Basil Soup

by Tami

You could have seen me on ABC 4's Good Things Utah making this soup in 2005.

I was a finalist in a soup contest and they had me come on the show to demo it! 

It's that good!

Tami's Tomato Basil Soup

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 Tbsp Butter

1 small white onion chopped

1 Tbsp dried basil

2 14.5 oz cans Italian diced tomatoes

1 can or jar of 26.5 oz spaghetti or marinara sauce ( I use Hunt's Traditional)

4 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 Tbsp sugar

Sautee the onion in the oil, butter and basil until wilted.  Add diced tomatoes, sauce 

and broth. Simmer for 30 min. Puree in a blender or hand immersion blender works best.

Before serving add cream and sugar.

FYI

* If you don't have heavy cream or want to cut on the calories use half and half or milk. You can also leave out the butter, but why?

* This recipe came from a more complicated version that I simplified it and made it my own! I have made many variations and this is the easiest and yummiest!

* My family loves to add a dollop of cottage cheese to our bowl! Try it, you'll be surprised!

* Pipe a heart out of sour cream for an extra cute valentine touch!

A Little Cinema... Top Ten Romance Movies

It's Valentine's Day tomorrow.  If you would rather not deal with the crowded restuarnts and movie theatres, make some delicious soup and rent a classic romance.  Here are my (Aly's) picks for top 5 romantic comedies and top five romances.  Enjoy!

Romance
Pride and Prejudice
The Notebook
An Affair to Remember
Gone with the Wind
Casablanca

Romantic Comedies
Splash
Say Anything
Sabrina (original version)
The Princess Bride
Return to Me

What will you be watching?

A Little Idea... Four Valentine Ideas We Love

by Tami

My Best Friend Courtney made these darling LOVE letters 

for me for heart day last year! I absolutely LOVE them!

Simply modge podge paper mache letters or any letters in patterned

scrapbook paper. You can do this for any occasion.

This is a fun way to display your sweet valentine treats! 

Arrange heart shaped cookie cutters on any dish and fill with various small valentine candies.

So fun!

I was inspired by Martha of course!

 This plate of goodness went to my little ones

preschool teacher as a Valentine gift. Make tiny cupcakes frost and decorate with 

cute sprinkles and fun candy put on a plate wrap with celo and 

tie a cute ribbon! After all it's all about the presentation!

Cupcakes Inspired by Tres Sucres.

Get an ordinary wreath, this one is not so ordinary, isn't it FABULOUS!

I found this beauty at Tai Pan.

Any wreath will do, get some ribbon, rick rack, trim of any kind and an

ornament of the season (heart) and make yourself a custom one of a kind wreath.

Change out your ribbon and ornament with each season. This was inspired by ME!

Remember If you can't be with the one you love, love the one your with!

Happy Heart Day! xoxoxo

A Little Cuisine... Lovable Valentine Cookies

Shortbread-Raspberry Heart Sandwich Cookies

1 cup softened unsalted butter
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, plus additional for dusting
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting
1 teaspoon salt
Raspberry jam for filling

Click READ MORE below for full directions.

A Little Crafty... Heart-in-Hand Pillow

by Somer

Sometimes I feel like my kids are growing up too fast. As we were crossing the street the other day, I took my littlest's hand and was surprised by how big he is getting. I decided to make a memento of just how small they are now; something I can look at as a reminder of the days of fingerprints on the windows and crayons on the walls.

The Heart-in-Hand is used in many cultures to symbolize love, kindness, friendship, charity, and service, all things I hope to teach my children. So it seemed an appropriate reminder of where we are in our lives.

Click "Read More" below for detailed directions!

A Little Love Letter... To Your Body (& Ten Ways to Love It)

Dear Body,

I haven't told you how much you mean to me.  During every hard time of my life you've been there.  The miles I've had to walk, and so many of them alone- you were there in the background.  You've always been patient.  I've yelled at you, told you you weren't good enough, wanted someone better than you- and yet you never criticized me. You never gave up on me.  You are a wonder and I just didn't see it.  We are a perfect match.  Please forgive me.  

Love,

Me

When is the last time you sent your body a love note?

Gwendolyn Brooks said that "Each body has its art."  Your body is as exquisite, rare, and beautiful as any masterpiece.  Do you believe it?  Most women have a hard time feeling joy about our bodies.  Instead of treating our bodies like a close, life-long friend we compare it, criticize it and cut it down.  How can we start giving our bodies the love it needs?

1. Make a list of all the things you love about your body.  Detail each part- how your eyes, ears, limbs, skin- allow you to enjoy these things.

2. Lovingly take care of your body.  When you lotion, do it with kindness.  Pretend you are in a commercial!  Smile as you lather, buff and shave.

3. Verbally thank your body after workouts.

4. Avoid ALL negative thoughts and talk.  Immediately replace any such conversation with positive words.  It does not work to beat yourself forward.  FLYlady (FLY=Finally Loving Yourself) always calls her workouts "15 minutes of loving movement." Approach exercise as a reward and not a punishment.

5. Think of the service that has made the lives of hundreds of people better because of and through your body.

6. Accept the compliments of others.  Just say "thanks!" after a nice remark and believe it.

7. Learn about the human body.  Your respect for your body will skyrocket as you learn the miracle of your blood, cells, and tissues.

8. Take your body out on a date!  What makes your body happy?  Maybe it would like yoga class, a meal of greens, a run, Zumba, a stroll on a new path, or push ups and a big drink of water.

9.  Be loyal to your body.  Don't compare it to other bodies or wish you were with another body!

10. Write down what makes your body unique and perfectly suited to your personality and needs.  It will become clear to you that your flesh and bones is like a soul mate- no other would be just right.

A Little Love... The Five Love Languages

by Janet

Do you melt when your sweetie unexpectedly gives you flowers?  Or, would you rather he emptied the dishwasher or bathed the kids at the end of a long day?  Do you love cards and notes of appreciation, or does holding hands make you feel all warm inside? 

According to Dr. Gary Chapman in The Five Love Languages there are five distinct ways that we all (adults and children alike) like to be loved.  These include:

• touch, 
• quality time, 
• gifts, 
• service and 
• affirmations. 

Personally, I like affirmations, followed by acts of service.  Love notes and gifts are nice, but honestly, they just don't "do it" for me.

Not sure what love language you prefer?  Wonder what language your spouse or children "speak"?  Take one of the following quizzes to find out:

• For Adults
• For Kids

Knowing what love language the people close to you prefer helps you better meet their needs.  Their "love buckets" (as my sister used to say) become full, and they have the reservoir of good feeling they need to love others and make it through the tough times.  It may not feel natural at first to love others in ways that wouldn't be our own first choice, but once we do, and they feel loved more fully, our relationships deepen and become even more rewarding. 

And, after all, isn't that what we want most for our selves and those we love?
{Click "read more" below for Love Language specifics!}

A Little Crafty... Valentine's Necklace

by Somer

Feeling a bit inspired by this pretty necklace. I decided to make somethings similar for Valentine's Day. You do need to know how to crochet for this project.  (Click "read more" below for full directions).

A Little Idea... Neighborhood Valentine Exchange

by Aly

I got an email from my neighbor.  She said that she misses the Valentine's exchanges we had when we were kids.  You remember... staying up late working on your Valentine's box masterpiece, secret messages on the card you gave to your crush, looking for the underlying message in his card to you (he loves me, he loves me not).

These days Valentine's Day at school is much different.  My kid's school doesn't allow boxes or even candy.  So in order to keep the Valentine's tradition of sugary goodness alive we are going to take matters into our own hands!  We are going to start a Neighborhood Valentine Exchange!  You should too!

How it works:

• Put a flier on your neighbors doors to let them know.
• Kids place their boxes on their porches Saturday Morning.
• The exchange begins at noon and kids run wild through the neighborhood (think Halloween) delivering love.  Ah, the nostalgia.

A Little Idea... Valentine's Chain

by Somer
Remember the paper chains you make every Christmas? We decided to give them a Valentine's twist.

 

Start by cutting card stock or construction paper in 1" x 8.5" strips. Make sure your paper is heavy enough to hold its heart shape. From our experience, if you make the strips much wider it is a little difficult to staple them and if you make them too long they don't hold their shape as well.

A Little Love... Top Five Easy Valentine's Day Finds

by Aly

I love Valentine's Day.  I love all the pink, all the hearts, all the cuteness.  But let's keep it low-maintenance girls.  Here are my top five fave (easy-peesy) Valentine Day finds.  Enjoy!

 

These adorable Valentine's Treat Bags that you print yourself are just too sweet! 

 

 Easy Valentine Marshmallow Pops!  I think these would be so cute displayed in a jar of sugar.

Can you say, convenient?  You can download these cute Valentines for your kid's classmates FREE.  Print as many as you like (and use for multiple years)!  I took it into Photoshop and personalized them with my kid's names.

  

You never go wrong with Bingo.  Use Valentine candies or cereal as your markers.  Find printable file here.

 

Kids love to color.  Occupy them for... well... at least 10 minutes with this great variety of V-day coloring pages.

Happy Love Day!

We Love You... not just a little!

A Little Crafty... Valentine's Wreath

by Aly

This is a special edition of "A Little Crafty."  Somer is, of course, the undisputed champion of craftiness.  I try.  I saw this wreath on skiptomylou.org it looked easy enough so I thought I'd try.  I made it and you totally can too!

I didn't 'love' some of the directions.  Here are a few things I learned:

• Don't use dental floss.  Use fishing line.  It is way stronger and easier to work with.  I tried dental floss and it split and broke.  The fishing line worked much better.
• I trimmed the burlap after gluing it to the coat hanger.  I am not the greatest at sewing straight so I cut the burlap a little wide and didn't stress too much about it.
• I didn't see how I could hang a heart-shaped wreath straight.  So I made a little loop with ribbon and used that to hang it on my wreath hook

Happy Crafting!

A Little Crafty... Valentine's Banner

by Somer

My sister wanted a quick and easy banner to hang up for my niece's birthday. We put together one that said "CELEBRATE" in an afternoon and I thought how about some hugs and kisses? So, here's a little Valentine banner to hang on your door or wall.

Get step-by-step instructions (including templates)...