February 14, 2011: Last Minute Valentine’s Day Breakfast Recipe

So it’s Valentine’s Day and you haven’t gotten anything special for your sweetie? How about treating him/her to breakfast in bed?

Here’s a menu for a special breakfast to make your special someone (yes, it's a work day but if you get up early enough you can still make this breakfast and have enough time to get to work):

Fresh fruit compote
Heart-shaped pancakes
Warm, real maple syrup with toasted pecans
Sausage links or bacon
Fresh-squeezed orange juice
Garnish the breakfast tray with a small vase of fresh (or artificial) flowers, the morning newspaper, and a cloth napkin tied with a red or pink satin bow

Pancakes From Scratch

2 cups flour
3 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1 T. sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/3 cup milk
2 T. melted butter
1 cup fruit (optional) such as blueberries, finely chopped apples, strawberries, etc.

Mix together dry ingredients. Combine eggs and milk and add to flour mixture gradually, beating just until smooth (do not over-beat). Stir in butter and fruit, if using.

Heat a griddle and brush with oil. For extra special Valentine’s pancakes, use a metal cookie cooker in a heart or similar shape (or simply pour three round blobs in the approximate shape of a heart on the griddle). Place the cookie cutter on the griddle and spoon pancake batter into the shape. When the batter is bubbling (you see a lot of air holes that gradually decrease in volume), remove the cookie cutter and flip.

Makes 2 dozen small pancakes.

Serve with warmed maple syrup (the real stuff is best, although it’s expensive) and butter. You can also top with sifted powdered sugar (use a paper doily to make a pretty pattern) for a fancy touch.

Happy Valentine's Day! Enjoy the love!

February 8, 2011: Valentine Dessert - White Chocolate Raspberry Cake

When it comes to the potluck part of our church Valentine’s Day celebration, Kathy is in charge of the food. She suggested that everyone bring a hot dish with a meat in a crock pot (we don’t have a kitchen at the church so keeping food hot is a challenge).

As usual, I am in charge of bringing the bread (I’m best known for my homemade bread; everyone regularly requests my rolls and focaccia). This year I’ve decided to make loaves of crusty French bread slathered in garlic butter (I’ll wrap them in foil and put them on top of the heater to keep them warm) and I also volunteered to make a dessert.

I’ve been dying to make this recipe for some time now and Valentine’s Day seems like an appropriate occasion. As long as I can find the white chocolate (pretty iffy as I have only one grocery store to shop at in addition to a Super Wal-Mart), my dessert for the church Valentine’s Day potluck will be:

White Chocolate Fantasy Cake (courtesy Better Homes & Gardens, 1994)

4 egg whites (room temperature)
1 ¾ c. all purpose flour
1 T. finely shredded lemon peel
2 t. baking powder
¼ t. salt
3 oz. white baking bar, chopped
¾ c. half and half or light cream
1/3 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
4 egg yolks
1 c. raspberries
3 T. raspberry liqueur
1 recipe white chocolate frosting
1/3 c. seedless raspberry jam
White chocolate curls (optional) – use a vegetable peeler on a bar of room temperature white chocolate
½ c. fresh raspberries (optional)
Powdered sugar (optional)

In a small mixing bowl, stir together flour, lemon peel, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Melt the chunks of white baking bar with ¼ c. of the cream in a small saucepan over very low heat, stirring constantly until it starts to melt. Remove from heat and continue stirring until all the chocolate is melted. Stir in remaining cream; cool.

In large mixing bowl, beat the butter with electric mixer about 30 seconds or until softened. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until combined. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating until combined. Alternately add the flour mixture and the white chocolate mixture, beating on low to medium speed after each addition just until combined.

Wash beaters. Beat the egg whites with electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter. Spread batter in 2 greased and lightly floured 8 x 1 ½ inch round cake pans.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes (test with toothpick). Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove from pans and continue cooling.

In a small bowl combine the 1 cup raspberries and liqueur; set aside.

Prepare white chocolate frosting:

4 oz. white baking bar, chopped
1 ½ c. whipping cream
1 T. cold water
½ t. unflavored gelatin
3 T. sugar

Chill mixing bowl and beaters.

Melt white chocolate baking bar as described above, using ¼ cup of the cream.

Combine cold water and gelatin; let stand for 2 minutes in a glass measuring cup. Place cup in saucepan of boiling water. Heat and stir until gelatin is completely dissolved.

In the chilled mixing bowl, beat the remaining 1 ¼ cups cream and sugar on medium speed while gradually drizzling gelatin over the whipping cream mixture. Beat until soft peaks form. Continue beating, gradually adding cooled baking bar mixture until stiff peaks form.

To assemble cake:

Place one cake layer on plate. Drain liqueur from berries and drizzle liqueur over cake layer. Stir jam to soften and spread across the top. Top with one third frosting. Spoon 1 cup berries on top.

Place the second cake layer on top. Frost top and sides of cake. Decorate with white chocolate curls (if using). Just before serving sprinkle cake with ½ cup berries and sift powdered sugar lightly over the cake. Serves 10.

Per serving: 532 calories, 29 g. fat (15 g. saturated fat), 141 mg. cholesterol, 193 mg. sodium, 62 g. carbohydrates, 1 g. fiber, 7 g. protein.

February 7, 2011: Church Valentine’s Day Party Decorations and Games

As church secretary, I’ve been appointed the person in charge of this year’s Valentine’s Day potluck celebration at New Hope Christian Fellowship, along with my dear friend, Kathy. Yes, this is a usual and ordinary part of my job but I didn’t do it in 2010 (during my first year as secretary) since my daughter-in-law planned her baby shower for that weekend. I couldn’t miss the baby shower for my very first grandchild! So this is my first Valentine’s Day celebration where I’m in charge.

My pastor’s wife, Margaret, has some old games on pages we’ve copied over and over again through the years. She used to be an elementary school teacher and these are some of the games her kids would play for Valentine’s Day. The funny thing is that I looked online for suggestions, Googling “Valentine’s Day church games” and much of what I found was dual purpose: either for kids or Christians. Hmm… we may be church-goers, but we’re not children! So this year I’m opting for more adult-level games.

What have I got in store for our congregation? I’m in charge of games and this is what I’ve got so far:

• A glass jar decorated with hearts and filled with candy: challenge is to correctly guess how many pieces of candy are in it to win the jar with the candy.
• Valentine’s Day bingo: I found an online site (www.bingocardcreator.com) that allowed me to create and print 15 copies of a bingo card with such terms as “love”, “cupid”, etc. on the squares. I think I’ll need twice that amount of cards so I’ll make two copies of each and plan for two winners per round (that’s extra prizes we need to buy).
•  Valentine's Day crossword*
• Valentine’s Day word search*

• Valentine’s themed word ladder *
*These games can be found on http://holidays.kaboose.com/val-word.html - if you can get past the annoying auto-play video, there’s some good, albeit childish stuff here. Another one to try is http://puzzle-maker.com/.

We're on the hunt for tablecloths at thrift stores. To make things a bit more festive, we purchased some $1 packages of  large, cardstock Valentine’s confetti to sprinkle over the tables and a few packages of heart-decorated pencils.

This is a Valentine’s Day party recipe for decorating and fun on the cheap (since the church has a very small budget).

February 4, 2011: Valentine’s Day Menu for Romance

For my husband and I, Valentine’s Day is a special day, but not one on which we want to spend a whole lot of money that we don’t really have. I don’t expect jewelry and he doesn’t expect much of anything (what’s a romantic gift for a guy, anyway?). So instead of going out and buying some stupid little gift, I show my husband how much I love him by preparing a special dinner.

Not only do we eat special food, I make it romantic by setting the coffee table in the living room with good china, candles, cloth napkins, and finger foods. We sit on pillows and listen to CDs of music we find romantic (I absolutely adore Ottmar Leibert’s acoustical Spanish guitar tunes) while eating three courses of food I’ve lovingly prepared.

Here is one menu that lends itself perfectly to an intimate Valentine’s Day dinner. Enjoy!

Menu:

• Lobster Salad with Bloody Mary Granité
• Sesame Breadsticks (Homemade is preferable but store bought is fine)
• Salad of Baby Greens, Apple Slices, Toasted Pecans and Gorgonzola with Creamy Balsamic Dressing
• Bacon-Wrapped Filet Mignon
• Lobster Tails with Clarified Butter
• Cappellini Pasta with Olive Oil, Fresh Parsley, Garlic, and Shaved Parmesan
• Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Most of these recipes should be self-explanatory so I’m just going to include the recipe for the granité.

Lobster Salad with Bloody Mary Granité (courtesy of foodnetwork.com, 2003)

Granité:
2 cups tomato-vegetable juice (such as V-8)
1 T. lemon juice
6 T. lemon-flavored vodka
1 t. horseradish (freshly grated or prepared)
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
1 t. freshly ground black pepper
3 shakes hot sauce
Salt

Combine all ingredients and season with salt to taste. Pour into a shallow container and place in the freezer. Run a fork through the granité every 30 to 45 minutes while it is freezing to obtain a nice, granular texture.

Lobster Salad:
½ lb. cooked, chopped lobster meat
4 T. olive oil
2 t. finely grated lemon zest
3 T. chopped chives
Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Fold all of the ingredients together and season with salt and pepper to taste.

To assemble hors d’oeuvres, use fancy shot glasses. Fill them ¾ of the way with the lobster salad and top with the granité.

Tip: You can also rim the glasses with coarse margarita salt before filling and garnish with a twist of lemon for an extra fancy touch.

Makes 12 appetizers.

February 3, 2011: Personalized Valentine’s Day Card

If you want to give your hubby a Valentine’s Day card that is more special than one you buy at the store – and costs only pennies to make – here’s a recipe for a homemade card worthy of space on your wall all year long (at least that’s what I did after making the card pictured for my husband a couple years ago).

Start with four pieces of sturdy cardstock. I used postcards for mine but you could also use index cards, halves of old greeting cards (you'll cover up any text), or just a piece or two of plain cardstock you cut into halves or fourths.

Next, find the images you want to put on the cards. I scoured old magazines and cut out pictures of flowers, hearts, etc. as well as using pages from a notepad with the word “February” and a border design of hearts. Use your imagination. If you’re a scrapbooker like me, doubtless you have lots of little stickers and embellishments to use. You could also incorporate crystals, candies (such as red hots), ribbon – anything in the colors of red and pink or anything that says “Valentine’s Day” to your sweetheart and can be glued onto the cardstock.

Print out the letters “L”, “O”, “V”, and “E” on your computer printer. You can print the letters in color ink on a white background or in black ink on a sheet of colored paper. Carefully cut them out. Use a large font; depending on the size of your cards, the letters should be about two-thirds as high as the card so that it takes up most of the space, but not all.

Thin down some Elmer’s glue with water so the consistency is easily spreadable with a paintbrush. This is your “decoupage glue”.

Arrange your pictures and embellishments on a card and glue them into place using a paintbrush and the thinned down Elmer’s mixture. When the background is complete, glue one of the letters on top (you’re creating four so each one will have the one of the letters you printed; the collection of four will spell “Love”).

After you’ve glued all the pieces onto the cards, take them outside and lightly spray with a clear spray paint in semi-gloss or matte finish. Don’t saturate them since they’re made of paper; just a thin coat to set the decoupage is sufficient. Let dry.

When the cards are ready, take a length of ribbon and connect each, gluing the ribbon into place on the back side of each card (I used a hot glue gun). Your arrangement can either be vertical, like mine, or horizontal. Create a loop on one end (the “L” card for a vertical arrangement) or at each end (for a horizontal arrangement) and fasten it with another small ribbon tied into a bow so that the card can be hung.

You can write a sweet Valentine’s Day message to your sweetie on the reverse side of any – or all – of the cards.

To present it in an envelope, stack the cards one on top of the next.

There you go! A personalized Valentine’s Day card that cost pennies to make but will be remembered forever.

February 2, 2011: Homemade Air Fresheners

Looking for an inexpensive little gift for your friends or family this Valentine’s Day? Why not give them a homemade air freshener – a gift that’s always appreciated and used. They’re easy to make and the ingredients are inexpensive.

All you need to find are some ceramic or glass containers with a lid. I’ve used small little crocks, the kind with the wire bale closure, and these work really great. You could also use an apothecary-style or canning jar and put a pretty circle of fabric (cut the edges with pinking shears) over the lid and tie it around the neck with a ribbon.

Of course, since it’s Valentine’s Day, you will want to find some decorated containers – or you could just add an arrangement of heart stickers to the outside of a plain glass jar.

After you’ve made the air freshener, use a piece of pink or red satin to tie around the top rim and voila! You’ve got a lovely present that cost pennies but looks great.

Here’s the recipe.

Homemade Air Fresheners (courtesy of Linda Cobb, the Queen of Clean)

4 envelopes Knox unflavored gelatin
2 c. distilled water
Essential oil in scent of your choice (For Valentine’s Day, perhaps rose?)
2 T. salt
Food coloring (optional)

Boil one cup of the distilled water and add the gelatin packets. Stir until dissolved. Add 10 to 20 drops of the essential oil and the salt (to prevent mold – you can also use vodka but hey, that’s better for drinking!). Add food coloring if you wish (red is great for Valentine’s Day). Pour into containers and let them sit, undisturbed until the mixture cools and sets. Cover with the lid; open to smell the scent.

Tip: Use more essential oil to make the scent stronger. The scent tends to fade over time so these air fresheners are best used within a couple months.

If you’d like, you can also add pretty decorations such as glitter, confetti, leaves, etc. to the mixture – really looks nice if you are using a clear glass container.

Ready for Romance

Just days before Valentine's Day, I've got a couple links to share with my readers.

The first is to an interview Big Mike and I did over at You Gotta Read Reviews Guest Blog. Big Mike and I discuss romance from each gender's point of view. Be sure to check out their website, too. They do a great job of reviewing romance and suspense novels.

Big Mike and I are also participating in Romance Junkies' Valentine's contest (that actually runs through the end of March - go figure!). We are giving away a free eBook of Veil of Deception along with a gift basket with hot chocolate, cookies, and a candle - perfect for a romantic interlude! Click on the image above to play along and good luck!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day - Worth the Hype?

Before Valentine’s Day became the Hallmark holiday now appropriate for all members of the family, it originated from the customs of the ancient Romans. Although the martyred Valentines (there were more than one) of the early centuries were honored for their religious contributions, by the 14th century another Saint Valentine came to be associated with romance. This connection is largely attributed to a couple short lines written by Geoffrey Chaucer (Hallmark should probably pay tribute to the man in appreciation - heck it would be another opportunity to sell cards!). The idea of February 14th being a day for romance then took off in Paris and by the 1800s the holiday of St. Valentine’s Day had spread across the globe.

If you’re married or in a relationship, Valentine’s Day can be oh so romantic – perhaps the day that special someone finally professes his love or produces the coveted engagement ring. Sometimes it’s just a great excuse for having a bout of wild and passionate sex. Of course the longer you’ve been married, the more likely it is that the honeymoon is over and the day may pass without much more than a peck on the cheek.

If you’re single and unattached, however, it can be nothing short of stressful. From the time we women have been little girls in grade school, we’ve known the humiliation of being the only one in class not to get any Valentine’s cards delivered to our cardboard ‘mailbox’. In high school, we may have been the unpopular girl who didn’t receive any of the balloon and flower grams sold by the cheerleading squad. By the time we began working, we might have been the only woman in the office who didn’t receive a delivery of flowers on the holiday.

I can remember some years when I’ve gone on fantastically romantic trips with the boyfriend du jour. I can also remember other years renting When Harry Met Sally and going through a pint of Chunky Monkey alone in the dark. I’ve got to admit, Valentine’s Day is not my favorite holiday. Any celebration in which my delight of it depends purely on the presence of a man in my life – honestly – really sucks.

So what do you think? Is Valentine’s Day a valid holiday or just another day when Hallmark and Brach’s and Teleflora make money hand over fist? Feel free to share your best, or worst, experiences.