Valentine’s Goody Cup
Valentine’s Day Salad with Bacon Roses and Strawberry Hearts
Valentine’s Day Salad with Bacon Roses and Strawberry Hearts
4 cups baby spinach
6 Strips bacon
4 strawberries
balsamic reduction or other dressing
extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
Make bacon roses: Preheat oven to 375ºF/190ºC. Take each strip of bacon, and roll it into a rose shape. If the bacon strips are wide, you’ll make more delicate, realistic looking roses by cutting them in half lengthwise before you begin rolling them up. To make them look more realistic, leave them slightly loose and let the edges fold over upon themselves at times. I used the edge with the fat on the top of the rose, and that seemed to work well. Place the bacon roses into small muffin tins or silicone ice cube trays to help them hold their shape as you bake them. I used silicone cube-shaped ice cube trays, and they were the perfect size for holding the roses up and together. If you are using tiny muffin tins to hold the bacon roses, you may need to add aluminum foil to the tins or use toothpicks to help keep them in place.
Keep checking on them to make sure they aren’t falling over or burning. Bake the bacon roses in the oven until they get brown and crisp. If the roses are browning on the top but are uncooked on the bottom, carefully flip them over to cook the bottoms for a few minutes.
Make strawberry hearts: Cut the stems off the strawberries. Cut a small v-shaped wedge out of the top center part of the strawberries to make them look like hearts. Cut the shaped strawberries in slices to form several thinner strawberry hearts from each strawberry.
Put the salad together: Wash and spin dry the baby spinach leaves, and start arranging them, right side up, in small groups of leaves into which you will place your bacon roses. Strategically place your bacon roses and strawberry hearts on the bed of baby spinach, creating a beautiful salad. Drizzle with the dressing of your choice. I love using a homemade balsamic reduction with either olive or melted coconut oil. Salsa rosa is another great choice for this salad. The salad can be further garnished with walnuts, goat cheese, or other favorite toppings of your choice. Caramelized goat cheese would also be a great addition to the salad. You can also choose whichever dressing you prefer.
Notes: Most of the components of this salad can be made ahead of time. The bacon roses can be premade, and the strawberries can be washed, dried, and carved. They can then be sliced and placed on the salad at the time of serving.
Valentine Sandwich Cookies
Valentine Sandwich Cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup Dutch process cocoa powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons half and half (or milk)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt
3-3 ½ cups powdered sugar
Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until well incorporated. Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the dry mixture to the creamed mixture, beating on the lowest speed. Continue to mix on the lowest setting until the dry ingredients are just incorporated. Divide the dough in half, and shape into two discs. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. When the dough is chilled, preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat. Set aside. Taking only one portion of dough out of the refrigerator at a time, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough to 1/8-1/4-inch thickness. Use a heart shaped cookie cutter to cut out cookies and transfer them to the prepared baking sheet. Bake the cookies for 12 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Once the cookies are cooled, prepare the filling. Combine the softened butter, half and half, vanilla, and salt and beat until combined. Add the powdered sugar slowly until the filling is smooth. It should be slightly stiffer than cupcake frosting. Add pink or red food coloring until desired color is reached. Transfer the filling to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip (or a freezer zip-lock bag with the corner snipped off.) Pipe the filling onto half of the cookies, and top with the remaining cookies to form a cookie sandwich.
Jam Sweetheart Cookies
Jam Sweetheart Cookies
For the dough:
2 1/2 cups flour, plus extra for sprinkling
3/4 superfine sugar
2 sticks (8 oz) soft butter, diced
1 large egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
For the filling:
4 T. softened butter, plus extra for greasing
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
Jelly or jam
A few drops of vanilla extract
1 tsp. water
Making the dough: Beat the butter and sugar together in a bowl. Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract and beat the mixture until it is smooth. Next, add the flour and salt and mix everything together to form a smooth dough. Mold the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Â Preheat the oven to 350ËšF. Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured surface and cut out circles with a 2 1/2 inch fluted round cookie cutter. Re-roll the trimmings until you get approx 40. Place half the circles onto prepared baking sheets and cut out the centers using a small 3/4 inch heart-shaped cutter. Place the remaining circles onto baking sheets and leave these whole. Bake the cookies for about 12 minutes or until golden. Leave for a few minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Make the butter frosting by beating the butter until smooth, then gradually beating in the powdered sugar, water, and vanilla extract. Spread frosting over the whole (not heart) cookies. Now spoon on the jam. Drop a small spoonful of jam on top of the butter frosting. Put the heart cookies on top.
Chocolate Pancake Love Letters
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole grain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of salt
1 egg
1 1 /4 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
Whisk dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients together until combined. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Set mix aside to rest for 10 minutes. Use your pancake pen to create shapes in a buttered skillet that is medium heat. Cook for about one minute, or until holes appear in batter on first side, then flip and cook another 30 seconds on other side.
Secret Message Decoder Cookies
Cookies with a twist! Red candy melted in the center of each cookie acts as a decoder on your handwritten valentines. On white paper simply write your secret message with a light-blue fine point marker. Then, using orange, red, and pink markers, doodle shapes, scribbles, or words over the rest of the paper. Go ahead and doodle right over your secret message because your decoder cookie will only reveal your secret message and everything else will disappear!
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
5 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. soda
1/4 cup milk
Red, hard, transparent candies/crushed to fine pieces
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar together with mixer. Add vanilla. Add eggs and beat until fluffy. In separate bowl add flour, salt, soda, and baking powder. Stir together. Add flour mixture to the butter mixture alternately with milk and stir until dough is smooth. Chill until dough is stiff. Prepare baking sheet by covering with a sheet of foil and lightly coat with cooking spray. Don’t skip this step–you need the foil or the candy will stick to the pan! On floured surface roll a portion of the dough to 1/4″ thick. Cut out with large heart cookie cutter (approx. 4″) and place 1″ apart on baking sheet. Cut center with a slightly smaller heart cutter and remove dough. Using a small teaspoon carefully fill center with crushed candy. Bake for 10-12 min. or until lightly golden on edges. Cool completely before removing cookies. Store in an airtight container or individual cellophane bags and attach paper valentine.
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Love Letter Pastries
Love Letter Pastries
1 pie crust, refrigerated
Peaches, sliced
Strawberries, sliced
Pears, sliced
Raspberries, sliced
Sugar
Flour
Whipping cream
Sprinkle flour over the cutting board and unroll the pie crust. Cut off the edges of the pie crust to form a square, then cut the large square into four smaller, even squares. Using a small heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut four small hearts from the leftover edge pieces of the pie crust. Place the four squares of pie crust onto a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Arrange slices of peaches and strawberries on two of the squares, then place slices of pear and raspberries onto the other two. Sprinkle sugar and flour over the fruit, then fold three corners of the pie crust inward to form the “envelope.†Place the small heart-shaped piece of pie crust at the meeting point of the three corners and brush with whipping cream. Bake the fruit-filled love letters at 350ºF for 15-20 minutes, then share with the ones you love!
Valentine Cookie Pops
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1 package (18 oz) Pillsbury® Ready To Bake!™ refrigerated sugar cookies
20 flat wooden sticks with round ends
1 1/4 C. vanilla creamy ready-to-spread frosting (from 1-lb container)
 Assorted small candies, or candy decors or nonpareils, if desired
10 yards red curling ribbon
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Heat oven to 350°F. On ungreased cookie sheets, place cookie dough pieces 2 inches apart. Into side of each piece of dough, insert wooden stick 1 inch, overlapping wooden sticks as necessary. Bake 12 to 16 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets. Cool completely, about 10 minutes. Spread frosting on one side of each cookie; decorate with candies. Tie 18 inches of red ribbon into bow around each stick next to cookie.
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Seduction Strip Steak with Roquefort Bacon Butter
2 sticks (1 C.) unsalted butter, softened
6 shallots, diced
3 strips cooked and crumbled crisp bacon
1/2 C. crumbled Roquefort or other blue cheese
1 T. snipped chives
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
4 (8-oz.) boneless filet mignon, ribeye, sirloin, or strip steaks, cut 3/4- to 1-inch thick
Olive oil for brushing
Freshly ground black pepper or lemon pepper
Table-grind sea salt
Melt 1 T. butter in a skillet over medium heat and sauté the shallots until browned, about 6 minutes. Transfer the shallots to a medium bowl. With a fork or a potato masher, mash the shallots with the remaining butter, bacon, Roquefort, chives, and Worcestershire sauce. Place the butter Mixture in the middle of a sheet of wax paper or plastic wrap. Cover partially and roll into a long cylinder. Cover and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours. Brush the steaks lightly with olive oil and season with pepper. Set aside. Prepare a hot (for filet mignon or ribeye) or medium-hot (for strip, sirloin, or chuck) fire in your grill. Grill the steaks, Covered, for 3 minutes on each side for medium-rare.
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Fudgy Brownie Hearts with Fresh Raspberry Buttercream
nonstick vegetable oil spray
1/2 c. unsalted butter, diced
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1-1/2 c. sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp. instant espresso powder
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. flour
powdered sugar, to sprinkle on the finished brownie hearts
1/2 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature
12 oz. raspberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
3-1/2 c. powdered sugar
pinch of kosher salt
1 to 2 T. milk, if needed to thin out the frosting
Preheat oven to 325°. Fold a long piece of heavy foil into a 13″ wide strip and fit it inside a 9″ x 13″ metal baking pan, leaving foil overhang on the 2 long sides. Spray the foil with nonstick spray. Stir the butter and chocolate in a large heavy saucepan over very low heat until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and whisk in the sugar, and then the eggs, 1 at a time. Whisk in espresso powder, vanilla, and salt. Then sift the flour over the chocolate mixture and stir to blend well. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake brownies until slightly puffed and dry-looking and tester inserted into center comes out with some moist batter attached, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on rack.
Now prepare the fresh raspberry buttercream: Cook the raspberries in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently until the raspberries are broken down into a sauce. Pour the sauce through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds, and then pour the raspberry sauce back in the pot. Simmer until the sauce reduces to a 1/4 cup. It will be a very rich red and concentrated sauce. Set aside to cool. With a mixer, cream the butter with a paddle attachment on medium high speed about 2 minutes, until lightened in color and a bit fluffy. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar, the 1/4 cup of cooled raspberry sauce, lemon juice, and salt. Mix until smooth. Add another 1-1/2 cups of powdered sugar and mix until smooth. If you want the frosting less stiff, add some milk, 1 tablespoon at a time. I did not add any milk to mine, and thought it was perfect for piping. Fit a pastry bag with a medium-large round tip (I used a Wilton #12) and fill with fresh raspberry buttercream.
Run a knife around the inside edge of the brownie pan. Use the overhanging foil as an aid and gently lift the brownies from the pan. The pan I used produces a brownie that is 1/2″ thick. Be sure your cookie cutter is taller than 1/2″. Press heart-shaped cookie cutters (the cookie cutters used in my photos measure 3″ wide and 1-1/2″ wide) firmly into the cooled brownie. Use a thin metal spatula to lift the cookie cutter filled with brownie from the foil. Gently press the brownie out of the cookie cutter. Repeat the cutting process until your brownie looks like a big piece of swiss cheese. (And I hope you’re eating up some of those brownie scraps!)
With the pastry bag filled with fresh raspberry buttercream, pipe a line of frosting around the inside edge of one of the brownie hearts. Then fill in the inside of the line with frosting, too. Top with another brownie heart, very gently pressing down to make a sandwich. Repeat until all your brownie hearts are completed. To finish off, sprinkle the brownie hearts with powdered sugar. I like to fill a small hand sieve with powdered sugar and gently tap the side of the sieve to let the powdered sugar rain down.
Valentines Jell-O Hearts
4 (3oz.) boxes Strawberry Jello
2 envelopes Knox Unflavored Gelatin
5½ cups boiling water, divided
1 can (14oz.) Sweetened Condensed Milk
½ cup cold Water
Spray a 9 x 13 pan with non stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, add the 4 packages of Strawberry Jello. Mix in 4 cups boiling water and stir for about 2 minutes, or until dissolved. Pour into the prepared pan and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours or until firm. In a medium bowl add the ½ cup cold water and sprinkle the gelatin over the top, let stand for 1 minute. Stir in 1½ cups boiling water and sweetened condensed milk, mix well and allow to cool. Remove the firm red jello from the fridge and invert onto a cutting board. Re-spray the same 9 x 13 pan with non stick spray. With a heart cookie cutter, cut hearts out of the jello. Take care to cut them as close together as possible to reduce waste. Arrange the hearts in the pan. Pour milk mixture over the hearts and place in the fridge for 2 hours until firm. Remove and cut into squares.