Food Impressions: A week of Valentine Bliss

Sunday, February 9, 2014

A week of Valentine Bliss

Our Valentines Day Cookies

For me, Valentines Day is a holiday that's up there with Christmas and my Birthday (Yes, I consider my Birthday a major holiday). It's such a special day because it allows us to stop for a moment to tell the people we are closest with how much we love, adore and appreciate them. Whether you have a romantic love or not, it's about telling your friends, your parents, your children, or a grandparent just how much you truly love them. It's also a day indulge in the finest chocolates, to sip champagne, to send a valentines day card to someone you adore or to make a romantic dinner at home. It's a day to dress in red, wear pink lipstick and spray on Fendi perfume. It's a day to spend quality time with loved ones. I am very blessed to have 4 incredible cupids in my life. Every Valentines Day I make it a very special day for them and I usually start a few days ahead of time. I have these cute red tin mailboxes that I put out for the boys and when they come home from school there is a little treat and note inside. I've done this for at least 5 years now and they love it. On Valentines Day we make it a very fancy affair in our house. We always dine in and make a gourmet feast and use our finest china and crystal. Dave and the boys always remember to buy me something special on Valentines Day. (So if you're reading this Dave, think Alex and Ani bracelet from Tony Walker, love you!) My hope is that when the boys are older and have girlfriends they will make it a very special day for them too! So today Zachary and I had a date together. We stayed at home and baked batches and batches of homemade valentines cookies. We had so much fun and our cookies turned out delicious. I told him he sure knew how to make magic in the kitchen. After that he decided he wanted to start his own blog titled "Zachary making Magic in the Kitchen." Cute idea I thought! Salute to a week of Valentine Bliss!

Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 t baking powder
1/8 t baking soda
1 egg
2 tb milk
1 t vanilla
1 3/4 flour
Hershey Bliss chocolate hearts

Preheat oven to 350 degress. Beat shortening and peanut butter with a mixer, add sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, and baking powder. Beat until combined. Beat egg, milk and vanilla and then beat in flour. Shape dough into 1 inch balls and placed on a ungreased cookie sheet. bake for 10-12 minutes. take out of oven an immediately place chocolate hearts in each cookies center.

M n M Cookies:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 t baking soda
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
2 cups of m n m's

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl beat shortening and butter with a mixer. Add brown sugar, white sugar and baking soda and beat until well mixed. Add eggs and vanilla and beat. Mix in flour until well mixed. Add m n m's and stir. On a ungreased baking sheet, drop 1 inch rounds of dough. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Heart Sugar Cutout Cookies:

Ingredients:

2/3 cup butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 egg
1 t milk
1 t vanilla
2 cups flour
icing (I used confectionary sugar with water)
sprinkles
heart cookie cutter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With a mixer beat butter for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder and salt and beat until mixed. Add egg, milk and vanilla until combined. Beat in flour. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.
On a lightly floured surface, roll half the dough until 1/4 inch thick. Using heart cookie cutter cut dough and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in oven for 8 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. Frost with your favorite icing and add sprinkles.