Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Gentle reminders of love: A Valentine Home




The sweetest month of the year is February.  It's a lighthearted reminder to celebrate love.  Our home has gentle hints of the holiday. 


Over our mantle is a GIANT wooden letter set of XO, the classic muuuah lovin' symbols.  Each wooden letter has tons of sparkly sequins glued on!  Umm, no.  I didn't make it.  Yes, I know I could make it.  But I actually love to buy and to shop and to buy again.  So instead of using all the patience I could gather (which isn't much) and attempting a CRAFT, I bought it on etsy!  I'm not all that "crafty" afterall. ;)


I just love the way the GIANT X & O sparkle in the lamplight! The charming duo is easily visible from most areas in our home.


Simply stated but bright and bold!


The kids always anticipate the new words on the chalkboard for the changing seasons...






For the sweetest month the kids and I have been taking our usual meal classics and turning them sweeter...a pan of brownies created a fun afternoon!  They were each able to cut fun shapes out and decorate their after school snacks. 



The boys and I decorated brownies with the candy melt designs I previously made.  



I made another warm, comfort classic in my {most loved} new lilac Le Creuset dishes. Our meal was chicken and heart-shaped biscuits. 



The light lilac color is perfect for a February Valentine mood. 



Our home has quiet accents of Valentine's Day,
almost subtle enough to miss...



I pulled some favorite marriage books off the bookcase and displayed them for February.  Valentines, love, hearts, hugs, kisses, it's all celebrated in marriage right? 


I recently knit a little coffee cozy, 
just in time for Valentine's Day! 
I'm still super pumped about this new knitting hobby! 


I'm so happy about my knitting that you get to see one million a few photos of it!


Here's a tiny secret: it is a Valentine gift for Chris since he is the coffee drinker BUT obviously he won't want the pink heart on it sooo....I made a removable pink ball of yarn (in the shape of a heart!) and pinned it on.  I will use it for future Valentine decor.  Underneath is simply a big brown button instead.    

To make your own heart shaped ball of yarn, cut your shape out of foam or cardboard and quickly wrap it in varied directions with your yarn.  Tuck the loose ends, add a safety pin and decorate away with it! 





I got a pack of brand new pencils for my favorite BOY in the world! They each hold a sweet message of PAIRS!  Chris and I are just right for each other, the perfect lil pair and I wanted to show him that with this gift.  He is the butter for my bread { awww lol } He still isn't supposed to be reading my blog, hopefully he isn't!



We are ready to make Valentines!


Lots of fun accessories to make cute Valentines sent with love...

We have a home full of boys so instead of heart-shaped doilies and lots of pink, the closest we get to Valentine style is LEGO games of knights fighting dragons and saving the fair maidens. 

Romance with LEGO stuff.



And hearts made with boxing gloves! Titus actually was excited to show me how he made a heart shape with his fighting gloves.  I made him "hold it right there!!" while I grabbed my camera.


My little heartbreaker






There's more: 

I have previously shared our Valentine traditions like heart-shaped PB & J on past posts here: Valentine Traditions love lessons and a lunch of hearts

And you can view our Valentine home in past years here: A peek into our home on the sweetest day

and here: to lightly love






 So we lightly celebrate love and use the quietness of slow winter February to soak up some warm comfort.


Sending YOU lots of love this Valentine's Day!


This post is linked to:   Under the Table & Dreamin, Think Pink Sundays, Seasonal SundaysMet Monday, Making the World Cuter, Tuesday Tutorials and Tips, HOMEWORK: Be Inspired, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy, Tip Junkie, Get Your Craft On, DIY Design, Works for Me Wednesday, Blue Cricket Design, Organize and Decorate Everything, Transformation Thursday, House of H, Tablescape Thursday, Show off Your Stuff, Strut Your Stuff,   Show and Share Day, Foodie Friday, Frugal Friday, I'm Lovin It, Tickled Pink, Friday Flair, Design Dazzle, Be Different Act Normal, Funky Junk Interiors, Weekend Wrap Up  DIY by Design  

Monday, February 6, 2012

A lil bit of Valentine Sugar for the SWEETEST MONTH


 


I've been putting my HOUSEWIFE on and spending some sweet time in the kitchen making pretty sugars for Valentine's Day. I recently attended a Girls Jammie and Cookie Exchange Valentine Party! How cool is that?! I'm a party-lover and that concept is brilliant.  I've never heard of a pajama exchange before and it is an extra fun idea for girls.  I'm sharing with you some of the cookies I brought along.  I came home with SO many delicious treats, cookies, and a cozy pair of pink jammies too.  Valentine's Day pampering for sure. 


I took classic, round, crackle-topped, sugar-covered, peanut butter bites and topped them with
M & Ms.  Topping with the various pink candies is such a quick way to transform a classic cookie into a festive treat.


Cute as a button!



I used the bowl of leftover M&Ms to make tiny baby treats of candy for friends.



One of my all-time favorite cookies are Cherry Chocolate Kisses.  If you're a forever reader of my blog, I'm sure you've seen them here before.  For Valentine's Day I pushed a chocolate heart into the middle of the cherry goodness instead of the traditional chocolate kiss.  
Same cookie, different holiday.  ;)  



For Cherry Chocolate Kiss cookie recipe SEE previous post HERE.



I amped up the pink food coloring to yield HOT PINK cookies...some sassy and sophisticated glam for these little bites. 





I was excited to try a new cookie this year as well:
Butter Almond Shortbread with Raspberry Jam


Valentine Thumbprint Cookies
(adapted from Better Homes and Gardens)
Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam


Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, cream together butter and white sugar until smooth. Mix in 1/2 teaspoon almond extract. Mix in flour until dough comes together. Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls, and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Make a small hole in the center of each ball, using your thumb and finger, and fill the hole with preserves.
Bake for 14 to 18 minutes in preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Let cool 1 minute on the cookie sheet.




 Before baking, do a double thumbprint to form an adorable sweet heart of raspberry jam.






Just a little bit of sugar in your cup of tea...


The last sweet treat is a sophisticated dessert that would fit perfectly for a romantic Valentine's Night dinner: Rich Chocolate Kahlua Tart.  I immediately stole this recipe from one of my {most loved} baking websites, Bake at 350.  



I poured sprinkles of gold over the top to make it super special, because this dessert deserves to have extra sparkles. It is extremely rich and one bite is satisfying enough!  




For more Valentine sweet treats, view archives below:


archives
 




little loves
tea time
sugar
 hearts
Happy Sweetest Month!






This post is linked to:   Under the Table & Dreamin, Think Pink Sundays, Seasonal SundaysMet Monday, Making the World Cuter, Tuesday Tutorials and Tips, HOMEWORK: Be Inspired, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy, Tip Junkie, Get Your Craft On, DIY Design, Works for Me Wednesday, Blue Cricket Design, Organize and Decorate Everything, Transformation Thursday, House of H, Tablescape Thursday, Show off Your Stuff, Strut Your Stuff,   Show and Share Day, Foodie Friday, Frugal Friday, I'm Lovin It, Tickled Pink, Friday Flair, Design Dazzle, Be Different Act Normal, Funky Junk Interiors, Weekend Wrap Up  DIY by Design  

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Homemade GIANT-SIZED personalized FORTUNE COOKIES

For Valentine's Day I'm making some fun stuff for my lover. My kids are pretty spoiled and usually get all the surprises, but I like to focus more on my husband for the 14th of February each year.  Chris is an avid reader of my blog (love that!) but I made him cross-his-heart-and-hope-to-die that he wouldn't read this post. 


I recently discovered super cool GIANT-sized fortune cookies that can be ordered online. A few day ago, I actually ordered and shipped some to loved ones because I was crazy about them.  Later that night while I was in bed I thought to myself, "Self! You can totally make those!".  So the next morning I woke up and decided to make some for Christopher!

 HOW TO MAKE SUPERSIZED PERSONALIZED FORTUNE COOKIES:

1) First I cut long strips of paper and penned some secret fortunes for my lover.  Every cookie he opens will have a good prediction for his future, that's guaranteed.  ;)  


See the secret fortune hidden inside?

 2) Next I found a solid recipe for homemade fortune cookies and followed it precisely.
*Please note: If you are making giant-sized cookies, you must DOUBLE the recipe*

Homemade Fortune Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 egg white
  • 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup white sugar


Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a cookie sheet. Write fortunes on strips of paper about 4 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. Generously grease 2 cookie sheets.
  2. Mix the egg white and vanilla until foamy but not stiff. Sift the flour, salt, and sugar and blend into the egg white mixture.
  3. Place teaspoonfuls of the batter at least 4 inches apart on one of the prepared cookie sheets. Tilt the sheet to move the batter into round shapes about 3 inches in diameter. Be careful to make batter as round and even as possible. Do not make too many, because the cookie have to be really hot to form them and once they cool it is too late. Start with 2 or 3 to a sheet and see how many you can do.
  4. Bake for 5 minutes or until cookie has turned a golden color 1/2 inch wide around the outer edge of the circle. The center will remain pale. While one sheet is baking, prepare the other.
  5. Remove from oven and quickly move cookie with a wide spatula and place upside down on a wooden board. Quickly place the fortune on the cookie, close to the middle and fold the cookie in half. Place the folded edge across the rim of a measuring cup and pull the pointed edges down, one on the inside of the cup and one on the outside. Place folded cookies into the cups of a muffin tin or egg carton to hold their shape until firm.

I don't have any photos of the preparation because everything moves very fast so the fortunes could get folded in before the cookies set and harden.  


4) Instead of making many normal sized cookies as in the recipe above, I made GIANT cookies.  My husband supersizes everything so he needed GIANT fortune cookies!  To make giant cookies simply pour the batter into the middle of a cookie sheet and rotate the sheet until the batter is about 6-8 inches in circumference. 

5) Once the cookies are complete, let set, dry, harden, and cool for a few hours or overnight.




6) Decorate your finished cookies!  You could dip the edges in caramel or chocolate and dip in sprinkles.  Or what I did was melt candy coating and put it in a pastry bag.  I then piped on shapes and words onto the cookie to customize it.

 

Ta Da! 




If you're like me, you'll realize it's quite entertaining (housewives are easily amused) to make different shapes with the leftover red candy coating.

I've actually showed ideas on how to use abstract melted chocolate shapes before on a previous Valentine Day dessert post HERE

I will save these shapes and pop them off the wax paper to use in some way on Valentine's Day.  Maybe I will place them on top of a big bowl of breakfast oatmeal...



Okay, back to topic.  The finished GIANT fortune cookies!


To give you an idea just how big these are, I put one on a stack of love books.  Each cookies is about 4-6 inches long.



It adds intrigue to have secret, hidden messages folded inside a classic fun food.  Discovering and reading our fortunes have always been one of those few-second delights that we get to experience in life.  Meaningless, light fun that glitter our days.




Love and relationships are kindled by wonder, mystery, and dreams for the future.  Fortune cookies are the perfect fit. 





I love this guy,
can't get enough of him. 

Lucky in love, 
that's my fortune.







This post is linked to:   Under the Table & Dreamin, Think Pink Sundays, Seasonal SundaysMet Monday, Making the World Cuter, Tuesday Tutorials and Tips, HOMEWORK: Be Inspired, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy, Tip Junkie, Get Your Craft On, DIY Design, Works for Me Wednesday, Blue Cricket Design, Organize and Decorate Everything, Transformation Thursday, House of H, Tablescape Thursday, Show off Your Stuff, Strut Your Stuff,   Show and Share Day, Foodie Friday, Frugal Friday, I'm Lovin It, Tickled Pink, Friday Flair, Design Dazzle, Be Different Act Normal, Funky Junk Interiors, Weekend Wrap Up  DIY by Design