VALENTINE'S DAY & ROMANCE - History, Mythology, Culture, Traditions, Love, Dating, Advice, Gifts


VALENTINE'S DAY RECIPES



Aunt Runner's Buttercream Frosting
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup whipping cream, chilled
Red food coloring
Place butter, sugar and cream in work bowl of food processor; process 5 minutes or until light and fluffy, stopping machine frequently to scrap sides. Transfer to medium mixing bowl. Beat on medium-high speed 15 to 20 minutes or until light and fluffy. Reserve 3/4 cup white buttercream for piping. Stir red food coloring, a few drops at a time, into remaining buttercream until pink.

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CHERRY CHEESECAKE DELIGHT
CRUST
2 cups SnackWells Cinnamon snacks, crushed
1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
4 Tbsp. butter or margarine
TOPPING
21 fl.oz. canned cherry pie filling
1 1.5 oz. packet of whipped topping, non-dairy
3 Tbsp. Grape-Nuts cereal
Dry Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1/4 tea salt
3 TBL cocoa
2 tea soda
'Cream the sugar, Mayo and eggs. Add the vanilla and warm water. Mix the dry ingredients and add to the above mix. Mix well and bake in a 9X13 pan at 350* for 18 to 25 minutes or done.

3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cup cold water
3 Tbsp. cooking oil
1/2 tsp. white vinegar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Chocolate Frosting (below)
Tube of pink decorator icing (optional)
Grease and lightly flour an 8x8x2-inch baking pan. Set aside. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, sugars, cocoa powder, soda and salt. Make a well in center. Stir together water, oil vinegar and vanilla. Pour over dry ingredients; beat with wire wisk or wooden spoon until smooth. Pour batter into pan. Bake in 350 degree oven for 18 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool cake on rack. Transfer cake to cutting board. Using a 3 1/4" heart shaped (cookie) cutter, cut 4 heart-shaped pieces from cake. Spread Chocolate Frosting (below) on tops of all heart shaped pieces. Stack two hearts on top of remaining hearts. Decorate with decorator icing, if desired. Makes 2 cakes (2-4 servings). Chocolate Frosting:
Stir together 1 Tbsp. melted butter or margarine and 1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder until smooth. Add 2/3 cup sifted powdered sugar. Stir in 1/4 tsp. vanilla and enough milk (2 to 3 tsp.) to make of spreading consistency, beating with wire whisk or wooden spoon until smooth.

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Introducing the New SousVide Supreme!


Cinnamon Love Knots
2 pkgs. (1/4 oz. each) active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
1/2 cup warm milk (110 to 115 degrees)
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
4 1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
TOPPING:
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon3/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add milk, butter, sugar, eggs and salt. Stir in enough flour to form a stiff dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 to 8 min. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch dough down; divide into three portions. Cover two with plastic wrap. Shape one portion into 12 balls. Roll each ball into an 8 inch rope. Combine sugar and cinnamon. Dip rope into melted butter, then coat with cinnamon-sugar. Tie rope into a knot. Tuck and pinch ends under and place on ungreased baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 3 doz.

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Save the Date Cards

The Essential "Taste of Mexico" Sampler


Hearts in a Frame
For a heart-felt Valentine Brunch!
1 (10 3/4 oz.) Sara Lee Pound Cake, frozen
4 egg whites, at room temperature
1 tablespoon minced fresh
or 2 teaspoons dried chives
Pinch of paprika
1 seedless medium orange,
peeled and thinly sliced, for garnish
Cut pound cake horizontally in half; return one half to freezer. Cut remaining half vertically into 2 equal-size slices. Using a heart-shaped cookie cutter, approximately 1 1/2-inches in diameter, cut out a heart in the middle of each cake slice; set aside. In a deep, medium bowl, beat egg whites and spices together until frothy. Place cake slices and heart-shaped cut-outs in a heated skillet coated with non-stick vegetable oil cooking spray. Fill the hole in the cake slices with egg white mixture; cover and cook over low heat until egg white in each is firm. Turn over cake slices and heart shapes; continue to brown lightly, about 1 minute. Garnish each serving with orange slices and serve with herbal tea. 2 servings.

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Pink Passion Cake
1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon butter,
softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 egg yolks, at room temperature
1 egg, at room temperature
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon EACH: baking powder,
baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup dairy sour cream,
at room temperature
1/2 cup strawberry preserves
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream butter and sugar in large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Beat on medium-high speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Add yolks, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add egg; mix well. Resift flour into small bowl with baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add flour mixture alternately with sour cream to butter mixture, beating on low speed just until smooth. Spread evenly in buttered 9-inch heart-shaped pan.* Bake about 35 minutes or until golden and top springs back when lightly touched and wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Using a serrated knife, carefully cut cake horizontally into two layers. Place one layer on serving plate. Spread strawberry preserves evenly over top; spread pink Aunt Runner's Buttercream (see recipe below) over preserves. Place remaining cake layer on top. Frost top and sides with pink Rosie's Buttercream. Spoon white Aunt Runner's Buttercream into a pastry bag fitted with desired decorating tip; pipe icing decorations onto cake as desired. *One 8-inch round baking pan may be substituted for heart-shaped pan.

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EdibleGiftsPLUS


Secret Kiss Cookies
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 cup chopped pecans
sifted powdered sugar
1 pkg. Hershey Kisses, foil removed
Cream butter, sugar and vanilla with 1 Tbsp. water. Stir in flour and nuts; mix well. Shape dough around hershey kisses forming a ball. Place cookies on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on rack; roll in powdered sugar. Makes about 60 cookies.

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Valentine's Day Gift Baskets


Valentine Cake Roll
1 3/4 cups flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup apple sauce
1/2 cup milk
powdered sugar
3/4 cup marshmallow topping
1/2 cup Cool Whip
2 tablespoons chopped nuts
4 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 15 1/2 inch x 10 1/2 inch jelly roll pan with wax paper. In medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In large bowl, whisk together sugar, apple sauce, milk, egg whites and vanilla. Add flour mixture to apple sauce mixture; stir until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Immediately invert onto clean, lint free dish towel sprinkled with powdered sugar; peel off waxed paper. Trim edges of cake. Starting at narrow end, roll up cake and towel together. Cool completely on wire rack. In small bowl, whisk marshmallow topping until softened. Gently fold in whipped topping. Unroll cake; spread with marshmallow mixture to within 1/2 inch of edges of cake. Sprinkle nuts over marshmallow mixture. Reroll cake; place, seam side down, on serving plate. Cover; refrigerate one hour before slicing. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Refrigerate left overs.

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