Cinnamon Apple Spice Shortbread

When I was reading a recent article in Family Circle Magazine, I came across a recipe they shared for Earl Grey Shortbread. I never hear of putting tea leaves into cookies before and wanted to try it out for myself. I don't particularly care for Earl Grey tea so I didn't have that on hand, so I decided to give my shortbread a distinctive flavor and used Cinnamon Apple Spice tea instead.

5 Sample Valentine's Day Menu Ideas

I've been asked over the years if I could put together a weekly meal plan to share here on the blog. I even tried doing it a few times. I'd sit down with a cup of tea early on a Sunday morning and start jotting down recipe ideas that I'd like to make for the week, but I was never able to follow through completely and share them with you. I found it difficult to stick to a plan every day because let's face it, we're all busy. Schedules change or things get moved to different times or days making it impossible to completely plan out an entire week. And contrary to what you might think, I don't cook a new recipe every day.  Most weeks' I'll cook 3-6 new recipes in one day because not only do I have to cook them, I have to photograph them as well so I can share them here with you. Yes, we do eat grilled cheese and soup for dinner. Yes, we order pizza out. Yes, we've even stopped through the drive through (though that doesn't happen very often, I'd rather pick up a sandwich at our local pizza shop).  GASP! See, I'm JUST LIKE YOU! :)

So since Valentine's Day is coming up, I thought I'd put together a few sample menus to help give you a little inspiration in case you're planning on staying in for the evening and cooking a nice, home cooked meal for ones you love in your life. These are just examples of course. Feel free to mix and match between menus or if there is something in particular you're in the mood for (say spinach), go to the home page of the website and type "spinach" in the Search Box in the upper left hand side and you will get all of the spinach recipes I've made so far. You get the point.

If you haven't noticed already, I'm also posting this on a Sunday so you have some time to plan. If you like this type of format, I will continue to put together a weekly menu selection of recipes for you to choose from for your weeknight meal plan now that I have over 800 recipes on the blog under my belt. There has to be something here that you will like!

Without further ado, here are 5 Sample Valentine's Day Menu Ideas. ~Enjoy!

Red Velvet Sugar Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

My husband has two favorite cakes. Carrot and Red Velvet. So when I saw a recipe in a magazine for Red Velvet Cookies using Betty Crockers bagged sugar cookie mix, I figured I could recreate this one  easily enough on my own. And since it's almost Valentines Day, I made them heart shaped and topped them with his favorite frosting as well. These were the perfect cookie. Soft and not overly sweet and the family loved them. If you don't have a heart shaped cookie cutter, you can use a glass and make them round or even make them a bit smaller than I did here. 

Red Velvet Sugar Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
1 c. Butter (I used salted), room temperature
1 1/2 c. Confectioners Sugar (aka powdered or 10x)
1/2 c. Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 Large Egg
1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1/4 c. Sour Cream (I used reduced fat)
1 tbsp. Red Food Coloring
2 1/2 c. All-Purpose Flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Cream of Tartar
3" Heart Shaped Cutout
Cooking Spray
Cream Cheese Frosting, recipe below
Red Sugar Crystals, optional

Directions:
1. Cream together the butter, sugar and cocoa powder with an electric mixer until smooth. 
2. Next, add in the egg, vanilla, sour cream and food coloring and mix well. 
3. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and cream of tartar; then gradually beat into the butter mixture. The dough will be sticky. 
4. Remove the dough from the bowl, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. 
5. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, then roll out the dough on a smooth, lightly floured surface until it is 1/4" thick. I like to break the dough in half to work with smaller pieces. 
6. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray; then cut out the hearts and place on the pan about 1-2" apart. They won't spread, but will "puff" up. 
7. Bake at 325 degrees for dark coated pans or 350 degrees for glass or aluminum pans for 18-20 minutes. 
8. Allow to cool, then frost with Cream Cheese Frosting and sprinkle with red sugar crystals while the frosting is still wet. Makes 18 cookies

*Nutritional Information per Serving: Calories 202, Carbs 24g Fat 11.2g, Protein 2.7g, Fiber 1.3g
*Calculations based on ingredients entered into CalorieCount and may not be 100% accurate. 

Cream Cheese Frosting
8oz. Cream Cheese
1/4 c. Butter (I used salted)
1 c. Confectioners Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla

Directions:
1. Cream together all ingredients until smooth. If you like your frosting a little sweeter, add more sugar.

*Nutritional Information per Serving: Calories 93, Carbs 7g Fat 6.9g, Protein 1g, Fiber 0g*Calculations based on ingredients entered into CalorieCount and may not be 100% accurate.  

Enjoy!

If you are not going to eat the cookies right away, store them in an air tight container at room temperature. Once they are frosted with cream cheese, you must keep them in the refrigerator. Cream cheese will go bad if not refrigerated. 

Triple Chocolate Toffee Bombs

I have one more Valentines treat to share with you but it was purely by accident. I had purchased this new Duncan Hines cake mix called Triple Chocolate and forgot about it. Over the weekend, the family was in the mood for something chocolate so I told them I'd just make this cake as a bundt cake. Well, I made it but my pan is shot because this is the third time I've made something in it and the cake stuck to the bottom causing a huge mess. So I decided to make cake balls with them. I used the same premise as the Oreo truffles but also found some Heath bits left in the closet so I threw in some of those for good measure as well. They were a definite hit (I mean really..who wouldn't like chocolate and toffee?!). You can dip them into regular, dark or white chocolate, it's completely your preference. I just mixed it up since I only had a little of each kind. Don't forget if the chocolate is a little thick, simply add a touch of oil to help thin it out. You can also use some sprinkles to make them festive but I didn't have much of those left either.  I like these best when kept in the freezer. 

Triple Chocolate Toffee Bombs
1 Package Duncan Hines Triple Chocolate Cake Mix, prepared
8oz. Cream Cheese, softened
2 c. Heath English Toffee Bits
White Chocolate, for coating
Semi Sweet Chocolate, for coating

Prepare cake according to package directions then let cool overnight. Add cake to a bowl and crush using a fork. Add in the cream cheese and toffee bits and mix well. Form into 1" round balls, place on parchment paper and freeze for approximately 30 minutes. Melt chocolate according to package directions and dip balls into the chocolate. Place on parchment paper until they are dried. Makes approx. 4 dz. 

Enjoy!

Shared at Mandy's Recipe Box 2/14/12
Shared at Chef in Training 2/14/12
Shared at Newlyweds Blog 2/15/12
Shared at Lady Behind the Curtain 2/15/12

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Berry Burst Oreo Heart Truffles

I'm not big on the whole Valentine's Day thing...never was. I can't see spending an astronomical amount of money on flowers that you can buy for 1/2 the price 2 weeks prior. I'm not a huge fan of boxed chocolates...what exactly are in those cream filled things anyway? But I do love making a nice meal the night of. However, the older my children get, the harder it is to plan this type of event with all of their social events and sports games. So since they seem to get a gourmet meal 90% of the time anyway, I don't feel any sort of pressure to WOW them on this day. (YEAH BLOG!) My hubby, kids and I have a wonderful relationship and we tell each other we love them every day (and sometimes 10 times a day depending on how the day is going), who needs a card or a date on the calendar to remind me to do that?! But every now and then I like to sneak in a little surprise. Like these heart shaped truffles I made for them the other night. I found these new Oreo's called Berry Burst Ice Cream and thought "Hey, they're pink, would be great for V-Day!" They LOVED them but I have to warn you, they're VERY sweet (and addicting!). 

Berry Burst Oreo Heart Truffles
1 Package Berry Burst Ice Cream Oreos
1-8oz. Package Cream Cheese
1 c. White Chocolate
Pink Sugar Crystals (or red)

Crush the Oreos in a food processor until they are fine then add them to a mixing bowl. Add in the cream cheese and mix well. (I found it easier to use my hands). Line a 9x9 baking pan with wax paper and press in the Oreo mixture so that it is even, then place in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Remove the paper from the pan and place on a flat surface. Using a heart shaped cookie cutter (approx. 1 1/2"), cut out the heart shapes and line on a sheet pan lined with wax paper. Melt the chocolate according to package instructions and drizzle over the hearts. Sprinkle immediately with the sugar before the chocolate dries. Store them in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to serve. You can also roll some into balls and dip them in the chocolate to make a mixed plate. 


Shared at Weekend Potluck 2/10/12


Enjoy! 


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Shared at Everyday Mom's Meals Church Supper 2/11/12