Tag Archive for: Valentine’s Day

Happy Valentine’s Day Fudge

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For some reason this year, I don’t feel like Valentine’s Day has been hyped or celebrated (at least in my family) at all.  Maybe it is because of yet another fake snow storm that closed schools and bridges Wednesday and Thursday.  Maybe it is because Corby’s birthday is this weekend, and I am focused more on that.  Really, I think it is because Walker’s class did not have a Valentine’s Day party, and so we did not make Valentine’s for his classmates.  He did insist on wearing a pink tie to dancing school on Wednesday night though which was pretty cute.  Anyway, it doesn’t really feel like Valentine’s Day to me especially since we are celebrating Corby’s birthday with my parents tonight with take out and the new season of House of Cards (so ridiculously excited to watch it).  So, to get in the Valentine’s Day mood, I thought I would try making some chocolate fudge this afternoon as a little Valentine’s Day treat (granted it won’t actually be eaten on Valentine’s Day as the recipe calls for it to sit overnight, but better late than never).  This recipe looks delicious,and I can’t wait to try it!

Chocolate Fudge

Ingredients:

4 ½ cups sugar
1 can evaporated milk
1/3 cup butter
1 – 12 oz. milk chocolate chips
2 bars German chocolate
1 cup marshmallow crème
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Directions:

Butter a 10 x 15 pan and set aside.

Put the sugar, evaporated milk, and butter in a heavy sauce pan. Over medium heat, bring these ingredients to a boil for 5 ½ minutes stirring constantly.

Remove from the heat and add the chocolate chips, German chocolate bars, marshmallow crème and vanilla – stir until melted and well incorporated. If you choose to add the pecans, add them now and stir.

 

Pour the mixture into the prepared 10 x 15 pan – let the fudge set on the counter overnight, then cut it into squares.

Strawberry Shooters- A Shot to Enjoy

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As this is a baking blog, I am not sure if I have mentioned my preferences in alcohol.  I like beer.  Light beer.  Ultra-light beer.  That’s about it.  I will occasionally drink red wine and perhaps a glass of champagne, but I have never enjoyed liquor.  I, of course, tried shots of liquor in college when that seemed like a fun thing to do, but now on the very rare occasion that I am offered a shot of something, I generally turn it down because I do not like the taste of liquor at all.  This little strawberry recipe however, I can get involved with, and it is a really cute idea for a Valentine’s Day cocktail party treat.

Strawberry Shooters

Ingredients:

1 bottle amaretto liquor

1 lb fresh strawberries, hulled and cored

Reddi-whip, Coolwhip, fresh whip cream (your choice)

Directions:

Pour amaretto liqueur into each strawberry and top with whipped cream. Eat the strawberry whole to avoid a mess and enjoy!!

Red Hot Baked Apples

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Valentine’s Day is almost here, which of course means I can eat red hots all day long.  It doesn’t really, but I am using it as an excuse.  I love red hots.  They are in my top five favorite candies, and sometimes they are really hard to find.  Fortunately, they are always in the baking aisle at the grocery store to be used as decorations.  I can eat the whole container in a matter of minutes.  Here is a fantastic recipe from allrecipes.com using red hots, and it is super fun for Valentine’s Day.  There really are enough red-hot recipes out there.  Please share if you have some more!!

Red Hot Baked Apples

Ingredients:

6 apples
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup cinnamon red hot candies
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8×8-inch square pan.
Remove and reserve the tops of apples. Core the apples, leaving approximately 1/2 inch at the bottom. Arrange in the baking dish.
In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, cinnamon, and red hot candies. Fill each apple with the mixture. Replace apple tops. Sprinkle the remaining mixture over the apples.
Bake uncovered in the preheated oven 30 to 35 minutes, or until apples are tender.

 

Valentine’s Day Venison Jerky

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I love Valentine’s Day.  I know that it is a cheesy Hallmark holiday, and other than getting jazzed up to help Walker make his Valentine’s for his classmates, I should just treat it like any other day, but I really love it.  I really love those hearts with the sayings on them-  I actually don’t even read the sayings, I just eat them by the handful- yum.  I love roses, I love big chocolate hearts, I love helping Walker make Valentine’s for his classmates- I really love it all.  Corby, on the other hand, is not that into Valentine’s Day.  To be fair, his birthday is 2 days after Valentine’s Day, so he is a little more focused on that- he LOVES birthdays- that is his thing.  So last year, we had been dating a little over 1 year, and I decided that I was going to get him something for Valentine’s Day. Corby used to hunt when he was younger, and he really loves venison.   So I called up my good friend Peter Brown, who had just had one of his deer turned into jerky the week before.  Peter was kind enough to give me a big zip-lock bag of jerky. What about venison beef jerky doesn’t scream HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!!! Nothing. Except maybe the ziplock bag, which is just not very romantic.  You know what is romantic and what guys really love- big red velvet heart-shaped boxes that are usually filled with chocolate, and usually for girls.  Needless to say, when I showed up at Corby’s apartment with a big red velvet heart-shaped box, he was nervous.  But when he opened it and found that it contained venison beef jerky instead of chocolate, he was thrilled.  Best trick Valentine’s Day present ever!  This year, I just posted this picture from our ski trip on his Facebook wall. 

I don’t hunt at all.  I have no idea how to turn venison into jerky, except that you can pay people to do it for you.  But, I googled a recipe and found what looks to be a good one on www.cooks.com.  So, if you are in the market for an awesome Valentine’s Day present, here is the recipe:

1/2 c. soy
sauce
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/8 c. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp.
dry mustard
1/4 c. salt
Dash of pepper
3 c. water
Slice meat in strips 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Leave in brine 6 to 8 hours. Dry and place on racks in Little Chief smoker. Smoke for 12 to 16 hours,
depending on how you like it. This makes a small batch, enough for one smoker.