Valentine Salad II

Ingredients:

* 1 can cherry pie filling
* 1 can sweetened condensed milk
* 1 small can crushed pineapple, drained
* 1 (12 ounce) container Cool Whip
* Pecans (if desired)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together and chill.

Valentine Sandwiches Recipe

Ingredients:

* favorite sandwich
* heart-shaped cookie cutter

Directions:

Make your kids favorite sandwich. Use a heart shape cookie cutter to cut the sandwich. PB & J sandwiches cut the easiest; meat filled sandwiches may need to be cut before making the sandwich because the meat may be to difficult for the cookie cutter to cut through.

Valentine Salad

Ingredients:

* 1 package gelatin -- lemon flavored
* 2 cups water -- fruit juice
* 10 marshmallows -- cut in pieces
* 1/2 cup apricots -- cut and drained
* 1/2 cup dates -- cut
* 1/2 cup maraschino cherries -- sliced
* 1/2 cup celery -- finely cut
* 1 cup grapefruit -- canned, drained

Directions:

Dissolve gelatin in 1 cup hot water or fruit juice and add the remaining cup of cold liquid. Chill until partly set, then add remaining ingredients. Pour into individual heart-shaped molds and chill. Unmold for serving on chicory or curly endive which will give a lacy effect. Garnish each salad with an arrow of mayonnaise forced through a pastry tube.

Valentine Pie

Ingredients:

* 1 cup Water
* 3 ounces Strawberry Gelatin Powder
* 1 pint Vanilla Ice Cream
* 1 Chocolate Crumb Pie Crust
* Hershey's® Kisses

Directions:

In a 4-cup glass measuring cup stir together water and gelatin. Cook, uncovered, on 100% power (high) for 1 1/2 to2 minutes.

Add vanilla ice cream to the hot gelatin mixture, stirring till ice cream is melted. Chill mixture for 35 to 30 minutes, stirring twice during chilling (the mixture should mound when you drop it from a spoon.

Pour chilled ice cream mixture into pie shell. Chill about 4 hours or till ice cream is set.

Arrange milk chocolate kisses in a heart shape on top of pie.

Valentine Pancakes

Ingredients:

* pancake mix
* red food coloring

Directions:

Using your favorite pancake batter recipe, spoon the batter into a heated skillet to form a heart. This method can also be used to form other fun shapes.

You can make the pancakes look more festive by adding food coloring to the batter (a couple of drops of red for a pink batter) and adding chocolate or cherry chips

Valentine Muffins

Ingredients:

* 6 tablespoons butter
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1/2 cup milk
* 14 strawberries, fresh or defrosted frozen
* Food coloring, optional
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 tablespoon baking powder
* Hershey's Kisses, Hugs or strawberry jam

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. The chef can do this with a wooden spoon, a potato masher or a handheld electric mixer. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, and add the milk.

Tip: Instead of cracking the eggs into the batter, have the chef crack them into a small bowl first. Remind him to whack them hard and pick out any shells.

Rinse the strawberries and cut off the greens with a plastic knife (a fun job for 3- to 5-year-olds who are accustomed to cutting play dough). Mash the berries with a potato masher or puree in a blender. Then stir the berries into the butter and milk mixture.

Tip: For muffins with a more pronounced pink color, add a few drops of red liquid food coloring or dabs of paste coloring.

In a separate bowl, ask the chef to sift the flour, salt and baking powder. Stir well.

Tip: If you are cooking with more than one child, let the kids take turns cranking the sifter. Also, be sure your baking powder is fresh and that all of it makes it into the bowl. Explain that this key ingredient makes the muffins rise.

Add the flour mixture to the berry mixture. Use a wooden spoon to stir until all the white disappears.

Tip: For an excellent crumbly consistency, mix the batter just until everything is moist.

Line the muffin tin with paper liners. Drop the batter from a tablespoon to fill
the cups halfway. Add a surprise: an unwrapped Kiss, Hug or 1/2 teaspoon of jam. Then spoon more batter to fill almost to the top. Bake until the muffins begin to brown and a toothpick inserted near the center (but not in the Kiss) comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove the muffins from the tin and cool. Serve them warm in a basket lined with a red napkin or on plates with doilies.

Valentine Meringue Hearts

Ingredients:

* 3 Egg whites
* 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
* 1/4 teaspoon Cream of tartar
* 1 dash Salt
* 1 cup Sugar
* Red food coloring
* 1 quart Vanilla ice cream
* 1 pint Strawberries; sliced

Directions:

Cut a heart pattern from a 4-1/2 inch square of paper. Cover baking sheet with brown paper. (You can bake on the brown paper so make sure it is clean.) Grocery store bags without writing on them are okay. Draw 6 hearts on the brown paper using your pattern as a guide.

Beat egg whites with vanilla, cream of tartar and salt until frothy. Add sugar, a little at a time, and continue beating until stiff peaks form and sugar is dissolved. Rub a bit between your figures to feel that no sugar remains undissolved. Add food coloring, a few drops to make a delicate pink color.

Spread meringue over the heart shapes, 1/4 inch thick. Make into the heart shape using a spoon to push and form into correct shape. Pipe rim 3/4 inch high with pastry tube.

Bake in preheated 275-degree oven for 1 hour. Turn off oven and let meringues dry in oven for 1 more hour. DO NOT open oven door during this time.

Fill the cooled meringues with scoops of ice cream and top with strawberries. Decorate with mint leaves if desired.

Valentine Dessert

Ingredients:

* 1 lg. box strawberry gelatin
* 2 cups water
* 3 cups fresh sliced strawberries
* 1/2 cup crushed pretzels
* 3 tablespoons brown sugar
* 3/4 cup butter
* Small container of whipped topping
* 8 ounces pkg. softened cream cheese
* 1 cup sugar

Directions:

Mix pretzels, brown sugar and butter and press into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake crust at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Let cool. Whip whipped topping, cream cheese, and sugar and spread on top of crust. Mix gelatin with 2 cups boiling water.

Let gelatin partially congeal. Add strawberries and pour on top of whipped topping. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Cut into squares.

Valentine Cookies

Ingredients:

* 3/4 cup Margarine or butter - softened
* 3/4 cup Honey
* 1/4 teaspoon Almond extract
* 2 1/2 cups All-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup Finely chopped almonds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
In a large bowl, beat margarine, honey and almond extract with an electric mixer until mixture is light and fluffy. Add flour, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in almonds. On ungreased cookie sheets, shape 1/2-cup portions of dough into heart shapes, no more than 1/2-inch thick. Decorate as desired by following one of the tips below or by using a tooth-pick, fork or other kitchen tool to create a design. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until edges turn brown. Cool 5 minutes and remove from pan.

Decorating tips: You can create a design on top of the cookies using white or colored candy sprinkles.

Or you could crimp the edges of heart, making a design using the tines of fork, or a knife, spatula or spoon. Sprinkle baked cookies with powdered sugar.

If you are an experienced baker, you may want to paint a design with a simple egg-yolk paint. Separate an egg; put the egg yolk in a small bowl and mix with 1/2 teaspoon water and enough red food coloring to make the desired sired shade of red. Using a clean paint brush, paint a design on cookie using the colored yolk. Or place a small doily on cookie and, using a clean, stiff brush, work the egg paint through the cutouts and create a lacy effect. Remember that this is all done before the cookies are baked.

Valentine Cherry Cream Cheese Cookies

Ingredients:

Cookies

* 1 cup powdered sugar
* 1 cup oleo
* 1 egg
* 2 teaspoons vanilla
* 2 cups flour

Filling

* 1 cup powdered sugar
* 2 teaspoons flour
* 3 ounces cream cheese
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 1/2 cup coconut
* 1/2 cup chopped maraschino cherries -- drained

Glaze

* 1/4 cup chocolate chips
* 1 teaspoon oleo
* 1/4 cup powdered sugar
* 3 teaspoons water

Directions:

Mix sugar and oleo. Add egg and vanilla. Stir in flour. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.

Shape dough into balls. Place 2" apart on cookie sheet. With thumb, make imprint in each cookie. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven. Remove from cookie sheet and cool.

Mix filling and fill cookie center with 1/2 teaspoon of filling. In saucepan, melt chocolate chips and oleo. Mix in rest of ingredients and drizzle over cookies.

Valentine Cakes

Ingredients:

* 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
* 3 tablespoons baking cocoa
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup water
* 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Frosting

* 1 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
* 2 tablespoons baking cocoa
* 2 tablespoons milk (more as needed)
* 2 tablespoons butter, melted
* 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
* Decorator icing and confetti candies
Directions:
Cake: In a mixing bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Add water, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Pour into a greased and floured 8-in. square baking dish. Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting: In a mixing bowl, beat confectioners' sugar, cocoa, milk, butter and vanilla until smooth; set aside.

Transfer cake to a work surface.

Using a 3- to 3-1/2-in. heart-shaped cookie cutter, gently cut out four heart-shaped cakes (set cake trimmings aside for another use).

Place one heart on a serving plate; spread with some frosting. Top with a second cake; frost top and sides. Repeat with remaining cakes and frosting. Decorate with icing and candies.