Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, which means it’s time to start thinking about what delicious treats you will bake up for your loves this year.

My kids absolutely love S’mores. There is nothing better than sitting around a campfire in the summer, roasting marshmallows, adding chocolate, and pressing them in between two graham crackers. The only problem is, as much as we all love S’mores, for us they are mostly a summer/fall treat. We never have outdoor fire pits in the winter months, which means our S’mores fix never really happens when it’s bitter cold outside.

I was trying to figure out a way to turn my kids favorite treat into something they could enjoy when it’s not outdoor fire pit season. How excited would they be if I surprised them with S’Mores in the middle of winter? I set out to figure out a way to turn our favorite summertime treat into something special for Valentine’s Day….

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Did I ever tell you about the time ten years ago when my husband and I were invited to be on The Dr. Phil Show? I don’t think I have…

Let me give you some back story first. When I was in high school, on Valentine’s Day every year, our school office would be overloaded with flowers, balloons, candy, stuffed animals, etc. The bigger, the better. The school office was long and in the main area of the building. Lined with windows, you could easily walk by and see every inch of the office. Teen girls would walk by the windows, sneak a glance, envious of the other girls picking up their armfuls of Valentine’s. We’d wait anxiously, all day, for our name to be called over the loud speaker to come pick up “something in the office.” For me, it happened once and it was from an admirer whom I didn’t appreciate like I should (sorry, Doug Hammer).

I had boyfriends in high school and I had plenty of love from my family. They just didn’t shower me with flowers and candy and balloons on Valentine’s day. They always gave me something, but it was never through a public display at school. I knew I was loved, but always felt slighted because of the lack of goodies waiting in the school office for me. I had high expectations and they weren’t being met….

The post Dr. Phil, Love and Expectations…Ramblings on Valentine’s Day appeared first on Dine and Dish.

I did something ahead of time for a holiday. Can you believe it? I’m feeling rather on the ball right now.

I signed up to bring treats to Leah’s Valentine’s Day party at her preschool. I don’t usually do that… I typically leave treat bringing up to the more creative, “pinteresting” moms, but I figured preschool kids are pretty easy to impress. Surely, even I, could make something easy that they would love….

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The post Simple Treats {Skittles Marshmallow Pops} appeared first on Dine and Dish.

If you haven’t noticed by browsing Pinterest or your favorite food blogs lately, Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. It seems the entire internet has erupted in a fit of red and pink!…

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Quick post here tonight, to let you know that I’ll be participating in a Girls Night Out Twitter party this evening. For more information about the Twitter party, you can visit the Mom It Forward blog. Join in from 8-10pm CST to find out how Godiva Chocolate and Valentine’s Day can go hand in hand! Plus, you can win a great Godiva Chocolate Giveaway – so head over to Mom it Forward and check it out!

This blogging job is rough, I tell ya’. Sometimes you’ve just got to do things that you just don’t want to do. Like create and taste test Godiva Chocolate truffles and cocktail recipes. I mean, I’ve been cooped up in my house with my four children bouncing off the walls as the snow storm of the century hits our region, and the last thing I would possibly want to do is drink a delicious cocktail. Right? Right? Right….

{A splash of Godiva Chocolate Raspberry Infused Vodka into a Coke or Diet Coke makes a delicious and simply sweet cocktail.}

But, duty calls and as the faithful blogger that I am, I wanted to at least taste the Godiva chocolate vodka before I shared it with you all at Girls Night Out tonight. I’ve had the Godiva Chocolate Liquor before and shared the recipe for Godiva Chocolate Martinis then, but this Godiva Chocolate Infused Vodka and Godiva Raspberry Chocolate Infused Vodka is quite all right. If you want to make the perfect cocktail to celebrate Valentine’s Day with your love (if I were Carrie Bradshaw I’d say “lovah”, but it just doesn’t sound right coming from me) or with your girlfriends to just complain about love, this is the liquor for you!

Whatever your stance on Valentine’s Day, celebrate responsibly (aka please don’t drink and drive and don’t go overboard on the alcohol) and bring some Godiva Chocolate Infused Vodka to your celebration… paired with some rich Godiva chocolate, it is the perfect Valentine’s Day beverage!

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Godiva Chocolate Infused Vodka

Godiva Chocolate a l'Orange (from TheBar.com)

Author Dine & Dish

Ingredients

• 0.75 oz. Godiva Chocolate Infused Vodka
• 0.25 oz. Grand Marnier
• 0.75 oz. Godiva Chocolate Liqueur

Instructions

• Pour in a cocktail shaker and shake until well combined. Serve over ice and garnish with an orange peel.

The post Godiva Chocolate Infused Vodka – Valentine’s Day Cocktails appeared first on Dine and Dish.

Dr Laura Schlessinger

I will admit, I used to be one of those women (remind me to tell you about our invitation to be guests on the Dr Phil Show). My husband who does so many things right is not the elaborate, romantic kind of guy and it used to drive me crazy. After reading Dr Laura’s book several years ago, I had a rude awakening and luckily was smart enough to change my tune.

Now, my husband and I make Valentine’s a very special day for our kids. For example, this evening we made a multi course meal of salad, homemade bread, baked potatoes, filet mignon with red wine sauteed mushrooms and asparagus. For dessert, we had the delicious Strawberry Shortcake Parfaits pictured above. Nick and I had the children sit at the table, lit the candles and put on soft music. We served them “fancy restaurant style” (with drinks in wine glasses, cloth napkins and the works) and the kids had a ball with the special attention. We then headed downstairs to the “movie theater” to watch a special movie, and then bed time ended in rooms at “Hotel Doyle”.

You may not think our Valentine’s Day sounds all that romantic, but trust me. Just sit back and watch your husband doting over your kids as a pretend waiter, chat together as you both wash and dry the dishes and clean up the kitchen and then watch later as he has kids draped all over him, sleeping on his shoulders and lap. My idea of romance has certainly changed since we’ve became parents and I read Dr Laura’s books. I would take this over chocolate and roses any day!

Strawberry Shortcake Trifle (from This Mama Loves to Cook)

(I made these into individual parfaits)

1 Angle Food Cake
1 8 oz. Cream cheese
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. powdered sugar
1 c. sour cream
8 oz. Frozen Whipped Topping (thawed)
2 large container of fresh strawberries

Wash strawberries and remove berry tops. Slice strawberries.
Sprinkle granulated sugar over strawberries. Cut Angel Food
cake into 1-inch squares. Set aside. Blend together cream
cheese, vanilla, powdered sugar, and sour cream until smooth.
Fold in Whipped topping. In a trifle bowl layer ingredients
starting with half the cake cubes, then half of the sliced berries,
and then half of the cream cheese mixture. Repeat layers and
garnish with strawberries.

Disclosure: This blog post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

The post Valentine’s Day – Mommy Style (Strawberry Shortcake Trifle) appeared first on Dine and Dish.

Written for the February issue of Her Life Magazine and for Meeta’s Monthly Mingle

It is February and the frenzied holiday season is now behind us. We may look back over the past months and remember the joyous times of giving gifts to others, celebrating the true meaning of the season, spending time with family and friends, and the food… the overflowing, endless amounts of food.

During the holiday season our kitchens are bustling with activity. Cookies, candies and baking mixes galore are leaving our homes and are being sent on as gifts to ones that we love. At the same time, similar tokens of love and appreciation are being given to us from friends and family. Come January 1^st, eating yet another cookie or popping another chocolate into our mouths is about the last thing that we want to do.

The unfortunate fact is that not everyone was spoiled with loving gifts of food and goodies over the holiday season. There are individuals displaced from their homes who felt blessed if they simply had one hot meal over the holiday season. A gift of home baked goodness is a luxury they cannot afford.

With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching we have another chance to provide those less fortunate with something home baked with love from our kitchens. Lydia Walshin founder of the organization Drop In & Decorate Cookies for Donation encourages people to bake with love throughout the year, not just during the holiday season.

Drop In & Decorate Cookies for Donation is a simple, yet novel idea. Bake some cookies. Invite friends, family, co-workers, or neighbors to help decorate. Donate your cookies to a local agency serving people in need (such as a soup kitchen, domestic abuse shelter, senior center), and “give back” while having fun.

Lydia has been touched by how her organization has taken off around the world and how the concept has blessed so many lives. Recalling the start of it all, Lydia explains. “ I did not set out to start a tradition, but that’s the thing about traditions: you do something once, and it is so much fun that you want to do it again and again. That is how Drop In & Decorate started. A friend and I wanted to try to decorate cookies with a new icing technique. Since neither of us are cookie eaters we made a plan to give the cookies to a local shelter. We started with a few dozen cookies. By the time we got the hang of the icing technique, we realized our cookies didn’t look wonderful. I decided to invite a few friends over to come and help us redecorate. Those first cookies had two layers of icing, but in the end they looked beautiful! We wrapped each cookie individually, with lots of ribbon, and delivered them to a family shelter. We had such fun doing the decorating, and everyone who saw those first cookies broke out with a huge smile.”

“Afterwards, my friends asked when we were going to do it again, and I realized that decorating cookies for donation would become an annual tradition. It was the smiles that inspired me…the smiles on the faces of the friends who helped decorate, and the smiles on the faces of those who received the cookies. Through the simple gift of cookies, people are making connections and are learning about the work of agencies in their own communities.”

Getting involved and hosting your own Drop In & Decorate event is easy. On Lydia’s website, www.ninecooks.com, there is a complete guide to getting started. This guide includes a delicious cookie recipe, a list of supplies you will need, information about how to donate the cookies once decorated, and more.

Share the love this Valentine’s Day by giving those less fortunate something to smile about. A heartfelt gift of homemade and beautifully decorated cookies from your kitchen could be just the thing to fill a tummy and a heart this Valentine’s day.

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