Sometimes, you just get hungry for a lot of fruit all in the same dish.  Sure, it’s fine to sit down and eat a banana or an apple, but when you add pineapple, Mandarin oranges, grapes, and cherries, and toss up a concoction that all juicy and sweet and tangy, well, a plain old piece of fruit just isn’t the same after that!

1/4 C canola oil
1/4 C orange juice
3 T lemon juice
2 T sugar (more or less to taste)
1 (20 oz) can pineapple chunks, drained
1 (10 oz) can Mandarin oranges, drained
2 C seedless green grapes, halved
1 fresh pear, sliced
1 banana, sliced
1 apple, sliced
1/2 C Maraschino cherries, halved
1/4 C mini marshmallows

Place the oil in a mixing bowl. Add the orange and lemon juice and whisk until well combined.
Stir in the sugar and continue stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved.
Place the pineapple, oranges, grapes, pears, banana and apples into a large salad bowl.
Add the cherries and marshmallows and toss the ingredients together well.
Pour the juice mixture over the fruit and stir to cover the fruit completely.
Serves 8

It’s nice to have a few quick little “dinner-for-two” recipes on hand for that occasional evening when the kids are off somewhere else for the evening.  This recipe may actually call for an emergency call to Grandma.  I’ll dial… you put the wine on ice!

1/2 (16 oz) box linguine noodles
1 C shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 (14.5 oz) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes with basil and garlic (add a pinch each of basil and minched garlic if you cannot find diced tomatoes that have them)
1 (3 oz) pkg. cream cheese, room temperature
6 fresh spinach leaves, torn up a little

Cook the linguine according to the package direction, and drain well. Keep warm.
Meanwhile, place a large heavy skillet over medium heat and add tomatoes and cream cheese, and mix together. 
Then add the shrimp and stir gently to combine. Cook 4 – 5 minutes, gently stirring constantly until the shrimp are cooked through (pink) and the sauce is creamy.
Toss in spinach leaves and stir until just blended together.
Serve over hot linguine noodles.
Serves  2

If you are having a little Valentine’s Day party, you’re going to want to serve punch.  Nothing says “Party” like a pretty punch bowl!  The color is gorgeous all by itself, but you may want to throw in some of those cute little heart shaped ice cubes.  Now you’ve pulled out all the stops!

2 tubs Cherry Pomegranate flavor drink mix
8 C water
2 C club soda
2 C cranberry juice
1/2 C lime juice
1/2 C orange juice
Crushed ice

Put the drink powder into a punch bowl.
Pour the water into the punch bowl and stir until the powder has completely dissolved.
Add the club soda and mix well.
Pour in the cranberry juice, lime juice and orange juice and stir until all the ingredients are incorporated together.
Add the crushed ice just before serving.

Serving Size:  about 24

This is the perfect refreshment for a special Valentine’s evening at home.  Not too sweet, not too tart, it’s just right.  Just like your Sweetheart!  Have a very chocolatey dessert and dark chocolate candy to compliment the raspberries, and to earn yourself some compliments, too!

1/2 tub Raspberry Ice Drink Mix
1 C cranberry juice, cold
1 C water, cold
2 C sparkling water
Frozen raspberries

Place the drink mix powder into a pitcher.
Pour the cranberry juice and water into the pitcher and whisk until the powder is completely dissolved and the ingredients are combined well.
Place the pitcher in the refrigerator at least 1 hour.
Just before serving stir in the sparkling water.
Place frozen raspberries in the bottom of 2 champagne glasses.
Pour the drinks over the top of the raspberries.
Serving Size: 2

When you want to show your little Sweethearts that you love them, say it with chocolate.  And if that’s not good enough, throw in some fresh strawberries and rich, moist pound cake.  There will be no doubt about it when you are blissfully covered in chocolate kisses from your darlings!

1/2 C semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 C heavy whipping cream
2 T orange juice
2 C fresh strawberries, sliced
4 slices pound cake, cubed
optional:  strawberries may be replaced with other fruit

Place the chocolate chips into a small saucepan.
Pour the whipping cream over the chips.
Place the pan on very low heat and, stirring constantly, melt the chips until they are smooth.
Remove the pan from heat and blend in the orange juice.
Cool the mixture about 30 minutes or until room temperature.
Place the sliced strawberries in the bottom of dessert cups.
Layer the pound cake on top of the strawberries.
Spoon the chocolate mixture over the top.
Serving Size:  4

For a Valentine’s Day dinner, I think little hors d’oeuvres are sometimes the most romantic.  Just imagine sitting down to a beautiful array of these pretty little appetizers, with the gorgeous colors and aromas wafting through the kitchen. They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.  If that’s true, these little babies are in the express lane!

16 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
8 strips of bacon cut in half lengthwise
1/4 C butter style spread in a tub, melted
1 T Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1 garlic clove, minced fine
1 t lemon juice
Salt and Pepper to taste
16 wooden toothpicks soaking in water

Turn on the broiler and allow it to heat while preparing the shrimp.
Wrap one slice of bacon around each piece of shrimp and secure it with a wooden toothpick.
Place the melted butter spread in a mixing bowl.
Stir in the Parmesan cheese until blended.
Add the garlic and lemon juice and whisk until completely combined.
Dip or each shrimp and bacon bundle in the sauce.
Place in a single layer on a broiler pan.
Broil 6 minutes, turn and continue broiling 5 minutes or until the bacon is crisp.

Valentine’s Day requires at least one meal for just the two of you.  Even if you celebrate the day with the little darlings, you’ll want to find the time for a romantic little meal for two.  There is no more romantic meal than a good, juicy steak topped with tangy mushrooms.  This combination has been a Valentine classic for generations.

2 (8 oz) New York Strip steaks (1 inch thick)
1/2 t coarse salt
1 T olive oil
1 T unsalted butter
6 oz. Portobello mushrooms, sliced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 T balsamic vinegar

Preheat the broiler.
Sprinkle both sides of the steaks with the salt.
Place the steaks on a broiler pan.
Broil 4 minutes then turn and continue broiling 3 minutes for medium rare.
Remove the steaks and place on plates loosely covered with foil.
Place the oil and butter into a skillet over medium heat.
Let the butter melt being sure to stir it into the oil.
Add the sliced mushroom and stir to coat.
Cook the mushrooms 4 minutes or until fork tender.
Add the garlic, stir and cook an additional 30 seconds.
Remove the skillet from the heat and add the vinegar stirring to coat.
Uncover the steaks and spread the mushroom mixture over the top just before serving.
Serving Size:  just the two of you
 

This one’s for you grown-ups!  Send the kids to Grandma’s and enjoy your Valentine’s Day celebration.  You’ll have plenty of other opportunities to plan a treat for the little Sweethearts, but tonight it’s the big Sweetheart’s turn! 

1 lb. fresh strawberries, washed and hulled
10 mint leaves
2 C white wine
1 t lemon juice
3 T honey
2 T brandy
optional: garnish with mint leaves and strawberries

Place the strawberries into the blender.
Place the mint leaves in with the strawberries.
Pour in the wine, lemon juice, honey and brandy.
Puree until very smooth.
Strain the soup to remove any seeds.
Pour into a bowl, cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving.
Serving Size: just 2!

This is a pretty simple little Valentine’s Day treat.  It’s perfect for a party because they’re fast and delicious.  You can add a few embellishments if you’d like, but just be sure that the little pepperoni heart ends up on top so your youngsters can see how much you love them!

1 (4 oz) pkg. pepperoni slices
pizza dough rolled out
1 C pizza sauce
1 C Mozzarella cheese, shredded
biscuit or cookie cutter – round
heart shaped cookie cutter

Place the oven temperature on 375 degrees and allow it to heat.
Place the pepperoni slices on a flat surface and use a small heart shaped cutter to cut each slice.
Lay the pizza dough on a flat service and cut out circles.
Place on lightly greased baking sheet.
Cover each circle with the pizza sauce.
Sprinkle each circle with the cheese.
Top with the cut pepperoni hearts.
Bake the pizzas for 8 minutes or until the cheese has completely melted and the pizza crust is slightly crisp around the edges.
Serving Size:  about 12

Can you really get away with serving chocolate for breakfast?  When it’s Valentine’s Day you sure can!  Nothing says “I Love You” like serving your Sweethearts something sweet right out of the oven.  Cut some fresh strawberries in half to form little hearts and put right alongside your biscuits for a little extra lovin’.

1 1/2 C flour
2/3 C sugar
1 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
10 T unsalted butter, melted and hot
1/4 C + 2 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1 large egg
1/4 C + 2 T milk
heart shaped cookie cutters

Place the flour in a large mixing bowl.
Add the sugar, baking soda and salt and blend all the ingredients together well.
Place the hot melted butter into a separate bowl.
Add the cocoa powder and whisk until very smooth.
Add the egg and milk to the chocolate mixture and blend until completely combined.
Pour the chocolate mixture into the flour mixture and stirring from the bottom up mix the ingredients until the flour mixture is just moistened completely.
Place a piece of wax paper on a flat surface and remove the dough to the wax paper.
Form the dough into a rectangle.
Place the dough into the refrigerator and allow it to chill 15 minutes.
Set the oven temperature to 400 degrees and allow the oven to heat while finishing preparing the biscuits.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and use a heart shaped cookie cutter to cut out the dough into 8 heart shaped biskits.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the biskits in a single layer on the prepared sheet.
Bake 12 minutes or until the bottoms just begin to color and the tops begin to crack.
Allow to cool 5 minutes before serving.
Serving Size: 8