Valentines Day – the day of romantic love.
This is one of my favorite celebrations. Actually, as I write my columns, I am coming to realize that all of the holidays and celebrations are my favorites. Valentines Day is such a fun holiday.
I am sure we all remember the fun we had in elementary school, making our special giant envelopes where our fellow students would place that very special Valentine that they had chosen just for us. It was so much fun to go home and read them, see if a little treat had been placed in the envelope and compare ours to our friends and siblings. The best would be if there were homemade treats inside of a Valentine.
Then I became a mom. With seven kids, Valentines Day became such a busy time. Getting all of the kids Valentines for their classmates and making sure they were all addressed correctly and had a yummy treat inside was quite an ordeal. I figure that in my tenure as a mother, I have helped address approximately 1,200 Valentines.
Through all of that confusion, my husband and I have always made Valentines Day a special day for us. In fact, when I came home tonight, there was a large basket on my dining room table, filled with chocolates, Martinellis and various other treats that had my name on it.
Some of our best Valentines Days have been the ones where we stay at home and create our own beautiful evening. A very fun and romantic dinner choice would be fondue. You can have both the main course and the dessert as fondue. It is just a fun thing to eat.
Here is a great recipe for Cheese Fondue:
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 cup dry white wine
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 cups Swiss cheese, shredded
2 cups Gruyere cheese, shredded
½ tsp. dry mustard
Pinch nutmeg
Simmer garlic, wine, and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add cheeses, and blend until melted. Add mustard and nutmeg.
Dip meats, assorted breads and veggies in the cheese.
Now for the good one: Chocolate Fondue!
8 oz. milk chocolate (either chips or broken into chips)
2 T. heavy cream
2 T. chunky peanut butter
Combine the chocolate and cream in a double boiler or the top bowl of your fondue set with boiling water in the bottom bowl.
Heat the chocolate in the pot over the boiling water until the chocolate is melting, stirring constantly. Once melted, add peanut butter and stir until blended.
Dip fresh strawberries, bananas, cheesecake, Rice Krispy Treats, marshmallows, pound cake, Oreos, cream puffs, etc.
So set a beautiful, romantic table, put on some good music and enjoy dinner with someone you love.
Happy Valentines Day!
Malissa Meeks is a mother of seven who knows her way around the kitchen. By her estimate, she has prepared more than 42,000 meals over the years. She also knows what she likes in a good restaurant. Her column appears here every other week. Leave comments here or email them to menifee247info@gmail.com.
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