I’m going to be really honest, it feels disingenuous to be posting about Valentine’s Day when my heart is broken. Watching what is happening in the world, in America, is gutwrenching, shocking, scary, devastating, heartbreaking and unfortunately tragically predictable.
I went to university for 8 years. I always say if I won the lottery, I would go back to school for life lol. My first two years of university I studied English literature and Greek history/archaeology. After spending 2 years in the classics department libraries (that are filled with very very old books that exude gases that make the students reading them, toot) Lol, I changed direction and over the next 2 years I took management courses like financial accounting and science classes like microbiology. I moved around to economics and religion, but ultimately spent the next 4 years studying history. I love history. I spent a year studying the Byzantine empire, the middle ages, and learning about goths, Huns, and Vikings. My last 3 years, I really found my focus in American history, the history of Catholicism, and political science, specifically international relations.
After many MANY years, they finally made me graduate lol. I earned a bachelor of arts degree with a double major in history and politics and a minor in Catholicism.
I love history. I know history.
What is happening in Minneapolis, in Ukraine, in Gaza, and in Iran is atrocious. I feel absolutely helpless. We are boycotting, we are unsubscribing, unfollowing, we are changing every economic decision we made in the past, to use our money as our voice. What else can we do as a country on the outside looking in?
I feel like we are steadily marching through the history pages in the footprints of past events that we should have learned from. Sometimes I feel GUILTY continuing to go through life like everything is normal, posting recipes instead of documenting what is actually happening in real life history. Sometimes I think we are in such a dystopian time that I should be writing everything down. The truth. I have no idea how history will remember our time because I don’t know who’s going to write the story? Where do we even begin???
And then other times, I feel like the world is tipping over and we are just trying to hang on by posting about Valentines, laughing at a TV show or enjoying local community events while just putting one foot in front of the other and continuing on. We have to remember that we need to find balance in amongst all the chaos. There is a LOT of negative stuff out there, I know, but please, always remember to look for the Glimmers. Take care my friends.
Valentine’s Day is coming up. Can’t you just feel all the love in the air? Ugh lol BALANCE so to help you bring some love into your Valentine’s Day we have a few treats that are inspired by the holiday of hearts and romance.
Nothing says I love you more than a stack of delicious, perfectly pink Strawberry Pancakes! This fun dish can be made without using fresh strawberries, which is ideal because there aren’t any local strawberries right now, see above to understand why I will never eat a strawberry from the USA again. Balance 😜.
If you are looking for an easy but delicious meal to make this Valentine’s Day, I would like to suggest this elegant Shrimp Scampi dish. It is incredibly simple to make but screams fancy dinner for a special occasion. I hate shrimp so Ninja made mine with yummy vegetables and it was so good! Paired with a nice wine and some buttered crusty bread, this meal will give everyone emoji heart shaped eyes!
This VDay surprise your loved one with this Love Potion #9 cocktail for you and your lover and cheers to the special day. This cocktail is sweet, smooth and simple. It is also so pretty! We will be making this one again and again for sure!
If your Sweetie has a sweet tooth than these Sweetheart Brownies are the perfect dessert. Your favourite brownies topped with a perfectly pink layer of buttercream frosting and then topped with a shiny chocolate ganache and dusted with Valentine sprinkles, this easy baked treat will make everyone fall in love with you.
It’s never too cold outside for icecream! (Or slurpees if you’re from Winnipeg lol). This holiday serve up a classic sundae for your Sweetheart but add some love with a sweet raspberry sauce with this Sweetie Sundae topped with whipped cream and heart shaped candies.
The Do Over by Lynn Painter A book with a colourful cover. My 13-year-old daughter read this YA book last year and insisted that I put it on my TBR for Valentine’s Day. She said I would love it and she was absolutely correct! I love Lynn Painter. She writes an A type teenage girl perfectly. I love her humor, and I especially love her male leads. This book is about Emilie, a smart and organized grade 11 student who plans everything with lists and spreadsheets, from her future to the perfect boyfriend. When she wakes up on Valentine’s Day, she wants to check off a few boxes, telling her perfect. “on paper” boyfriend that she loves him. However, absolutely nothing goes right and it’s one catastrophe after another, including getting into an accident and hitting her chem partner, Nick. The next day when she wakes up, it’s Valentine’s Day all over again. She is in a time loop of awful Valentine’s Day, where no matter what she tries, the conclusions are always the same. Along the way, she begins to see her chem partner in a new light. I loved the humour, the banter, and the dialogue in this super cute book about standing up for yourself and realizing what you want and what you need are maybe two different things. I also appreciated how grief is talked about in this book. Another cute book by a great author.
Strawberry Pancakes
8-10
pancakes5
minutes10
minutesIngredients
1 egg
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 teaspoon of strawberry extract
1 1/2 cups strawberry milk
a few drops pink food colouring
2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
Garnish: maple syrup, heart sprinkles, whipped cream
Directions
Add flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar to a large bowl. Whisk until combined.
Add strawberry milk, strawberry extract, melted butter, pink food colouring and egg. Mix until very well combined.
Drop batter onto well greased skillet on medium low heat.
Cook until the edges are cooked through and the bubbles on top begin to pop. Then flip your pancake and cook the other side, just until baked through.
Top with syrup, whipped cream, and sprinkles.
Shrimp Scampi
4
servings5
minutes15
minutesIngredients
1 package linguine
1 lb large shrimp, peeled
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup dry white wine
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
In a large skillet, heat butter and oil over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, sautéing for about 1 minute until fragrant. Add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper, and cook until pink and opaque, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove shrimp and set aside.
In the same skillet, add white wine and lemon juice, bringing it to a simmer. Cook for about 2-3 minutes until slightly reduced
Return the shrimp to the skillet, along with the cooked pasta. Toss to coat everything in the sauce.
Garnish with parsley and Parmesan cheese.
Love Potion #9
2
servings5
minutesIngredients
3 oz vodka
2 oz peach schnapps
4 oz cranberry juice
1 oz grenadine
Ice cubes
Garnish: gummy-shaped heart candy and sugar for rimming
Directions
Rim 2 coupe glasses with sugar by dipping the rim in a touch of grenadine, then dip it into a plate of sugar.
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.
Add vodka, peach schnapps, cranberry juice, and grenadine.
Shake the mixture vigorously for 15–20 seconds until chilled and fully combined.
Strain the cocktail into the prepared glasses and place a heart-shaped gummy candy on the rim of the glass for garnish.
Sweetheart Brownies
Ingredients
a box of brownie mix and the ingredients listed on box
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 tablespoons milk
red food colouring 1 to 2 drops
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream
Garnish: Valentines Day sprinkles
Directions
Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. Allow to cool completely.
In a medium bowl, combine powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, food colouring and milk and beat until light and fluffy. If needed add additional milk, one teaspoon at a time until you’ve reached a smooth consistency.
Spread frosting over the cooled brownies.
In a small saucepan over low heat, warm chocolate chips and heavy cream until smooth, stirring continuously.
Once the chocolate glaze is smooth, pour over frosted brownies. Quickly spread and smooth with an offset spatula. Sprinkle generously with Valentine’s Day sprinkles.
Sweetie Sundae
2
servings5
minutes5
minutesIngredients
½ bag frozen raspberries
3 tablespoons sugar
6 scoops vanilla ice cream
Garnish: whipped cream and candy hearts
Directions
Add frozen raspberries and sugar into a pot on medium heat. Constantly stir and cook for about 5 minutes or until the raspberries are soft.
Pour into a blender or use immersion blender and puree until it becomes smooth. Pour into a container and put into a refrigerator until ready to use.
Add a tablespoon of raspberry sauce to the bottom of your cup then add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of the raspberry sauce. Add another scoop of ice cream, another layer of sauce, then ANOTHER scoop of ice cream and top it off with raspberry sauce, whip cream and candy hearts.
- Directions Step
Thank you to Miz Helen’s Country Cottage for featuring my January Meal Plan Post at their Full Plate Thursday Link Party last week.
This was a crazy quiet week as the weather dipped below zero and we all hibernated. I banged my head while cleaning the bathroom, did yoga and read some great books. The Kids had their last classes of first semester and volunteered in the Hot Chocolate Tent at the Penticton annual FrostFest this weekend.
14 thoughts on “My History & Valentine Treats”
What a great Valentine’s Day treat this dinner combo would make!
Thank you so much!
The Do-Over was so cute! I like Lynn Painter’s books a lot. I could have easily stayed in school forever… if it didn’t cost so darn much here in the states. I did get my master’s degree but would have happily gone on to get my Doctoral degree as well but “real” life prevailed and I got married and had kids instead. LOL.
For how long I was in school, I should have gotten my Masters. Focus!!! Ha we share very similar stories, thanks for sharing 🙂
I love the look of all your valentine’s delights but especially the pancakes! So cute! I haven’t read any of Lynn Painter but I’m a sucker for a YA read so will add it to my list!
Thank you! I was surprised by the mellow strawberry flavour, not too sweet but just right. Lynn Painter is one of my favourite YA authors for sure! My daughter and I trade off on reviews lol. My favourite one of hers is Better Than the Movies, so fun! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
How fun that there is an actual “Love Potion #9”. I always loved that song. All of your Valentine treats look festive and delicious. Some wonderful recipes to celebrate and focus on love.
Me too! Such a fun song. Thank you so much for stopping by, Happy Valentine’s Day!
the sweetheart brownies look so pretty and delicious. Yes the world is facing hard times atm. We can only hope it all ends well – and soon.
cheers
sherry
They were a hit with my 3 Sweethearts for sure! Hopefully with a new month, comes more calmness for sure. Thanks for stopping by.
I totally relate to your opening message. All the things we’re doing to make a difference seem so small in the grand scheme of things, and I’m not seeing much results from them. Yet still. I feel compelled to at least keep trying. As bad as my heart aches for all the tragedies, doing nothing makes me feel even worse. Thank you for your words of understanding and concern; helping others feel less alone is another way of doing something, and it does matter. And the sweet Valentine treats is another way to find glimmers of joy in the midst of it all.
Thank you for your comment. I never want to hurt people’s feelings and the political landscape is scary these days, it’s scary to say something but it seems scarier to NOT say something. I hope you are able to find many glimmers during these hard times and it makes me VERY happy to know that I helped with that. Thank you 🙂
Kristin, I’m featuring your post tomorrow. 🙂
Thank you! I appreciate it very much. Cheers!