Happy Valentine’s Day!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Looking for a last-minute dessert idea or a special treat for your lover? Find some unique and super simple recipe ideas for this special occasion on my State Press Magazine blog called Other than Ramen. The post What Cupid Craves is filled with treat that are exactly what Cupid would want to indulge in after his busy holiday of inspiring people to fall in love.

Have you ever wondered the history of the classic Valentine’s Day candy, Conversation Hearts? I was curious about how these pastel Sweethearts came to be, so I did a little research and I wrote this post called The Legacy of Sweethearts. Read and be enlightened about how the candies became a traditional part of the celebration of romance!

Love food. Love self. Love life.

Pancake Passion

This Super Bowl weekend start your days off right with one of these fabulous pancake recipes.

Toss some strawberries in your pancake batter and top the finished product with dusting of powdered sugar to replicate these gourmet Strawberry Pancakes from http://www.ChefInYou.com. (Due to copyright I couldn’t publish their picture here, but go to their site because the ‘cakes are beautiful!) The recipe is even illustrated with corresponding pictures to make your baking easier.

Imagine this: Red Velvet + Pancakes. Yes, there is such a thing as Red Velvet Pancakes! Nelson, “The Breakfast Cook,” also recaps the history of Red Velvet–so interesting. Also tagged along is a recipe for Butter Pecan Syrup…YUM!

Red Velvet Pancakes with Butter Pecan Syrup. Photo Courtesy TheBreakfastCook.com.

Everyone loves classic Chocolate Chip Pancakes, but how about dressing them up for Valentine’s Day by making them heart-shaped! Just spoon the batter in the shape of heart and get ready for the “ooo’s and ahh’s!”  You could even add in some sliced bananas to bring them up a notch.

Heart Shaped Chocolate Chip Pancakes. Photo Courtesy VeryBestBaking.com.

Go Steelers?!  Go Packers?!  I am indifferent either way. Who are you rooting for?

Love food. Love self. Love life.

Peace, Love, Peanut Butter

Photo Courtesy VeryBestBaking.com

You probably have my favorite combination of flavors memorized by now because I love featuring recipes that include peanut butter and chocolate. VeryBestBaking.com presents these adorable Peanutty Valentine Cookies that have a Butterfinger or Crunch candy heart pressed in the middle. They look so good I’d probably have to eat more than one!

Bonuses: The recipe calls for ingredients you always have stocked up and the cookies bake for only about 8 minutes–no time at all!

Love food. Love self. Love life.

P.S. I think the title of this post should become my life motto?

Kick Up the Love

Orange Kissed Churros with Hot Chocolate Sauce. Photo Courtesy Jonny Valiant/Woman's Day.

Express your affection by saying Te Quiero (“I love you”) with these heart-shaped Orange-Kissed Churros with “Hot” Chocolate Sauce from WomansDay.com for La Día de San Valentín.

Bite into the warm cinnamon-sugar coated pastry with a surprise hint of orange and your taste buds will be transported on a Spanish vacation. Kick up the love by dipping your decadent treat into the “hot” chocolate sauce made with semisweet chocolate and a bit of cayenne pepper. Anyone who tastes your heartfelt churros is bound to be impressed with your baking skills.

Love food. Love self. Love life.

14 Days of Sweetness

Let’s play a little game…Guess what is being described from the clues below:

• I am a holiday filled with love.
• I inspire people to exchange cards filled with affectionate (and sometimes cheesy) messages.
• I am represented by Cupid and characterized by conversation hearts, X’s and O’s, and roses.

If you guessed Valentine’s Day you are correct!

Red Velvet and Strawberry Trifle. Photo Courtesy of Taste and Tell Blog.

The next 13 days on Gourmet Gab will consist of a recipe countdown until the lovely holiday. Each day I will highlight a sweet and simple Valentine’s Day baking idea that embodies the spirit of Cupid! Look forward to a variety of flavors that branch out from the typical chocolate and will win your lover’s heart through their stomach.

Today’s treat is so beautiful I can hardly handle it! These Red Velvet and Strawberry Trifles from Taste and Tell Blog look simple and elegantly festive. After making a red velvet box cake, just cut it into cubes, layer with jazzed up yogurt and strawberries…Ta-dah!

These Trifles would be a perfect light dessert for a stay-home date with friends or a lover. Or goodness, it’s just a great treat yourself!

Love food. Love self. Love life.