Valentine’s Day Crafts for Kids
By
Jill Monroe
If a
celebration could be considered a romance writer’s official
holiday, then Valentine’s Day would be it! The evening may
belong to you and your significant other, but before the candles
are lit, there are still opportunities to get kids involved in
the holiday fun. While younger children love to make and give
valentines, older children often become uncomfortable and don’t
like to do “lovey” type crafts.
One
approach is to talk about appreciation for the people around us.
Make a card thanking someone for doing something nice. Hopefully
the crafts below will make for a great Valentine’s Day fun time!
Kool-Aid Playdough
Playdough
is a fun and creative activity for both girls and boys. My
favorite way to make playdough is with Kool-Aid because it adds
a nice color and smells great.
Materials:
1 cup of
flour
1/2 cup
salt
3
tablespoons cooking oil
1 cup
boiling water
1 package
Kool-Aid (Do not sweeten.)
Directions:
1. Mix
flour, oil, salt and Kool-Aid.
2. Add the
boiling water and mix with a spoon (children can help).
3. On a
dry surface, sift a light dusting of flour then allow children
to knead.
4. Have
fun.
5. After
use, seal in airtight container.
6. Throw
away after two weeks.
Heart-Shaped Pizza
No party
is complete without a little food. Here is a favorite in our
house because the kids can make the pizza themselves.
Materials:
Can of
biscuits
Pizza
sauce
Mozzarella
cheese
Preferred
toppings
Cookie
sheet
Directions:
1. Allow
children to shape the biscuits into heart shapes.
2. Spoon
pizza sauce onto a biscuit, and have children spread it with a
spoon or Popsicle stick.
3.
Children can add toppings and sprinkle on cheese.
4. Bake on
cookie sheet as directed on biscuit can.
(Suggestion: Reinforce the importance of hand washing before
making food and eating. Keep childrens’ pizzas separate so they
can eat the one they made.)
Stained
Glass Heart (with melted crayons)
Materials:
Wax paper
Assorted
colors of crayons (The cheaper crayons work best.)
Iron
(adults only; no steam; medium works best)
Scissors
Directions:
1. Tear
off a large piece of wax paper, and fold it in half.
2. Unfold
wax paper.
3. Use a
pencil sharpener to create crayon shavings.
4. Once
you have enough shavings on the wax paper, refold. (Helpful
hint: Make sure there are no shavings on the edges so no melted
wax leaks.)
5. Place
an ironing cloth or scrap paper on top of the wax paper to
protect your iron.
6. Iron
for about 10 seconds. All the wax should be melted. However, you
can iron longer—at five-second intervals—for more wax mixing and
for more interesting patterns to emerge.
7. Cut in
the form of a heart or other shapes the children will like, and
mount them against a window.
IMPORTANT:
Let the finished product cool before allowing children to work
with the project again.
Kiss
Rosebud
Materials:
2
chocolate Kisses (although you may want a few extra for eating)
1 long,
stiff, floral wire (minimum 10 inches)
1 (4-inch)
square cellophane or plastic wrap (wrap is easier to use)
2 rose
leaves
Green
floral tape
 Directions:
1. Tape
flat sides of chocolate kisses together.
2. Insert
stiff floral stem into candy.
3. Cover
kisses with the wrap or cellophane.
4. Gather
edges of wrap and tape over with green floral tape.
5.
Continue wrapping down stem, adding both leaves.
This is a
great craft for children to give as a gift.
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A
Valentine’s Day Dinner for Two
By
Terry
McLaughlin
My
husband Rob and I often shop and cook together, making every
part of our dinner preparation an evening’s date. For a special
event such as Valentine's Day, our partnership in the kitchen
takes on a festive flair.
Here’s
our dinner menu for a romantic evening:
Mixed Salad Greens with Gorgonzola and Maple Dressing
Filets Mignon with Bourguignonne Sauce
Grilled Red Potatoes with Pepper Crust
Cauliflower Gratin
Brown Butter Ganache from
Woodhouse Chocolates
Making
so many things at once can be a little tricky, so we recommend
preparing the gratin the day before. It can be
refrigerated until it’s placed in the oven. You’ll also want to
chop and measure all the ingredients for the bourguignonne sauce
and make the wine reduction before beginning to cook the filets.
Mixed
Salad Greens with Gorgonzola and Maple Dressing
Approximately three cups of mixed salad greens
1/2 cup
Gorgonzola, crumbled
1/2 cup
Craisins®
Chopped
walnuts, if desired
Dressing:
Extra
light olive oil
Balsamic
vinegar
Maple
syrup
Arrange
the salad greens on a plate and sprinkle with the Gorgonzola,
Craisins, and walnuts.
In a
small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon
vinegar, and 2 teaspoons maple syrup. Add more vinegar or
syrup to taste. Drizzle dressing over salad and serve.
Filets Mignon with Bourguignonne Sauce
2
filets, each about 1 1/4 inches thick
Salt and
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup
safflower oil
2 thick
bacon slices, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/2
small yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic
cloves, minced
12-15
cremini mushrooms, stemmed and quartered
3
teaspoons flour
1/2 cup
beef stock
1/2 cup
Cabernet Sauvignon wine reduction (recipe below)
1
teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
Season
the filets with salt and pepper. Let them stand at room
temperature for 20 minutes.
In a
sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm the safflower oil until it
is very hot. Cook the filets, turning once, until browned on
both sides, about five minutes per side. Transfer the filets to
a warmed platter and cover loosely with aluminum foil.
Reduce
the heat to medium, and add the bacon to the pan. Cook, stirring
frequently, until crisp (8 minutes). Using a slotted spoon,
transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.
Add the
onion and garlic to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until
the onion is translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and
cook until soft. Stir in the flour until ingredients are coated.
Stir in the stock, wine reduction, bacon, and thyme. Simmer
until the sauce is thickened, approximately 3-5 minutes.
Transfer
the filets to the dinner plates and spoon the sauce over the
meat. Serve immediately.
Red wine
reduction:
2 cups
red wine
2
tablespoons corn syrup
Combine
the wine and corn syrup in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil
over medium-high heat. Boil until reduced to a syrup-like
consistency, approximately ten minutes. Be sure the mixture is
kept at a fairly rapid boil, and don’t overcook. The mixture
will thicken as it cools.
Tip:
reduce your leftover wine to make this glacé, and store it at
room temperature for two or three months.
Grilled Red Potatoes with Pepper Crust
4-8
small, red potatoes, scrubbed clean
Extra
virgin olive oil
1
tablespoon sweet paprika
1/4
teaspoon cayenne pepper
2
teaspoons salt
Prepare
a charcoal or gas grill for medium-high heat and grease the
rack.
Place
the potatoes in a glass dish with approximately 1/2 inch water;
cover and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Pierce with a knife
to see if potatoes are tender; if they need to be cooked again,
stir and cook for another 2 minutes. Drain.
Put the
potatoes in a large bowl and coat them with the oil. In a small
bowl, mix the paprika, cayenne, and salt. Toss the potatoes with
the spices until well coated. Grill, turning often, for
approximately five minutes. If potatoes are small enough to fall
through the rack, use skewers.
Cauliflower Gratin
1 head
of cauliflower, cut into large florets
4
tablespoons butter (divided)
3
tablespoons flour
2 cups
milk
1/2
teaspoon salt
1/2
teaspoon pepper
1/2
teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 cup
grated Gruyère cheese (divided)
1/2 cup
grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup
fresh bread crumbs
Preheat
the oven to 375 degrees. Place the cauliflower in a glass dish
with approximately ½ inch water; cover and microwave on high for
5 minutes. Leave the top on the dish and let the cauliflower
steam while preparing the other ingredients.
Melt 2
tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add
the flour and whisk until smooth. Pour in the milk and increase
the heat, stirring constantly until the sauce is smooth and
thick. Remove from heat and add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, 1/2
cup of the Gruyère, and the Parmesan.
Pour a
bit of the sauce into the bottom of an 8 x 11-inch, glass baking
dish or a 9-inch gratin dish. Place the drained cauliflower on
top of the thin layer of sauce then spread the rest of the sauce
over the top. Blend the bread crumbs with the remaining 1/4 cup
of Gruyère and spoon over the top. Melt the remaining 2
tablespoons of butter and drizzle over the gratin. Bake for 30
minutes, until the top is browned.
Terry
McLaughlin
often finds inspiration in her own kitchen for the books she
writes for Harlequin Superromance. In her Valentine’s Day
release, The Rancher Needs a Wife, the second story in
her Bright Lights, Big Sky series, she mentions Rob’s crème
brûlée torch and some of his favorite wines.
For metric conversions of the measurements above, consult any
of the following sites:
http://southernfood.about.com/library/info/blconv.htm
http://www.thatsmyhome.com/recipes/conversion.htm
http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/conversions.htm
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