Healthy Valentine Recipes

2231

Valentine’s Day 2014 is just a week away.

Once again it’s time to choose for the most important person in your life the perfect paper valentine or big box of chocolates or maybe a big bouquet of roses or other gifts of special sentimental significance to the two of you.

A home-baked and lovingly decorated cake or the recipient’s favorite pie or cookies or an unexpected surprise like bright red candied apples can be a much appreciated and very personally meaningful Valentine’s Day labor of love for your spouse, fiancé or just-recently-met most special new person in your life.

While you’re at the oven baking that cake, Valentine’s Day also can be a good time for baking an extra batch of cookies or other delicious sweet treats to express appreciation for all the friends in your life as well, just a quick but very memorable way of saying thanks for their always being there for you.

The big challenge in making all the above culinary fantasy time really happen, of course, is that Valentine’s Day falls on a Friday this year, which is a work day for most people, who may come home to a nice long-weekend too dead tired to cook after the long tough work week.

As with all of life’s hopes and seemingly impossible dreams, however, we can envision and plan and hope to make all this dream-of-baking for Valentine’s Day happen, because it’s worth a good try, maybe as a Thursday night before Valentine’s Day project.

Best of all, Valentine’s Day possible plans might be a gathering together of a few good-cook friends who are retired and can work through a church or other local group on a Bake Day project in the church kitchen or other community site to bake cookies and then deliver those sweet treats (along with plenty more nutrition-rich food gifts) to local needy families as Valentine’s Day gifts of love from their community.

Love is the focus of Valentine’s Day and what love does best is to help others, on February 14 and every day of every year.

May this new year 2014 bring a very happy Valentine’s Day to all reading this.

Kitchen Kapers hopes to balance out this week’s very special Valentine’s Day sweet treats below with some very health-focused recipes now being planned for near-future Kapers, including one reader’s recent request for some gluten-free foods.

Anyone with some good gluten-free recipes is invited to share those with Kitchen Kapers so they can be included in that planned column. (Please be sure to include your name and contact information with any recipes you postal mail, email or bring to The Apopka Chief.)

Enjoy your Apopka area neighbors’ sweet treats recipes below, which seem perfect for sharing as small-gift-remembrances for all your best friends and neighbors on Valentine’s Day.

Have a very happy memories-making Valentine’s Day 2014!

 

PATTY FRIEDERICHS

GINGER CREAMS

Recipe from

Favorites for all Seasons

1 cup sugar

1 cup butter or margarine

2 eggs

2/3 cup molasses

1 cup warm water

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ginger

3 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix together well all the ingredients. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Recipe makes 16 servings.

 

NICKY DS ANISE COOKIES

Recipe from

Fran Carlton Seniors Cookbook

6 eggs

1-1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 small bottle anise extract

5 cups flour

7 teaspoons baking powder

2 sticks margarine, melted or very soft

1 box confectioners sugar or powdered sugar

Beat the eggs. Add the cup and half of granulated sugar and half the bottle of anise extract. Add baking powder, then melted or soft margarine and only four cups of the flour, then add the last cup gradually to get the batter soft enough to roll one inch thick and three inches long. Put on sheet pan. Bake at 375 degrees for about eight minutes or until cookies are light brown. For frosting, combine confectioner’s or powdered sugar with the remaining half bottle of anise and enough boiling water to make the frosting runny.

 

SIS PITMANS

PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE DREAMS

Recipe from

Treasures and Pleasures

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup milk

Few grains of salt

1 cup marshmallows

1/4 pound peanut butter

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cook sugar, milk and salt to the soft-ball stage. Add marshmallows, peanut butter and butter just before removing from the stove. Cool, add vanilla and beat, then pour into a buttered pan.

 

SIS PITMANS

OLD FASHIONED FUDGE

2 cups sugar

1/3 cup cocoa

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup margarine

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Put all ingredients except vanilla into a heavy saucepan and mix. Boil till a drop forms a soft ball in cold water. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and set in pan of cold water till cool. Beat until stiff and pour onto a buttered plate.

 

JACKIE AND KAYLA TREFCERS MAPLE CANDIED WALNUTS

Recipe from Life Outreach Centers Women of Destiny Recipe Book

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon corn syrup

1/3 cup water

1/2 teaspoon salt

In heavy saucepan, mix together and stir over low heat all four ingredients, until sugar is dissolved. Boil to 238 degrees or softball stage. Remove from heat. Blend in half teaspoon of maple flavoring and one tablespoon butter. Add two cups walnuts and stir gently until mixture becomes creamy. Turn on to a sheet of wax paper or foil. Separate the nuts. Recipe makes about one pound of candied walnuts.

 

GLORIA BLALOCKS

CANDIED APPLES

Recipe from First United

Methodists Feeding The Flock

8 apples

1-1/2 cups sugar

1-1/2 sticks butter

Sprinkles of cinnamon

1/2 cup water

Core apples, but do not peel. Stand whole apples in cold water for ten to fifteen minutes, then cut in slices about one inch thick. Place slices in iron skillet and add sugar. (For very sour apples, add extra sugar.)

Cut butter into pieces and dot the apples with the butter, then sprinkle cinnamon on the apples. Add water, cover and bring to boil. Uncover and cook over low heat for about one hour or until apples are tender and syrup thick. Baste occasionally.

 

SUSAN BECKLEYS

PECAN BROWNIES

Recipe from Episcopal Church

of the Holy Spirits

Lets See Whats Cooking

3/4 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 squares unsweetened chocolate

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup chopped pecans

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 stick butter or margarine

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Mix flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. Melt butter and chocolate squares over low heat or in microwave. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, sugar, eggs, half cup of pecans and the chocolate chips. Spread mixture in greased nine by nine inch baking pan. Sprinkle with remaining pecans. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. When cool, cut into squares. Recipe makes 16 brownies.