There’s the convenience factor, sure. Paying someone to make dessert is a lot easier than rolling up your sleeves and doing it on your own, but on Valentine’s Day, we like to pull out all the stops and make the treats ourselves. So why pay a lot of money to an expensive chocolate shop for dipped Oreos?
These are just as good as the ones you pay for, if not better. See, they’re made with Double Stuf Oreos, which have more filling. They’re also blinged out for Valentine’s Day. There’s a video tutorial below, so enjoy!
Valentine’s Day is definitely a matter of some contention at my house. Kenny has always held the position that it’s a “Christian holiday” (his words, not mine), and since we’re not a Christian household, we should therefore be exempt from celebrating.
I’ve told him that I find his point of view to be highly inaccurate, and even did some research about the St. Valentine in question. There were apparently several priests of that name back in the day, the most famous one being the guy who agreed to marry young couples against the law and got killed for it. However, most sources agree that the holiday is not necessarily named after him.
Furthermore, a Pagan holiday known as Lupercalia occurred around the same time of year back then, and it was some kind of agricultural celebration. The holiday also had ties to fertility and coupling ceremonies, and rumor has it that the church decided to add more respectability to the occasion by naming the holiday after a saint.
Still, all of these are theories, not fact. I read at least five other accounts about how V-Day began, not to mention the theory that it mainly gathered steam after American capitalism saw it as a way to make some money.
Whatever the real story is, the holiday is so far removed from any roots that I persist in telling Kenny that we should celebrate the day. It’s about love, and I’m all for getting chocolate and a dinner out in the name of old-fashioned romance. He can just suck it up and go along for the ride, and so far, that’s pretty much what he’s done. He’s one of the good ones.
I’m all about the homemade food gifts on Valentine’s Day. Last week, I showed you how to make bark. Here’s how to make dipped Oreos!
See, it’s not hard at all. The important thing is to let the chocolate drip through the fork tines so that you don’t have an enormous pool of chocolate on your parchment paper. The drizzle and sprinkles on top can be in whatever pattern or color you desire!
Whether or not any of us can figure out how Valentine’s Day started, let’s keep our eye on the priorities: lots of chocolate. Then it’s a day that even the biggest hater can get behind!
Ingredients
Instructions
- Line a cookie sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Melt the chocolate according to package directions.
- Using a spoon, dip each Oreo into the chocolate, covering the entire Oreo.
- Lift the Oreo out of the chocolate with a fork, allowing the excess chocolate to drip through the tines.
- Use a toothpick to slide each Oreo onto the prepared cookie sheet. Allow to harden.
- Melt the white chocolate in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval until smooth.
- Drizzle the white chocolate over the Oreos. Top with sprinkles before the white chocolate hardens.
- Allow the Oreos to dry completely. Store in an airtight container.
A lot of people make adorable sugar cookies iced beautifully for holidays, but I prefer a brownie to a cookie. So why not do these cutouts instead? Plus, you can eat all the brownie scraps that are leftover from the heart cutouts. It’s a perfect snack!
Has anyone else thought about how ironic it is that a month dedicated to eating healthfully is followed by a month all about chocolate? But hey, I’m not complaining.
There are much better sources for complaint at my local grocery store. Lines that are too long at checkout. Snow that doesn’t get cleared properly from the parking lot. People who bring more than 10 items into the express lane. People who leave their carts in parking spaces instead of returning them. Food products on the shelf for sale at half-price that are actually expired. Is that even legal?
How about we take some action and change things? One day Kenny got so exasperated at the expired cheese being sold that he threw it all into a box lying on the ground and gave it to the store manager. But that’s the only form of resistance I’ve seen.
How many of you have schooled someone in the express lane with too many items? If you have, tell me. And has anyone ever caught anyone else in the act of leaving a cart in a parking lot? That is such a pet peeve of mine!
What are your grocery store pet peeves? I want to know!
At least the stores have food, which we can use to bake lovely brownie heart cutouts. They’re a snap to make and a huge success, especially with kids. You can even make them with kids. I used my trusty brownie base, but you can also use a mix. It’s simple!
While you’re out there hassling with pet peeves, just look forward to the food you’re coming home to. And if you see grocery store injustice, fight back!
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Line a 9 x 13 pan with foil and coat with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in the microwave and then stir in the cocoa until it dissolves completely. Add the sugar and stir until combined. Then, add the eggs and vanilla, and stir again until the mixture is smooth. Finally, add the salt and flour and mix again.
- Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes until the brownies are set. Cool completely.
- When the brownies are cool, mix the red gel food coloring into the vanilla frosting until your desired shade of pink comes forth.
- Using a heart cookie cutter, cut out the heart shapes and place the hearts onto a sheet of wax or parchment paper. Frost the brownie cutouts and add sprinkles.
- Allow the frosting to set. Store covered.
]]>
This is the chocolate month, the time when everyone forgets their healthy resolutions, turning straight to the chocolate lava cake. It’s only human nature. We can’t be deprived for extended periods.
So if you’re gonna do the chocolate, make bark. It’s a cheap and easy gift for a loved one, or you can eat it all yourself. I have a video tutorial below plus a step-by-step recipe, so keep reading!
I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but 95% of all diets fail. America is a country ruled by diets and a thriving fitness industry, and yet we’re in a health crisis. How is that possible?
Simple, really. When you try and sustain impossible behavior, it all comes crumbling down. Dieting at its core is all about the word “no.” Diets focus on what you can’t eat: dairy, or carbs, or sugar, or anything a caveman didn’t eat, or all of the above. Who wants a voice in their head constantly telling them that what they’re doing is wrong?
Seriously, if people talked to one another the way that their inner voices talk to them sometimes, they’d get slapped. We’ve somehow been taught that self-shaming isn’t just acceptable: it’s desirable. That, my friends, is a load of garbage. When did deprivation become a virtue? When did dieting become a way of life? Because here’s the thing. You ready?
If you’re dieting all the time, it’s probably not working. Seriously. It’s one thing to live with a healthy mindset and goals and quite another to base life upon what you will not let yourself have, and to constantly go back and forth with those arbitrary rules. I’m not a fan.
Message? Stop dieting. Start eating bark. Always works for me!
Bark is easy to put together, makes a great gift, and can be customized to any holiday or occasion. It takes just a few minutes (plus a half hour of chill time) to get it going. Take a look!
When all’s said and done, wouldn’t you rather spend time engaging in self-love and acceptance? Denial is never good, in life or in food. So say yes to yourself today, and say yes to some bark!
Ingredients
Instructions
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the chocolate chips for one minute. Stir. If not smooth and melted, heat an additional 20 seconds. Stir until smooth.
- Spread out the milk chocolate to about 1/2-inch thickness. Don't go too thin, or the bark won't be as good.
- In a separate bowl, heat the white chocolate chips for 40 seconds. Stir, and if not melted, heat an additional 20 seconds. Stir until smooth.
- Drop the white chocolate by spoonfuls gently onto the milk chocolate. Using a knife, swirl the melted white chocolate gently into the milk chocolate. Do not overdo it, or your bark will become one uniform muddy color.
- One at a time, add the Valentine's Day candies, spacing them evenly around the bark. Add the sprinkles and airbrush the bark for added color. You can buy airbrush spray at most grocery stores or cake decorating aisles (like at Michael's).
- Chill the bark for 30 minutes. Break into pieces. Store in an airtight container. If you're worried about melting, keep it in the refrigerator until shortly before serving.