By Margaret Malsam
Valentine’s Day is almost here, and you may be wondering what to buy for your sweetheart, a friend or family member. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to show the special people in your life how much you love them this Valentine’s Day. Little things do mean a lot, and here are some fun ways to say, “I love you.”
• Start the day with a surprise breakfast treat before you rush out the door. If breakfast is only a quick cup of coffee and cereal, you can add fresh strawberries with whipped cream. Prepare this dish before retiring and refrigerate overnight. Set the table with bright red napkins and your best dishes to make a festive start of the day.
• Chocolate has romantic power. Besides research shows that chocolate, especially the dark variety, is actually good for you! It can lower your blood pressure and fight depression.
The combination of chocolate and love packs a double whammy. Chocolate contains caffeine-like substances, which excite the system as well as the taste buds. Make or buy one or two single pieces of a high quality, dark chocolate candy or confection and share them with your special someone. If you want to treat the entire family, purchase a high-quality cocoa mix. Mix up a warm and aromatic batch and add some fresh whipped cream. For an adult, add a dash of your favorite liqueur, and it won’t matter how early the sun sets outside.
• Treat yourself and a special someone with the surprise of sparkling wine or champagne to celebrate your love. Drop a single fresh raspberry or strawberry into a glass of sparkling wine to heighten the flavor and appearance. The tiny bubbles that tickle in your mouth can also tickle hearts.
• If you are super busy and perhaps too exhausted to celebrate Valentine’s, you can make a future date to go out for a romantic meal in one of the fine dining restaurants in a mountain gambling town. Slip an IOU into a Valentine Card with a promise for a future outing.
• Valentine’s Day is a great time to be in the kitchen. No matter how cold it gets outside it’s always warm by the stove. Most people think of something lovin’ coming from the oven as an old commercial used to say. The smell of something cooking in the oven will warm hearts, especially on a cold and dreary Colorado day. I think it was Erma Bombeck who used to laughingly advise homemakers to welcome hubby home with baking aroma by chopping an onion and putting it in the oven late in the afternoon. Onions, however, are not romantic, but you can bake something simple and sweet for your loved ones. My family really loves this quick and easy cherry chocolate bundt cake that never fails and only takes a few minutes to bake in the microwave oven. It has a great aroma and a rich “black forest cake” taste.
Cherry Chocolate Bundt Cake
• 1 package chocolate cake mix (preferably dark chocolate or fudge flavor)
• 1 can cherry pie filling
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
Mix all together thoroughly. Scoop into a greased microwave-safe Bundt pan. Bake on high for 12-14 minutes. Let set five minutes before removing from pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or frost if desired.
