If you love punch, then you’ll most likely love this drink as well. While it’s a little more expensive to make than your average punch, this recipe is more upmarket.

You can use it to begin an intimate dinner for two, celebrating an anniversary, as a thank you drink, as a cocktail for a small party, or for just about any other reason.

Use it to toast to each other, to celebrate your love, or just for an enjoyable night together.

Picture this: intimate dinner for two, arms entwined, candlelight, and soft music, and special people who love each other.

Now that the scene has been set, all that’s left to do is wait for your night evolve…

What You Need:

1/2 tub Raspberry Ice Drink Mix
1 C cranberry juice, cold
1 C water, cold
2 C sparkling water
Frozen raspberries

How to Make It:

Place the drink mix powder into a small pitcher.

Pour the cranberry juice and water into the pitcher and whisk until the powder is completely dissolved and the ingredients are combined well.

Place the pitcher in the refrigerator at least 1 hour.

Just before serving stir in the sparkling water.

Place frozen raspberries in the bottom of 2 champagne glasses.

Pour the raspberry rendezvous over the top of the raspberries.

Serving Size: 2

If you love mushroom steak, you’ll love this recipe.

Portobello mushrooms have a great meaty taste and go well with any type of steak. Add garlic and vinegar to provide a special robust flavor.

You could use any steak for this recipe, and if you prefer, you could also use chops.

What You Need:

2 (8 oz) New York Strip steaks (1 inch thick)
1/2 t coarse salt
1 T olive oil
1 T unsalted butter
6 oz. Portobello mushrooms, sliced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 T balsamic vinegar

How to Make It:

Preheat the broiler.

Sprinkle both sides of the steaks with the salt.

Place the steaks on a broiler pan.

Broil 4 minutes then turn and continue broiling 3 minutes for medium rare.

Remove the steaks and place on plates loosely covered with foil.

Place the oil and butter into a skillet over medium heat.

Let the butter melt being sure to stir it into the oil.

Add the sliced mushroom and stir to coat.

Cook the mushrooms 4 minutes or until fork tender.

Add the garlic, stir and cook an additional 30 seconds.

Remove the skillet from the heat and add the vinegar stirring to coat.

Uncover the steaks and spread the mushroom mixture over the top just before serving.

Serving Size: 2

This romantic meal will have your true love’s heart pounding.

Preparing a meal such as this will make your Valentine feel even more special. To finish it all off, add a salad, plus a romantic chocolate dessert to top off your night.

(You will find a variety of starters, mains, desserts, and beverages, all on this site.)

What You Need:

1/2 (16 oz) box linguine noodles
1 C shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with basil and garlic, drained well
1 (3 oz) pkg. cream cheese, room temperature
4 fresh spinach leaves, torn

How to Make It:

Cook the linguine according to the package direction.

Rinse under cold water and drain well.

Place a skillet over medium heat on the stove.

Add the shrimp, tomatoes and the cream cheese.

Cook 4 minutes, stirring constantly until the shrimp are cooked through and the sauce is creamy.

Place the spinach leaves into a large salad bowl.

Add the shrimp mixture and toss to combine the spinach.

Serving Size: 2

Valentine’s Day is all about having fun and spending time together as a family.

This is a relatively quick recipe, and is so easy the kids could do most of it by themselves. (They may need supervision with the oven.)

What You Need:

1 (15.6 oz) box Cranberry Quick Bread mix
1 C water
2 T canola oil
2 large eggs
3 T creamy peanut butter
1 banana, peeled and sliced

How to Make It:

Place the oven temperature on 375 and allow the oven to heat up.

Spray a loaf pan with a non stick cooking spray and flour being sure to tap out the excess flour.

Place the quick bread mix into a mixing bowl.

Add the water, oil and egg and whisk until completely.

Bake for the amount of time directed on the box.

Remove and cool in the pan for 15 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling for 1 hour.

Cut 8 slices from the cooled loaf.

Spread the peanut butter on 4 slices of the bread.

Layer the bananas on top of the peanut butter.

Lay the remaining slices of bread on top of the sandwich.

Serving Size: 4

These make a quick little breakfast sandwich that can be eaten on the run. What better way to show your family how much they are appreciated on Valentine’s Day morning.

If you love chicken, you’ll love this recipe.  It’s great for Valentine’s Day or any time of the year.

It’s so easy to prepare, although a little messy.

This coating is easy enough that the kids could do it, but since it requires deep frying, that part should be done by an older child or an adult.

What You Need:

1 T ginger juice

1 T honey

8 chicken drumsticks

2 C canola oil

4 T corn flour

2 egg yolks, lightly beaten

4 T breadcrumbs

How to Make It:

Place the ginger juice into a sealable plastic bag big enough to hold all the drumsticks.

Add the honey to the bag and seal.

Shake the bag until the ingredients are mixed together well.

Add the drumsticks, seal and refrigerate 4 hours.

Place the canola oil into a deep fryer or large heavy sauce pan and bring the temperature to 365 degrees.

Remove the drumsticks from the bag and throw away the bag.

Roll each drumstick through the corn flour.

Dip them into the egg and then roll them through the breadcrumbs being sure to completely cover the drum stick.

Place 2 drumsticks into the fryer at a time and fry 5 minutes or until a golden crispy brown on the outside.

Allow the heat of the oil to come back to 365 degrees before adding any more drumsticks.

Drain on a paper towel and allow them to cool before serving.

Serving Size:  4

What child doesn’t enjoy a good chicken leg?  Give them these for lunch or dinner with a little honey and brown sugar dipping sauce and watch them eat every bite.

Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated.

This recipe requires the most basic of ingredients and they can be found in practically every kitchen – no matter where in the world you live.

It’s a quick and easy lunch, and won’t break the bank.

Plus… you can play around with it, and make the recipe uniquely yours by simply adding ingredients that take your fancy.

What You Need:

12 slices of white bread

12 slices American cheese

4 T butter, room temperature

How to Make It:

Spread each of the slices of bread on one side with the butter.

Place a skillet or griddle over medium heat on the stove.

Lay 6 slices of bread in the skillet butter side down.

Lay 2 slices of cheese on each piece of bread in the skillet.

Top each sandwich with the remaining bread slices buttered side facing up.

Brown for 3 minutes then flip the sandwiches.

Continue to brown an additional 3 minutes or until the sandwich is a golden brown on both sides and the cheese has melted.

Serving Size:  6 sandwiches

These good ole American grilled cheese sandwiches will show your children just how loved they are on Valentine’s Day.  Use heart shaped cookie cutters to cut each sandwich into different size edible hearts for the kids to enjoy.

Chocolate cookies are everyone’s favorite.

This recipe has a Valentine’s Day twist to it, and is great for all the family. It’s a quick and easy recipe – easy to prepare and easy to cook. The kids will have fun helping mom prepare these cookies for Valentine’s Day to surprise dad.

Or… the kids may prefer to make them by themselves and surprise both mom and dad!

What You Need:

1 1/2 C flour
2/3 C sugar
1 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
10 T unsalted butter, melted and hot
1/4 C + 2 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1 large egg
1/4 C + 2 T milk

How to Cook It:

Place the flour in a large mixing bowl.

Add the sugar, baking soda and salt and blend all the ingredients together well.

Place the hot melted butter into a separate bowl.

Add the cocoa powder and whisk until very smooth.

Add the egg and milk to the chocolate mixture and blend until completely combined.

Pour the chocolate mixture into the flour mixture and stirring from the bottom up mix the ingredients until the flour mixture is just moistened completely.

Place a piece of wax paper on a flat surface and remove the dough to the wax paper.

Form the dough into a rectangle.

Place the dough into the refrigerator and allow it to chill 15 minutes.
Set the oven temperature to 400 degrees and allow the oven to heat while finishing preparing the cookies.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and use a heart shaped cookie cutter to cut out the dough into 8 heart shaped cookies.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place the cookies in a single layer on the prepared sheet.
Bake 12 minutes or until the bottoms just begin to color and the tops begin to crack.

Allow to cool 5 minutes before serving.

Serving Size: 8

Serve these on Valentine’s morning with a few fresh berries on the side.

Breakfast is a great time to spend together as a family and enjoy a special Valentine’s Day treat. Add a few fresh strawberries on the side to how them just how much they matter.

Sweetheart Breakfast Fritters with Love Syrup is a great recipe to start the day. Although it’s a little fiddly, it’s well worth the effort.

Surprise not only your partner, but also the rest of the family. After all, why should they miss out on all the fun?

What You Need:

2 C + 1 T canola oil, divided
1 lg. egg, slightly beaten
1/2 C milk
1 C sweet apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1 C all purpose flour
1/2 C sugar + 1 T sugar, divided
1 t baking powder
1 1/4 t cinnamon, divided
1/4 t salt
1/2 C strawberry or maple syrup

How to Make It:

Place the 2 C of canola oil into a deep fryer or heavy pan and allow to heat to 365 degrees.

Pour the milk into a bowl with the slightly beaten egg and whisk to combine.

Add the apples to the mixture and gently stir to incorporate.

In a separate mixing bowl toss together the flour, 1 T sugar, the baking powder, 1/4 t cinnamon and the salt.

Add the flour mixture to the egg and milk and blend until all the dry ingredients are just moistened.

Drop 3 to 4 teaspoonfuls of the batter into the hot oil and fry 4 minutes, turning occasionally for even browning.

Remove the fritters when they are a golden brown with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to drain.

Continue deep frying in this manner being sure to allow the oil to return to the correct temperature before adding a new batch.

Place the remaining sugar and 3/4 t of the cinnamon into a sealable plastic bag.

Add the fritters two at time, otherwise the oil will go cold and the fritters will be spoiled. (Because they won’t cook as well in cool oil.)

Seal the bag after each addition and shake to cover the fritters well.
Place the fritters on plates.

Place the syrup into a microwave safe bowl.

Stir in the remaining cinnamon until well combined.

Microwave on high for 30 seconds or until the syrup is warmed.

Pour the syrup over the fritters just before serving.

Serving Size: 16 fritters

There’s nothing more romantic than having your partner make a special food gift especially for you. But you don’t want to be spending hours on end in the kitchen before the big day, so we’ve made our “Strawberry Sweetheart Bites” recipe as easy as can be.

Surprise your loved one with this easy to prepare recipe and you’ll soon know why they say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach!

These little treats can be wrapped and placed in an basket, put into lunchboxes or even used as appetizers for a child’s Valentine’s Day party.

What You Need:

4 (6 in) soft tortilla shells
1/4 (8 oz) container strawberry cream cheese
4 T strawberry jam

How to Cook It:

Spread each of the 4 tortillas with the strawberry cream cheese to the edges of the tortilla.

Spread 1 T of strawberry jam down the middle of each of the tortillas. Fold the end of the tortilla in about 2 in.

Grab the front edge of the tortilla and roll until completely closed.
Cut into 2 inch bites.

Serving Size: 24

There’s nothing more romantic than having your partner make a special food gift especially for you. But you don’t want to be spending hours on end in the kitchen before the big day, so we’ve made our “This Kiss Mint Cookie” recipe as easy as can be.

Surprise your loved one with this gorgeous cookie recipe and you’ll soon know why they say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach!

(To make it extra special, place the prepared cookies in a beautifully lined basket or other container. Presentation is just as important as taste.)

What You Need:

1/2 C flour
1/4 t baking soda
3 T + 2 t unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 t salt
4 T unsalted butter, room temperature
6 T sugar
1 small egg, well beaten
1/4 t vanilla extract
1 1/2 C semisweet chocolate chips
2 T solid shortening
1/2 t peppermint extract

How to Make It:

Empty the flour into a large mixing bowl.

Add the baking soda, cocoa powder and salt and whisk to combine well.

Put the butter into a separate bowl.

Add the sugar, egg and vanilla to the butter.

Beat with a mixer on low speed 30 seconds or until completely combined.

Set the mixer speed to medium and continue to beat the mixture for another 30 seconds.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat on low speed 15 seconds just until the flour mixture is moistened.

Place a piece of plastic wrap on a flat surface and transfer the dough to the wrap.

Wrap the dough in the plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees and allow it to heat while finishing the cookies.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Unwrap the dough and cut it into 1/4 inch slices.

Place the slices 1/2 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheet.

Bake 8 minutes or until the cookies are firm.

Place the parchment paper with the cookies on a wire rack to cool.

Place the chocolate chips, shortening and peppermint extract together in a microwave safe bowl.

Microwave on high 30 seconds or until the shortening has completely melted.

Remove and stir until you have a smooth consistency.

Drop one cookie at a time into the chocolate mixture and use a fork to turn the cookie so it is completely covered.

Place the cookies on wax paper to cool and set about 15 minutes.

Serving Size: 24