Happy Valentines Day!

Now that I am home during the day I have become a fan of Studio 5. I got these two Valentines ideas from them.

LACY FRENCH VANILLA PANCAKES



I made these on Sunday morning. They turned out pretty good. Here is the recipe if wanted.

Ingredients:
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tbsp melted butter
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp French vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
Method:

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, butter, and extract. Add flour and sugar. Beat until smooth.

To make lacy pancakes:
Heat griddle to medium heat. Place batter into squeeze bottle. Squeeze batter into an outline shape of heart. Let it cook for several seconds before decorating with swirls.

When batter is dry, slide off griddle and turn onto a plate lined with paper towels to cool.

To make bottom pancake:
Outline heart shape, let it cook for about 20 seconds. Fill in with batter to form a solid heart.

Flip to cook other side. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels to cool.
Ingredients:
Method:

Strawberries:
Ingredients:
2 cups sliced strawberries
1-2 tbsp powdered sugar
Zest from 1 small orange
Method:

Place strawberries in small bowl, sprinkle with powdered sugar. Toss to coat. Add orange zest. Set aside.
Chantilly Cream
Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp powdered sugar
1/2 tsp French vanilla extract.
Method:

In a medium bowl, whip cream sugar and extract until soft peaks form.

To assemble:
Place whole heart shaped pancake on plate. Place a small amount of berries in the center of the heart. Pipe cream in swirls around the edges. Place lacy pancake on top. Dust with powered sugar.

Makes 4 servings


JELLO POPCORN



I made these to take around as a Valentines treat!
Ingredients:
¼ C butter or margarine
4 T light corn syrup
½ C granulated sugar
1-3.5oz box flavored JELL-O (don NOT use sugar free)
7-9 cups popped popcorn (I like air popped, but microwave works great, too)
Method:
Preheat oven to 300°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place popcorn in an extra large mixing bowl.
Place corn syrup and butter in a sauce pan on medium heat. Stir until butter is melted. Add sugar and Jell-o and stir to combine. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 5 minutes. Pour over popcorn and stir until all the corn is well coated. Spread mixture evenly onto prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven and let cool to room temp. You can then break the popcorn apart and serve in bags or jars, prepare for gift-giving OR just dump it in a bowl and eat it all yourself!
Our favorite flavors are raspberry and lime, but pineapple and strawberry are REALLY lovely, too. The possibilities are endless.

And of course here are some of the latest pictures of Annie!