Valentine Party Food and Snacks!

DECORATE VALENTINE COOKIES
 - Set out some unfrosted heart shaped cookies, tubs of ready-made frosting, paper plates, plastic knives and lots of different color sprinkles, and let the kids have fun creating their own Valentine treats!

________

CUPID'S DELIGHT CHERRY FLOAT

Cherry 7-up, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and a maraschino
cherry on top.

_________

STRAWBERRY MICE (Too cute not to put here!!!)

Ingredients: Fresh strawberries, Mini chocolate chips, Black decorators' icing, Almond slivers, Toothpick, Red lace licorice
Cheese (Your choice)

1. For each mouse, slice a small section from the side of a strawberry so it sits flat.
2. Press a mini chocolate chip into the tip for a nose, using a small dab of icing to secure it in place, if needed.
3. Add icing eyes and stick 2 almond slivers into the top of the berry for ears.
4. For a tail, use a toothpick to carve a small hole in the back of the berry and push the end of a piece of licorice lace into the hole.

These cute 'berry mice' are wonderful served alone  as a treat... or with an assortment of cheese, crackers and other fruit! ...(These were made for my 6 and 9 year old grandchildren and they loved them!) Image by KidActivities.net 

_________________

'REALLY EASY' VALENTINE COOKIES

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
2. Place vanilla wafer cookies 1-inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Set a Hershey's chocolate Kiss on the center of each cookie.
4. Bake at 200 degrees for 5 minutes.

Remove from oven and gently press an M&M candy or a candy heart into the center of the softened Hershey's Kiss.
Allow the cookies to cool completely to let the chocolate harden again.

________________________

'HEART SHAPED' SANDWICHES

Ingredients:
Cream cheese, softened
Red food coloring
Bread
Heart cookie cutter
Jam - strawberry or raspberry

1. Add a few drops of red food coloring to the softened cream cheese and mix until the color is a light pink throughout.
2. Cut bread into heart shapes with the cookie cutter.
3. Spread cream cheese on the bread and top with the jam.

_____________

VALENTINE LOVE CHOW~ Reeeeeely good! (Recipe can be doubled--these directions show the amount in the image)

5 cups Chex® cereal
1/2 cup white vanilla baking chips plus 2 Tablespoons chips
1/3 cup peanut butter
2 1/2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/3 cup powdered sugar plus 2 Tablespoons
1/2 cup red, white and pink candy-coated chocolate candies (M&Ms) Additionally candy can be tossed in as desired.

Optional: 2 Tablespoons red or pink jimmies sprinkles (KidActivities did not use 'jimmies' but added some candy corn in the colors of red/white/pink

1. Place cereal in large bowl.
2. In small microwavable bowl, melt vanilla chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on High 1 minute (or until melted and smooth) It's important to keep watching as not to overcook mixture.
3. Pour peanut butter/white chocolate/butter mixture over cereal, folding over gently until evenly coated. 
4. Add M&M candy--and optional red/white/pink candy corn.
5. If bowl is large enough, add powdered sugar and gently fold it into the cereal mixture.  If bowl is not large enough, place cereal in a paper bag with the powdered sugar and gently shake until cereal is covered.
6. Add optional sprinkles at this time. Place mixture on waxed paper or foil; cool and set about 15 minutes. Store in airtight container.

NOTE: When first made-- the mixture tasted very sweet. It was actually better the second and following days. (The cereal 'absorbs' the mixture as it sits.) Both children and adults said 'yumm' to this goodie! We’ll be making it again next year!

Additionally, the cereal seemed a bit dry when KA first added the white chocolate, peanut butter, and butter mixture to the cereal.... KA then mixed and micro-waved more ingredients to add to the cereal. (Hence the added Tablespoons to list) This made the "Love Version' more like the well known 'Chocolate Puppy Chow' we all love. (Image by KidActivities.net; recipe adapted/ changed from Betty Crocker)

_____________

VALENTINE RICE KRISPY SQUARES

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Butter
10 cups Crispy rice cereal
9 cups Miniature marshmallows
2 cups Candy Heart (the tiny red spice type)
Candy Hearts (the ones with messages)
3/4 c Miniature chocolate chips
Red food coloring

1. Melt butter and marshmallows; stir until smooth.
2. In a large bowl, mix rice cereal, candy hearts(spiced tiny red ones) and miniature chips together.
3. To marshmallow mixture, blend in 2 drops red food coloring, adding more coloring if necessary to reach desired shade.
 
♥ Add marshmallow mixture to cereal mixture; stir quickly to combine. Spread on a large buttered pan; press with buttered hands.
♥ While warm, press on candy heart (with messages) spaced 1 to 1/2-2 inches apart.
♥ Refrigerate and cut into squares.

_____________

 RICE KRISPY VALENTINE POPS

Make Rice Krispie Squares according to recipe. Once the Rice Krispies are made, cut them into hearts using a Valentine cookie cutter.  Place a popsicle or candy stick into each cut-out rice krispie. Place the Rice Krispies in refrigerator or freezer for five to ten minutes. The coolness of the rice krispies will help the chocolate adhere quickly and easily to the treats.

Melt chocolate. (You can melt 2 large candy bars or your favorite chocolate) When treats are sufficiently cool, dip each rice krispie heart.  Sprinkle (with sprinkles) each treat immediately after dipping in chocolate being careful to keep them upright while drying. No Fuss suggests placing the dipped choclate treats in a tall glass to dry instead of placing them on wax paper. Eat and enjoy or if giving for a gift--finish the Valentine treats by covering them with cellophane and a bow. Courtesy of No Fuss Fabulous

_____________

FRIENDSHIP FRUIT SALAD for school or child care programs... 

♥ The extra cans of fruit left over can be donated to the local food pantry.

_____________

VALENTINE 'COOKIE GRAHAM'

Ingredients: a Graham cracker, pink frosting, (put red food coloring into white frosting) Alpha Bits cereal, small candy hearts

Directions:
♥ Frost Graham cracker with pink frosting.
♥ "Write" your message (I Love You or your name, etc.) using the Alpha Bits and placing them on the middle of the frosted cracker.
♥ Decorate the boarder with candy hearts.

________________

HAND-DIPPED CANDIES

Microwave high-quality chocolate in a bowl
Dip any of the following items to make chocolate candies:
Cookies, marshamllows, dried fruit, granola bars, pretzels, peanuts, caramels or cherries.

♥ To avoid messy hands, you may want to try dipping some of them with skewers or toothpicks.
♥ Place the chocolate candies on a cookie sheet that has been covered with wax paper and refrigerate or freeze until they harden.

You may also be interested in the EASY MAKING CANDY category... There is more on 'dipping' on the 'Candy Page'.

____________

CHERRY TREATS
Submitted by Miss Susan
Ingredients: 
1 Package Cupcake Paper Holders
1 Pound Cake or sponge cake (Sara Lee type in the States)
1 Can cheery pie filling
1 Can or carton of whipped topping  
Cut cake into small cubes.
Place cubes at the bottom of each cupcake holder.
Plop a spoonful of cherries on top of the cubed cake pieces.
Keep chilled.
When you are ready to serve dab the top with whipped topping and enjoy.

A nice Valentine's Treat! (There are also CHERRY RECIPES in the CHERRY THEME  near page bottom....) 

_______________

PINK TOAST
Mix milk with small amount of red food coloring. Have children paint the bread and then then toast it. Put out the strawberry jam to go with it!
_______________

RED CREAM CHEESE DIP
   ♥ Blend one tablespoon brown sugar into a container of strawberry cream cheese.
   ♥ Dip strawberries, red apple slices and cherries into the spread.

____________

♥ VALENTINE ROLL-UPS

Have children spread strawbery cream cheese and strawberry jam onto a tortilla- then roll the tortilla up like a log. Have children use the plastic knives  they used to spread the cream cheese and jam-- to cut the rolled up tortilla into sections.  If children do not like either the cream cheese of the jam--omit it...

Optional: Place strawberies halves on top of rolls (Image by KidActivities.net)

 __________

FOR OTHER Valentine Day Snacks consider...

 ♥ RED JELL-O jigglers with cool whip and sprinkles or have children use heart shaped cookie cutters to cut out hearts from the Jell-O.

♥ RED FRUIT (apples, strawberries, cherries, raspberries, etc.)

 ♥ Red/pink fruit JUICE

♥ SANDWICHES:
Use a cookie cutter to cut a heart shape into one piece of bread. Make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich using the heart-shaped cutout slices as the top piece.

♥ Heart shaped KRISPIE TREATS: Make normal recipe of Rice Krispie treats, but add red food coloring to butter/marshmallow mixture...Cut out with heart cookie cutters. If you do not have heart cutters you can either use a knife to cut them out or cut out a square and shape with your hands.

♥ Valentine's PUNCH

1 liter of Raspberry sherbet, 1/4 cup of pineapple juice, 2 liter sprite.
Put the sherbet in the punch bowl; it works best if it is half melted. Next add  pineapple juice. Wisk them together making a smooth texture. Last, add the sprite slowly, mixing continuously until the punch bowl is full.
The punch tastes good and you can use different colors of sherbet for different occasions.

♥ Heart-shaped snack cakes or cookies

♥ Valentine candy

♥ Cheese slices pressed with heart shaped cookie cutters...

_______________

SWEET TORTILLA SHAPES

 Using small fun shaped cookie cutters (in this case hearts for Valentine's Day) cut shapes out of a flour tortilla.
Place on non stick cookie sheet and lightly brush with a little melted butter.
Lightly sprinkle (you only need a little) with a mixture of 1 part cinnamon and 3 parts brown sugar.
Bake in a moderately hot oven for 10 minutes for a sweet and crispy treat.

NOTE: These are light and crispy and really good! The treats can be made any time of the year, with any shape.  Be sure your cookie cutters are sharp enough to easily cut through the tortillas. KA will definately be making these again and again!!! (Image by KidActivities.net)

_________________

 EASY VALENTINE PRETZELS ~ HUGS & KISSES...

Ingredients: 3 (10 ounce) bags checkerboard, windowpane or round shaped pretzels
1 (large pound size) bag M&Ms plain chocolate candies.  Use Red and Pink for Valentine and other colors to match other holidays and seasons. ( Red and green for Christmas, Green for St. Patricks' Day, etc.) 

Hershey's Hugs chocolates
Hershey's chocolate kisses

Preheat oven to 170 degrees.  Place pretzels on a parchment or waxed paper-lined cookie sheets in a single layer. DO ONLY ONE TYPE OF CANDY PER SHEET because the Hugs melt faster than the kisses.

Unwrap Hugs or Kisses, place one on each pretzel, repeat for an entire cookie sheet.

Place cookie sheets in the preheated oven, bake 4 MINUTES FOR THE SHEET OF pretzels and HUGS, 5-6 minutes for the pretzels and KISSES. Remove from oven and immediately put a M&M on top of each pretzel/chocolate, pressing down gently. When pressing down you may need to wiggle the chocolate around a little to fill in any gaps between the chocolate and the pretzel. This will help the chocolate stick to the pretzel.

Place cookie sheet in freezer or refrigerator until the chocolate is reset.  If this is a gift...wrap either in cellophane bags, a tin or a candy box. (Image by KidActivities.net) 

__________

HEART SHAPED CAKE (14 inches wide and 12 inches long)

This cake can be made using any flavor mix and any frosting. KidActivities made a strawberry Jell-O poke cake with Cool Whip/pudding frosting. (Recipe is below)

Don't have a heart shaped cake pan?

...Simply use one sqare pan and one round pan. Follow baking directions on cake mix box. Place sqare cake at a 'diamond' angle--and cut the round layer in half.

When cooled, place each half at the upper sides of the 'diamond angled' square cake.

________

JELL-O POKE CAKE RECIPE
1 pkg. (2-layer size) white cake mix
1 cup boiling water
1 pkg. (3 oz.) JELL-O Strawberry or Raspberry Flavor Gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
(Even though the cake mix KidActivities used was white--three whole eggs and not just the whites)

1. Prepare cake batter and bake as directed on the package for 8"X8" size pans.
2. Cool cake in pan 15 min. Pierce cake with a straw or large fork at 1/2-inch intervals.
 
3. Make Jell-O
Add boiling water to gelatin mix; stir until completely dissolved.
Stir in cold water; pour into the holes if using straw method-- or over cake if using fork. The method of putting Jell-) over cake/into holes is your choice.
Refrigerate 2-3 hours. Pudding mixture thickens as it sits.

4. FROST cake with the "below recipe", Cool Whip, or whipped cream.  After frosting-- leave as is or decorate with strawberries or raspberries. Refrigerate 2 hours.
The cake above was trimmed in strawberries that were cut in half... pink and white 'jimmies'  were sprinkled in the center. 

NOTE: This cake should be served cold and right out of the refrigerator! The cake slice shown above--was the first slice from the bottom point of the cake...

__________
BASIC RECIPE for  COOL WHIP and PUDDING FROSTING

1 cup milk
1 (3 1/2ounce) package instant pudding mix, any flavor
1/4 cup powdered sugar
8 ounces Cool Whip

Pour milk into bowl add pudding mix and sugar.
Beat with wire whisk or mixer on low for 2 minutes.
Gently fold in whipped topping.

NOTE: KidActivities used a 6 1/2 oz. box of pudding mix with 2 cups of 2% milk. A couple drops of red food gel coloring and 1/4 cup powdered sugar was added.
The pudding mixture was refrigerated a couple hours and then about 8 oz. of cool whip was gently folded in.
As the above cake is very large (Almost 14 inches wide and about 12 inches long)-- more topping was needed than in the basic recipe calls for.

Click here for all Valentine pages linked together: Art/Crafts, Snacks, Games, Songs, Jokes

__________