Valentine Greetings!

Especially for You!

"Oh, I know something I won't tell

Someone loves you awfully well,

If you will be my Valentine,

All my secrets shall be thine.

I'll share my pennies all with you,

Give you half my ice cream, too, 

Give all the world if it were mine, 

If you would be my Valentine." 

author unknown

Quickly popping in to wish you all a Happy St.Valentine's day!  Whether you are young, old, single, married, in a relationship or not, this day is for you!  It's a day to celebrate love, all kinds of love; between mothers and daughters, sisters, lovers, friends, etc.  I hope you are able to share this Valentine's day with someone you love!  

I will be celebrating with my three Valentines, my husband and my girls. I'll be cooking up something special for dinner - a creamy lobster pasta and a Nutella cheesecake for dessert.  Do you have any special plans for the weekend?  I would love to hear about it! 

Hugs and Kisses! xoxo

Making Palmiers

 Have you ever baked palmiers before?  I made them for the first time last week.  Aren't they pretty?  You won't believe how easy they are to make! Days before I made these, my friend Laura posted a photo of the palmiers she made.  They looked so gorgeous and perfect; I wondered how did she make those?  She kindly shared the recipe with me.  Thank you again, Laura!  I made them and posted a picture to Facebook and received several requests for the recipe.  Here is the link to Ina's recipe...  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/palmiers-recipe/index.html

I thought you'd like to see how I made them...

First, I sprinkled one cup of sugar onto my counter top.  Next, I rolled one sheet of cold puff pastry dough into a 13x13 inch square and sprinkled it with 1/2 cup of sugar.  I folded the edges towards the center, as you can see above...

I folded the dough again, so the two folds met in the center.  Finally, I folded it in half; like a book (as you can see in the above photo).  I ended up with six layers of dough.  I carefully placed the dough onto a sheet of parchment paper and put it in the freezer for fifteen minutes.  This step helps stiffen the dough so it is easier to cut and retain its shape.

After fifteen minutes, I removed the dough from the freezer and cut it into 3/8-inch slices.  I put them on a baking pan, flipped each slice on its side and slightly opened them up to form heart shapes. 

I baked mine at 425 degrees F for six minutes.  I flipped them over with a spatula and continued baking them for approximately five minutes.  It's important to keep a close eye on them, as the sugar can burn easily.  

Be very careful not to touch the palmiers with your fingers when you flip them.  I got a bad burn on my index finger - the caramelized sugar is really HOT!  Make sure to use oven mitts, like I did, after I got burned.  

Let cool on a baking rack...

...and watch them disappear before your eyes!

I

YOU!