Showing posts with label Valentine's Day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Valentine's Day. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies






 Gabe loved them!
As many of you already know, one of my favorite aspects of any holiday is the food (namely, desserts).  For Valentine's Day I felt the need to bake something and these Red Velvet Whoopie Pies seemed perfectly appropriate.  This was actually my first attempt with Whoopie Pies and they were remarkable.  I'm pretty sure they'll blow your mind.

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies (adapted from Better Homes and Gardens)
Ingredients
  • 2  cups  all-purpose flour
  • 2  Tbsp.  unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2  tsp.  baking soda
  • 1/4  tsp.  salt
  • 1/2  cup  butter, softened
  • 1  cup  packed brown sugar
  • 1    egg
  • 1  tsp.  vanilla
  • 1/2  cup  buttermilk
  • 1  1-oz. bottle  red food coloring (2 Tbsp.)
  • 1  recipe  cream cheese frosting (recipe here)

directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment; set aside. In medium bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. In large mixing bowl beat butter on medium to high 30 seconds. Beat in brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk, beating after each addition just until combined. Stir in food coloring.
3. Spoon batter in 1- or 2-inch diameter rounds, about 1/2-inch high on prepared baking sheets, allowing 1 inch between each round.
4. Bake 7 to 9 minutes for 1-inch cookies or 9 to 11 minutes for 2-inch cookies, or until tops are set. Cool completely on baking sheets on rack. Remove cooled cookies from baking sheets.
5. To fill, dollop Whoopie Pie Filling on flat sides of half the cookies. Top with remaining cookies, flat sides down. Makes 60 one-inch or 42 two-inch cookies.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Romance and a Giveaway Winner

 via
Gabe and I celebrated Valentine's Day on Saturday by making dinner together, drinking wine, eating chocolates, and playing board games.  The weather was warm and sunny all weekend and I completely took advantage by spending most of my time outside, walking on the beach, wearing sun dresses, and getting coffee with girl friends.  It was the perfect weekend.  What are your Valentine's Day plans?

On a separate note, the winner of the Ariat Boots Giveaway is....Erin from Pursuit of Love, Laughter & Travels.  Congrats, Erin!  I'll e-mail you to coordinate. Langston's is offering free shipping on all orders (within the US) through the end of today with coupon code redvines.  Thanks again to Langston's Western Wear for hosting and thank you to everyone who entered.  Happy Valentine's Day!

Monday, February 15, 2010

The Best Valentine's Day Surprise






It was such a beautiful day yesterday and Gabe and I went for a Valentine's Day walk down to the park overlooking the beach in Santa Monica. As we were walking home from the park, we decided to take a different route and fortuitously stumbled upon the Sprinkles mobile truck! I had heard about this truck, but never actually encountered it and was starting to believe it was an urban legend. Well, I'm obviously now a believer and of course I had to buy a vanilla and a red velvet cupcake for myself (Gabe doesn't care for cake; he's on the "strictly pie" dessert plan). This was the best Valentine's Day surprise ever! I seriously couldn't believe my luck. Then we went home and I made this recipe for oreo kisses/truffles for the first time which were delicious! We cooked dinner together, ate lots of sweets, played gin rummy, and watched episodes of 30 Rock on DVD. It was the perfect Valentine's Day.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Couples Yoga






Gabe and I try to do yoga together whenever he has a weekend off work and as today is Valentine's Day, it seemed a great way to start our morning. I've always wanted to take a couples yoga class and although we've never made it to one, it's fun to at least practice together at home on our own. Maybe one day I'll be able to convince Gabe to come with me to an actual class. In the meantime, our tiny living room will have to work. Happy Valentine's Day!