Banana Splits for Valentine's Day
I started a tradition when my oldest son was 4 years old. Since our "sweethearts" are our children, we celebrate Valentine's Day by having banana splits for dinner! I make sure to have anything a person could desire for toppings. Our dining table looks just like a malt shop. (You should see the huge bowl of cherries that adorns the center of the table!) All with the benefit of having a fun intimate family meal, and the cost is the same or less than what we would have spent if we went to eat at an ice cream shop. And we get to keep the left over ingredients!
Valentine's Day is the one time a year my children can look forward to eating dessert for dinner, just as they count on turkey for Thanksgiving. It's a treat we all love! Now, we have a brood of 15, 10 and 4. We've been celebrating Valentine's Day with banana splits for 11 years and my kids proclaim they will pass this family tradition down to their own children some day!
By Jennifer from Hill Air Force Base, Utah
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Craft Project: Hershey Kiss Valentine Treats
These sweet little mice are great for kids to make for their classmates for Valentine's Day! Best of all, they are quick, easy, and inexpensive.
Approximate Time: About 20 minutes
Supplies:
- 2 wrapped chocolate kisses
- 2 inch square of pink construction paper
- 2 small wiggly eyes
- 1 small red pom pom
- black or brown embroidery floss
- craft glue
- pencil
- scissors
Instructions:
Cut about a 1 1/2 inch heart from the construction paper. Glue the heart between the two chocolate kisses, bottom to bottom, to create the mouse's body (chocolate kisses) and the ears (heart). Glue on the wiggly eyes and small pom-pom for a nose and remove the paper tag from that chocolate kiss. The other paper tag is the mouse's tail. Cut a 2-inch length of embroidery thread and glue under the pom-pom nose for whiskers.
By Rachel's Mom from Wilkesboro, NC
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Recycle Candy Canes for Valentine's Day
Have candy canes left over from Christmas? Recycle them for Valentine's Day with this great craft that's easy and inexpensive to do with the kids. Criss-cross the candy canes so they form a heart shape.
Hot glue the candy canes together where they intersect. Hot glue curling ribbon and a wrapped piece of hard candy to the top center point of the heart. Attach a personal message to one of the ribbons.
By Rachel's Mom from Wilkesboro, NC
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Valentine Cookie Bouquet
Cookie Bouquet
A cookie bouquet is very easy and thrifty to make yourself if you're looking for a special gift. You can order them online or at a bakery, but are extremely expensive. They range in price from $24.99 - $59.99 or higher.
The bouquet pictured has 8 Valentine Day Cookies neatly arranged in a large mug. I still have to wrap it in cellophane and tie it at the top with a fancy ribbon. I donated it to our senior citizen's group in February to be used as one of the door prizes.
By MCW from NY
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Craft Project: Valentine Cookie House
This is an Easy No Bake Valentine House. Makes a pretty Valentine Decoration. Me and my son, who is 10, made this one and it is a fun project for kids with some supervision.
Approximate Time: 24 hours (including drying time)
Supplies:
- Strawberry Wafer Cookies
- Canned Vanilla Icing
- Asst. Candies For Decorating
Instructions:
Start by assembling 4 walls using icing as the mortar. Then stand each wall up and icing the 4 corners. Let dry for approximately 2 hours for icing to set.
Assemble 2 sections for the roof and join them with icing. Icing the top section of the house where the roof will set and then set the roof on top. I used toothpicks to hold the roof in place until it set.
Cut corners off of some of the cookies and fill in under the roof with icing. I found the easiest way to do this is using a toothpick to hold them. Again let dry for approximately 2 hours for the icing to set.
Once dry, ice the roof and apply candy decorations. Let dry overnight and then remove the toothpicks.
Hint: To speed up drying time, you can preheat your oven and then turn it off and place the house on a cookie sheet and put in oven while warm. Do NOT leave oven on or it will burn.
By CinnamonRoseCottage from York County, Pa
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Rice Krispie Treat Kisses
A cute valentine dessert is to make Krispy Rice Kisses. Make the cereal and marshmallow treats as usual but form them in a funnel to shape them like candy kisses. Wrap in foil and add a love message. This is great idea for class parties.
By Cheryl from Missouri
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Low Calorie Treats for Valentine's Day
Having trouble finding a low calorie treat for your slightly overweight significant other? Make a cake out of no-fat chocolate whipped cream topped with a heart of luscious red strawberries!
Happy Valentine's Day!
By Kenneth Hoffman
Editor's Note: Feel free to post your favorite low-cal Valentine's Day treats.
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Pink Milk On Valentine's Day
When my kids were little I'd buy mix the Nestle's Quik Strawberry mix into the milk for their cereal then put it in a little pitcher. It would make the milk a nice pink color and be a nice surprise for Valentine's Day morning. A dab of red food coloring would also work.
Susan
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Giant Chocolate Kisses
For those who still have the funnels made by Tupperware, they make a wonderful mold for homemade "giant" chocolate kisses! Makes a great Valentine gift for anyone!
By Las Vegas Angel
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Craft: Large Valentine's Day Kiss
Ingredients:
- 2 pkgs. chocolate chips
- 1/2 pkg. of nuts of your choice
Directions:
Melt chocolate in the microwave. Stir in nuts. Take a large brand new funnel and grease with butter. Cover end of funnel with a piece of tin foil. Pour melted chocolate into funnel and put funnel into a plastic glass then into the freezer until solid. Wrap in tin foil and add a Ribbon with your own sentiments written on it.
By Debra in Colorado
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Valentine's Soda For Two
Valentine's Soda For Two
There is nothing more romantic than an old fashioned ice cream soda shared with your favorite sweetie. So here is a "sweet treat" for Valentine's Day that you can set out on your desk or, if you can't resist the M&M's, you can pull out the flowers and eat the M&M's and fill the glass with rock salt or colored sand. I choose Pink because it is one of my favorite colors but you can make this any color you want or fill the glass with any kind of candy you would like. This could also be used for a birthday gift also.
Time to complete: 1 hour, including shopping at the Walmart
Materials
- One old fashioned soda fountain glass (bought at thrift store for $.50)
- Lace and Ribbon all in one ($1.97)
- Small amount of ribbon for a bow ($.44 for the whole spool)
- One 14 oz bag of Cupid Mix M&M's ($2.00)
- On small spray carnations ($.97)
- One small spray of roses ($.97)
- Couple of Straws
- Hot glue gun
- Glue sticks
Glue lace and ribbon trim around the upper rim of the glass. Tie a fluffy bow and glue where edges of lace meet on the glass. Fill glass with M&M's. Cut three carnations from the bunch of carnations and one open rose from the bunch of rose. Tuck the carnations in the glass in a triangle shape and add a rose to the center. Tuck in a couple of straws.
By Debra Frick
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Craft Project: Lolly Pop Valentines
Quick homemade lolly pop Valentines.
Approximate Time: 15 minutes
Supplies:
- Cardstock
- Stamp
- Ink
- Lolly pops
- Ribbon
- adhesive
Instructions:
- Punch out shapes. I used a scalloped circle and a simple circle to make a flower shape.
- Stamp a greeting or image on your shape.
- Adhere punched shapes onto the top of each lolly pop.
- Tie a short length of ribbon to the lolly pop.
Lolly pops were purchased at the Dollar tree (20 for $1.00)
By Melissa from Mobile, AL
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Candy, chocolate and baked goods are traditional for this romantic holiday. Spoil your friends and family with these ideas. This guide is about sweet treats for Valentine's Day.
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