Happy Valentine's Day!

I have fond memories of my Dad coming home on Valentine's Day, after work, and bringing each of us kids a Russell Stover's heart-shaped box wrapped in red cellophane. I even remember as a pre-teen, loving the heart-shaped box even more than the chocolate inside (now THAT'S a long time ago...). So, I have always made certain, ever since our children were small, that each one received a similar box of chocolates on Valentine's Day.

My girls, as you may know, love spending time in the kitchen with me and really love doing special things for the holidays. With St. Valentine's Day being no exception, we've created a special family meal for a number of years now to celebrate. We've had a variety of red foods, heart-shaped desserts and pink drinks. This year's feast included: Heart-shaped meatloaf with ketchup sauce, pink mashed potatoes and green beans (I just couldn't figure out a way to make them pink or red and (much to the children's chagrin) insisted that at least one vegetable from a non-starch category be served.

Here are some pictures of the dinner, as well as a few of the *sides* the girls helped prepare.

Above, strawberry jello jigglers made by N and CB. The chocolate covered strawberries were B's own special creation---and did they ever taste good!
And just because he let me take his picture, I won't even mention that you should take notice of the Boy trying to duck out of the picture because he had just come back in from basketball practice. See me not even mentioning it!