What You Need:

2 C + 1 T canola oil, divided

1 lg. egg, slightly beaten

1/2 C milk

1 C sweet apple, peeled, cored and chopped

1 C all purpose flour

1/2 C sugar + 1 T sugar, divided

1 t baking powder

1 1/4 t cinnamon, divided

1/4 t salt

1/2 C strawberry or maple syrup

How to Make It:

Place the 2 C of canola oil into a deep fryer or heavy pan and allow to heat to 365 degrees.

Pour the milk into a bowl with the slightly beaten egg and whisk to combine.

Add the apples to the mixture and gently stir to incorporate.

In a separate mixing bowl toss together the flour, 1 T sugar, the baking powder, 1/4 t cinnamon and the salt.

Add the flour mixture to the egg and milk and blend until all the dry ingredients are just moistened.

Drop 3 to 4 teaspoonfuls of the batter into the hot oil and fry 4 minutes, turning occasionally for even browning.

Remove the fritters when they are a golden brown with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to drain.

Continue deep frying in this manner being sure to allow the oil to return to the correct temperature before adding a new batch.

Place the remaining sugar and 3/4 t of the cinnamon into a sealable plastic bag.

Add the fritters a couple at time.

Seal the bag after each addition and shake to cover the fritters well.

Place the fritters on plates.

Place the syrup into a microwave safe bowl.

Stir in the remaining cinnamon until well combined.

Microwave on high for 30 seconds or until the syrup is warmed.

Pour the syrup over the fritters just before serving.

Serving Size:  16 fritters

Breakfast is a great time to spend together as a family and enjoying a special Valentine’s Day treat.  Add a few fresh strawberries on the side to how them just how much they matter. 

Here are some of the foods you might want to add to the menu on Valentine’s Day.

1.      Oysters – these hard-shelled ocean beauties have long been used to initiate sexual desire. People who never even dared touch an oyster were looking to the slimy delights to help them turn on the charm. Oysters can be eaten in a number of ways from on the half shell to dipped and fried in batter. However you can get them down your gullet, they are said to be a natural aphrodisiac.

2.      Chocolate – Over the last couple of years, everyone has been touting the amazing properties of chocolate. We aren’t just talking about any chocolate but dark chocolate. It contains the largest percentage of cacao and produces those “feel good” endorphins that make us ready for anything. Even the Aztec ruler, Montezuma, used to indulge in a drink made with cacao before spending the evening with his concubines.

3.      Hot Peppers – Have you ever eaten something very hot and felt the warmth run through your body? The substance in hot foods like peppers and cayenne pepper is called capsaicin. It causes a thermogenic reaction in the body that speeds up the metabolism. Combine that with some chocolate and oysters (maybe not all together) and you could have an evening of love that is made to order.

4.      Alcohol – Here we are specifically talking about wine and champagne. Some would argue that the reason that alcohol acts as an aphrodisiac is that it lowers our inhibitions. Even so, we wouldn’t do anything that we didn’t already have in our minds to do. The alcohol is a convenient excuse to have some fun. Let the bubbles tickle your nose and light a fire in your loins.

There are plenty of other things that act as aphrodisiacs, too. If a food gives you that “all over” good feeling, use it to get you in the mood on Valentine’s Day and every day of the year.

When Valentine’s Day rolls around, love is in the air. If you want love to be in the bedroom, choose dinner fare that will lead in that direction. Certain foods are known aphrodisiacs and can inspire romance.

What is an aphrodisiac? It is something that arouses our libido. It can be a scent, an image, or even a food. Eating that particular food will get the eater hot and bothered in a good way. 

If that is the direction you are looking to go with your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day, then look no further than the kitchen. They say that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. On February 14^th, we will wow his or her brain to turn on the rest of their body.

Fancier Fare

Some of you may use Valentine’s Day as the time to stretch your cooking repertoire. In that case, you want to tantalize your sweetie with a feast for the eyes and the palate. It will take some time to prepare such a meal but that’s okay since it’ll be for a special person.

For a welcome change, consider doing a multiple course dinner. Serve an appetizer, then a salad, and then the dinner meal. Follow with a decadent dessert and coffee or a cognac. He or she will be impressed with a presentation like that.

Set the Mood

While dinner is cooking, have some sort of snack to set the mood for the meal and the rest of the evening. A few strawberries with a glass of champagne aren’t a bad way to begin. The combination of sweet strawberries and sparkling champagne will tickle the tongue and relax you both.

Are you thinking of a romantic dinner this year? Stay home and prepare the meal yourself. Make it a night to remember.

No one takes the day off for Valentine’s Day, so dinner is usually the meal of choice for couples to share. This year, instead of eating out, use your extra cash to create a bistro like setting in your home. Serve up a romantic dinner for two this year that you put together.

The first thing to decide is how fancy you desire this dinner date to be. You can keep it simple and spend more time whipping up a generous dessert or vice versa. Knowing the special person in question like you do, the choice won’t be too hard.

Simple Dinner Ideas

For those of you, who feel the need for speed, go with a dish that is easy to prepare. Since there will be just the two of you, opt for Cornish hens instead of a big roasting chicken. They are so small that you can marinate these little beauties before baking them for a flavor that will infuse through the meat.

Maybe red meat is more to your liking. Find the best cuts of steak or a small roast to be the main dish. New York strip steaks or a T-bone will have everyone’s mouth watering. You don’t usually eat it every day because they are so expensive so treat yourself and your companion. Steaks don’t take long to cook either.

Any dish that can be prepared ahead of time and slipped in the oven on Valentine’s Day is considered a simple dinner. Fix a casserole meal with only a few ingredients. You can do wonders with chicken breasts, rice, and cream soup.

Toss a salad to go with dinner. Instead of store bought croutons on the top, use cubed pieces of wheat bread. Wash them with a little butter or reduced fat margarine and pop them into the oven to bake. They still add crunch to the salad with less fat than regular croutons. Even better would be to sprinkle the salad with shelled sunflower seeds to add crunch.

Soups are a great way to hide lots of vegetables for those who don’t take a shine to them. for Valentine’s Day, serve a simple soup like potato, vegetable, chicken noodle, or tomato. What soup you serve will depend on the meal. The point is that soup helps to fill you up without eating a lot of it.

 Now for the meal. It is hard to eat healthy sometimes, especially if there is a holiday celebration going on. Well, Valentine’s Day is no different. Stick with recipes that use lean cuts of beef, pork, or chicken. Seafood can also be used.

Opt for lower fat ingredients in your recipes. If the main course recipe calls for heavy cream, substitute with half and half or light cream. Substitute margarine with butter. Avoid using too much salt. Use saltless seasonings to add flavor to the meal.

 Let your healthy meals extend to Valentine’s Day. After all, we are supposed to show love to those who mean the world to us. Keep their heart healthy.

Everyone used to look forward to Valentine’s Day. They got to eat sweets from their sweetie. But now that we are trying to be a bit more health conscious these days, so that holidays won’t show in our bodies, there are more healthy ways to celebrate this day of love.

If you want to indulge in a sweet treat on Valentine’s Day, make room for it with a healthier meal.

It is not too hard to sneak in a few healthy additions to the meal that your loved ones won’t mind at all. Whether it is a romantic dinner for two, family dinner, or a couples’ dinner party, employ some savvy to come up with a leaner meal.

Start off with a healthy snack that everyone can eat while dinner is baking. Instead of cookies and candies, put out a tray of veggies and fruit. The vegetables can be jazzed up with a vegetable cream cheese or Ranch dressing. For the fruit, use flavored fruit dip. Yogurt flavors like strawberry, peach, or blueberry work well also as a dip.

Get rid of the hot wings for appetizers and opt instead for chicken chunks breaded with Shake-n-Bake or regular breadcrumbs. Cubing boneless, skinless chicken breasts and rolling them in batter saves a lot of calories. Serve them with hot pepper sauce or regular hot sauce and your metabolism will rev up from the heat.