What You Need:

12 slices of white bread

12 slices American cheese

4 T butter, room temperature

How to Make It:

Spread each of the slices of bread on one side with the butter.

Place a skillet or griddle over medium heat on the stove.

Lay 6 slices of bread in the skillet butter side down.

Lay 2 slices of cheese on each piece of bread in the skillet.

Top each sandwich with the remaining bread slices buttered side facing up.

Brown for 3 minutes then flip the sandwiches.

Continue to brown an additional 3 minutes or until the sandwich is a golden brown on both sides and the cheese has melted.

Serving Size:  6 sandwiches

These good ole American grilled cheese sandwiches will show your children just how loved they are on Valentine’s Day.  Use heart shaped cookie cutters to cut each sandwich into different size edible hearts for the kids to enjoy. 

You can also use your cookie cutters to make special sandwiches for your hubby today, or any time!

What You Need:

3 eggs at room temperature for 30 minutes

3/4 C butter at room temperature for 30 minutes

3 C flour

2 t unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 t salt

2 1/4 C sugar

1 1/2 t vanilla

2 T red food coloring

1 1/2 C buttermilk

1 1/2 t baking soda

1 1/2 t vinegar

Powdered sugar

Conversation heart candies

How to Make It:

Set the oven temperature to 350 degrees and allow the oven to heat while making the batter.

Spray two twelve cup muffin tins with a non stick cooking spray and sprinkle both with a little flour tapping out any excess.

Place the flour, cocoa powder and the salt together in a mixing bowl and toss to combine.

Place the butter in a separate mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. 

Add the sugar and the vanilla and continue to beat until all the ingredients are incorporated together.

Add the eggs one at a time beating after each egg addition until they are incorporated into the mixture.

Add the food coloring and beat on the low speed until combined.

Alternating back forth between the flour and buttermilk add them to the butter mixture beating on low speed after each addition until both have been added.

Place the baking soda in a small bowl and stir in the vinegar.

Add the mixture to the batter and beat on low speed until just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared muffin tins filling each cup 2/3 full.

Bake 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle come out clean.

Remove and cool to room temperature.

Place a heart shaped cookie cutter on top of each cupcake.

Sprinkle powdered sugar carefully inside each cutter.

Remove the cutter and place 1 conversation heart candy in the middle of the powdered sugar heart. 

Serving Size:  24

You can make 12 jumbo cupcakes out of this batter if you prefer.  The baking time will change to 20 minutes but the rest of recipe remains the same. 

What You Need:

1 (14 oz) can chicken broth

1/2 t pepper

1 green onion, chopped

1 1/2 C instant potato flakes

How to Make It:

Pour the broth into a saucepan over medium high heat.

Stir in the pepper well.

Bring the broth to a brisk boil then remove from the heat.

Gently stir in the green onion.

Pour the potato flakes into the pan and let them stand until they have absorbed all the broth liquid.

Lay a heart shaped cookie cutter in a skillet over medium heat.

Fill the cookie cutter with the potato mixture. 

Cook 5 minutes then flip and continue cooking 3 minutes or until browned.

Serving Size:  4

Make these heart potato cakes extra special for your Valentine by adding a spoon of applesauce with red hot candies on the top of each one. 

If you live down south, think about taking in First Night in Austin Texas. Like the other locations, families can enjoy music, food and participate in various activities. Here, kids can join in the chalk drawing presentation. For the person who likes games, try your hand at chess or checkers.

Families who are not into chocolate can move over to the Penn State community for a First Night celebration. The streets are filled with ice that sculptors will turn into art as well as parades, music, interactive activities and food. 

Down in the southeast, Florida offers a First Night celebration in St. Petersburg. Feel the beat with bluegrass music, drum presentations, Caribbean music and other tunes. Families can visit local museums and other attractions set up for the event.

Why not create your own First Night in your city? Talk it over with the local legislature and the artistic community. Bring a new unity at the end of the year and also a new tradition.

Are you trying to decide what to do for New Year’s Eve? Support a community and have a good time at a First Night function.

For family fun on New Year’s Eve it’s hard to pass up a First Night celebration. This event is geared towards family and community on the last night of the year.

The idea of First Night began in Boston, Massachusetts. Boston has been at the center of many historic activities including the Boston tea party. While celebrating the bicentennial in 1976, the inaugural First Night was an extension of that celebration. Since, then it has caught on as a way for communities to reach a common ground and have fun at the same time.

First Night is celebrated in cities all across the United States and three other countries. If you are looking for a way to celebrate try First Night in Boston. Here, you will see a celebration of the arts.

From painters to dancers, artists to sculptors, the night is filled with fun for the entire family. And, it wouldn’t be a celebration if the night didn’t end with fireworks. There are two fireworks displays for those who knock off early (the smaller kids) and those who can see the night through.

If you live out west, think about First Night in Spokane, Washington. Here the artistry of the cultures in that area is celebrated. Depending on your tastes, get into the rhythm of gospel, rock, Salsa and others. View ice sculptures and other artistic displays.

The Kids

Don’t forget the younger set that is joining you for the party. They may not appreciate the 60s or the disco era, so give them the opportunity to have their own theme represented at the party. Your kids can come up with ideas for their generation. It doesn’t have to match the adults since they will be celebrating in a different space.

Contests

Everyone will be dressed in their best to try and become the belle and beau of the ball. Come up with contest categories: Best Dressed, Most Authentic, Funniest Costume, and etcetera. So everyone can participate, type out ballots with the contest categories and let the guests vote for their choices. And yes, they can vote for themselves. There is one stipulation: Kids vote for kids and adults for adults.

The prizes can also be themed. Choose something appropriate for each group like a lava lamp for a 60s or disco party and a pair of binoculars for a Dora and Diego kid’s party.

Who says that a New Year’s Eve party has to be just dresses and suits? A theme party adds a new dimension to the affair. Both kids and adults will want to get in on the fun that goes along with wearing costumes.

It’s that time again. One year gone and another fast approaches. If you are used to being the party host, mix things up this year with a New Year’s Eve theme party.

What is a theme?

A theme party is one that is based around a certain idea. It can be something related to the holiday or something totally different. It is all up to you.

Theme parties are fun because everyone gets to participate. All of your guests can wear a costume and come ready to have fun.

Theme Ideas

Well, there are a million ideas that would be appropriate for a party. Now, some stick with a traditional theme for New Year. How about the Roaring Twenties? Your guests can dress as Dapper Dan or a sultry flapper.

What about a 60s party? You’d be surrounded by flower power and long hair all evening but to each his own. The idea is to make the party one that your guests won’t want to miss.

Theme Decorating

When you choose your theme, you will want the guests to feel like they have walked into that time. If your theme is “disco boogie,” be sure that there is at least one disco ball hanging from your ceiling. You can forgo the lit dance floor if you don’t have room, but it would be a conversation piece!

The Party Setup

With kids involved, you will want them to have their own space. That means at least two rooms for the party. Kids aren’t very picky but they like their space.

You can set them up in the garage, the den or the family room. Any activities that you have planned for them will take place here. Include sleeping bags and pillows in case someone crashes before the ball-dropping hour.

The centrally located space can be for the adults. You can set up for party games, socializing and the food area here.

Decorations

These all depend on you and your guests. The kid area will make more of an impact with a great decorating design going on. For the adults, decorating with party favors gives you something to share with everyone when it’s time to go.

Partying with your kids isn’t so bad and you’ll prove that this year by hosting a family-oriented party of your own. Give the babysitters a night off for once. They want to party too.

The most important part of any party is the planning. You want this party to be family-oriented so that adults and kids can both have a good time. First of all, that may mean no alcohol except the celebratory glass of champagne at midnight. But, having fun doesn’t mean that alcoholic drinks have to be involved, not at your big bash anyway. For kids, try some sparkling cider or grape juice so they can join in the glass tinking at midnight as well.

Invitations

These need to go out as early as possible. Even before Christmas, folks are talking about how they will celebrate the New Year. One of the best things about a family-oriented party is that no one has to find a babysitter or stay home when they can’t find one.

With that in mind, invite your close friends and their families. Remember that each invitation will have at the least two and at the outset four or five respondents. So, five invitations can equal 25 guests. Check to see if your home can hold that many or more.

Make sure that the invitation is from everyone in the family. Use wording like: The Philip Family would like to invite you to their New Year’s Eve Party 2010.

What You Need:

2 (1 oz) squares unsweetened chocolate

2 T butter

1 C + 6 T sugar, divided

2/3 C evaporated milk

1 t + 1/2 t vanilla extract, divided

1 qt. peppermint ice cream, softened

1 (9 in) deep dish pie shell, baked

3 egg whites

1/4 t cream of tarter

1/2 t vanilla extract

3 T peppermint stick candy, crushed

How to Make It:

Place a heavy saucepan over medium heat. 

Add the chocolate and butter to the saucepan and heat until both are completely melted and smooth, stirring occasionally. 

Add 1 C of sugar and the evaporated milk to the pan.

Continuing cooking, stirring constantly, for 8 minutes or until the sugar has completely dissolved.

Remove the pan from the stove and stir in 1 t of vanilla.

Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.

Spread half of the ice cream into the baked pie shell.

Place the shell and ice cream into the freezer until the ice cream has become firm.

Remove and spread half of the chocolate mixture over the firm ice cream.

Return to the freezer until set.

Repeat the layers one more time.

After the second layer of chocolate mixture return to the freezer and leave at least 4 hours or overnight.

Place the egg whites, 6 T sugar and cream of tarter into a heavy saucepan and place the pan over low heat.

With an electric mixer on low speed beat the ingredients while cooking for 12 minutes or until the mixture reaches 160 degrees on a candy thermometer.

Remove from the heat and pour in the vanilla.

Beat with the mixer until soft peaks form. 

Fold the crushed candy into the meringue.

Spread the meringue over the top of the pie and return to the freezer until ready to serve.

Serving Size:  8