WHAT’S COOKING
GOOD-LOOKIN’? Story and Photos by Kayla Flam
W
ith Valentine’s Day being the major holiday this time of year (sorry Groundhog’s Day), I thought I’d dedicate this month’s column to the love-infused holiday. Like the old saying goes, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. I also believe the way to a woman’s heart is through adorable things, like kittens, puppies, and ordinary things in unusual, adorable shapes (like these awesome measuring cups here). So how do you combine these for Valentine’s Day, you ask? Well, you make a nice meal…and make it all heart-shaped! Yes, what better way to celebrate V-Day that H-shaped food? Every year for Valentine’s Day, my stepmom, Karen (following in the tradition of her mother) makes a lovely meal with everything molded into hearts. I’ve outlined some foods that are easy to mold, but feel free to explore and make your own hearts.
VALENTINE’S DAY MEAL INGREDIENTS Hamburger patties, mashed potatoes, rolls, salad
DIRECTIONS For the hamburger, take the frozen meat, season with salt and pepper and shape each patty into a heart. Grill or fry in a frying pan until cooked all the way through. For the mashed potatoes, make either boxed or from scratch. To make from scratch, boil potatoes for at least a half hour. When soft, cool and peel. Place in mixer or large bowl and mash. For six potatoes, add ¼ cup butter and ½ cup warm milk. Salt and pepper to taste. Place them on a serving plate and mold into a heart. For the heart-shaped rolls, you are going to need a heartshaped cupcake tin. This time of the year every retail store will be selling these. A silicone one works great. Simply place dough in tins and bake. They will take the shape of the molds. For the salad, add whatever ingredients you like in salad, and cut what you can in hearts. We usually have spinach with croutons (my stepmom actually made homemade heart-shaped ones one year), cheese and a
pepper sliced long ways, since this makes a heart. We’ve also had chicken breasts that were cut into hearts before cooking. Meatloaf is another food easy to form into hearts. Broccoli heads can also be trimmed to take on a heart shape. Dessert is easy, since stores sell heart-shaped baking tins all year round, and it’s easy to cut a cake into a heart if you’re lazy and don’t want to buy a tin. A Mitchell family staple at any holiday is Jell-O salad. Red is perfect for February 14th.
INGREDIENTS
1 box raspberry Jell-O.......................................................... 1 cup boiling water............................................................... 1 bag frozen raspberries, thawed and drained (so there’s no juice)................................................................................. 1 cup applesauce................................................................... ½- ¾ of a jar of sour cream (I know it sounds weird, but it’s delicious.)........................................................................ 1 bag mini marshmallows................................................... Boil water. In a large glass baking dish, add water to Jell-O mixture, until the Jell-O is dissolved. Let cool for a few minutes. Add the thawed raspberries and applesauce and stir. Set in fridge until the Jell-O is set and firm. Take out of fridge and spread the sour cream until the Jell-O is covered. Add mini marshmallows to the top. Press lightly on the sour cream and marshmallows so they sink in to the Jell-O a bit. Place in refrigerator for at least an hour and keep it in until ready to serve. Now you have a lovely dinner that will be tasty and impress your date! Bon appetit!