Free Printable Lightsaber Valentines

Hello strangers!  I know I haven't blogged in just about forever.  This whole working full time with two kids thing is HARD!  To those of you who have been doing this for a long time or have more than two kids, I am in awe of you. 

We miraculously had a low-key weekend for once so I decided to make Jake's valentines while I had the chance.  Jake is entering into that age where he doesn't want anything too lovey so hearts were definitely out.  He is obsessed with Star Wars right now so I knew it needed to be Star Wars themed.  If you follow my blog then you know that I love sweets just as much as the next person, but since kids get so much candy, I try to do a candy free valentine.  After searching around on google I saw this great idea over at Brassy Apple.  For some reason I couldn't get her printable to open on my computer so I decided to create my own. 

Since I was starting from scratch I found this great free Star Wars font and decided to use that for my wording.  A little bit of playing around with sizing and I had this printable ready to go.

I made three on a sheet and they are just the right size. I printed them up on plain white cardstock, but if you wanted them to be more colorful, colored cardstock would look great too.  Then I used my paper cutter to cut them apart and to make a little slit at the top of the lightsaber hilt. 

I also made another little slit near the right side of the paper to keep the glow bracelet in there more securely.  If you don't have a paper cutter, you could easily do this with an exacto knife or even scissors.  I had Jake sign them all at this point, because it is easier to write on paper that doesn't have glow bracelets on them. 

Then grab a couple of packs of glow bracelets.  I got mine at Michael's but sometimes Target has theirs in the dollar spot too.  Slide a glow bracelet into the slits and you are ready to go.  You can also just make a slit at the lightsaber hilt and use a piece of tape to secure it on the back.  

That's it.  Some cardstock, tape, and glow bracelets and you've got adorable, cheap, candy-free Star Wars themed valentines with nary a heart in sight.  Download the printable here.

One Bowl Chocolate Bundt Cake with Easy Chocolate Glaze

Sometimes you just need chocolate, lots of chocolate.  Valentine's Day is the perfect excuse to indulge your inner chocoholic.  While I love desserts that look and taste indulgent, I don't love things that are super complicated and make lots of dishes.  That is why I love this One Bowl Chocolate Bundt Cake with Easy Chocolate Glaze.  It has a rich and intense chocolate flavor, looks beautiful, and best of all, is incredibly easy to make.

To make the cake, put all of the ingredients except chocolate chips (the recipe is below) in a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer and beat until well combined and smooth.

Look at that thick, chocolaty batter.  Now because you can never have enough chocolate, stir in some chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into a bundt pan sprayed with baking spray and bake for 35-45 minutes at 350 until a tester comes out with just a few moist crumbs.

Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then invert it onto a cooling rack.

While the cake continues to cool, make your glaze.  This step is super tricky so try not to get overwhelmed. ;)  Put some chocolate chips, a quarter stick of butter, and a little bit of corn syrup into a liquid measuring cup (this will make it easy to pour the glaze onto the cake).  Microwave in 30-second increments, stirring well after each, until the glaze is smooth.

Put your cake onto the serving plate (it's okay if it isn't totally cool).  Pour glaze over the top of the cake and let set before serving.

Look at that chocolatey goodness.

One Bowl Chocolate Bundt Cake with Easy Chocolate Glaze
Adapted From Hershey's One Bowl Chocolate Cake

For the Cake:

• 2 cups white whole wheat flour 
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup dark cocoa powder
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1 cup water
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

For the Glaze:

• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 tbls. corn syrup
• 2 tbls. butter

1. Preheat oven to 350 and spray a bundt pan with baking spray.
2. Beat together all cake ingredients, except chocolate chips, until smooth.  
3. Stir in chocolate chips.  Pour batter into bundt pan.
4. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool in pan 10 minutes, then invert onto serving plate.
5. While cake continues to cool, make glaze.
6. Put chocolate chips, corn syrup and butter in a 2 cup liquid measuring cup and microwave in 30 second increments, stirring well after each until smooth. 
7. Pour glaze over top of cake and let set before serving.

I'm linking up with Inspiration Monday, Mix It Up Monday, Busy Monday, Munching Monday, Create Link Inspire, Lou Lou Girls, Two Cup Tuesday, Tips & Tricks,  Tasty Tuesday, Tasty Tuesdays, Whimsy Wednesdays, Moonlight & Mason Jars, Wednesday Whatsits, Cook It Craft It Share It, Create It Thursday, Crafty & Delicious, Thrifty Thursday, Showcase Your Talent Thursday, Pin Junkie, Creativity Unleashed, Cookin & Craftin, Weekend Social, Best of the Weekend, Weekend Potluck, Best Recipes, Pinworthy Projects, Saturday Night Fever, and Link Party Palooza.

3 Ingredient Chocolate Raspberry Cookies

As I'm sure you know by now, I love making holidays super special for my kids from morning until night.  Valentine's Day is almost here so I've been planning how to do that.  Last year I made these heart cut-out One Eyed Sandwiches to start the day and they were such a hit, I'm planning to make them again.

We don't have a babysitter this year so we will be celebrating as a family.   In thinking about our dessert, I wanted to make a Valentine's treat that Jake could make with me.  These Chocolate Raspberry Cookies are incredibly easy but look super impressive and taste divine.  You only need THREE ingredients to make them: a box of Famous Chocolate Wafers, some raspberry jam (I used seedless but regular is fine too), and chocolate chips.

I like to use a cooling rack with wax paper underneath to assemble these cookies, but you can use a cookie sheet or even just the wax paper.  For each finished cookie you will need two wafers.  Start out by laying your chocolate wafers in pairs.  Put some chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 30 second increments, stirring after each, until melted and smooth.  While your chocolate is melting spread raspberry jam on half of the wafers.

Once your chocolate is ready, use another knife (I found a little butter knife is perfect for this) to spread the melted chocolate on the remaining wafers.

Then sandwich together a raspberry wafer with a chocolate wafer and let set.

 

That is it.  Three ingredients and less than ten minutes to a plate full of delicious Chocolate Raspberry Cookies.  These cookies are perfect for Valentine's Day, but they are easy and impressive enough to make them year round.  Enjoy!

3 Ingredient Chocolate Raspberry Cookies

• 1 package Famous Chocolate Wafers
• about 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• raspberry jam

1. Lay out wafers in pairs.
2. Spread half of the wafers with jam.
3. Melt chocolate chips in microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring well after each until melted and smooth.  Spread melted chocolate on remaining wafers.
4. Sandwich jam and chocolate wafers together and let set. 

I'm linking up with Two Cup Tuesday, Lou Lou Girls, Mad Skills, Tasty Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesday, Whimsy Wednesday, Moonlight & Mason Jars, Crafty & Delicious, Create Link Inspire, Create It Thursday, Cook It Craft It Share It, Thrifty Thursday, Showcase Your Talent Thursday, Creativity Unleashed, Pin Junkie, The Weekend Social, Link Party Palooza, Best of the Weekend, Weekend Potluck, Best Recipes, Saturday Night Fever, Pinworthy Projects, Munching Mondays, Inspiration Monday, Mix It Up Monday, and Busy Monday.

Glow Bracelet Valentines & FREE Printable

I love Valentine's Day!  Any holiday centered around love, chocolate, and lots of pink is A-OK in my book.  That being said, I don't necessarily want my little ones having a ton of treats so I'm always looking for cute Valentine ideas that don't have candy.  Jake recently had a glow in the dark birthday party and we gave glow bracelets as favors.  I was looking at the favor tag I had made and realized that with a tiny tweak it would make the perfect Valentine.

I found this great font that looks like a neon sign and made up a cute little Valentine tag. 

Glow Bracelet Valentine Tag Printable

Then I used my silhouette to cut out a neon scalloped edge circle to use as a backing.  If you don't have a silhouette, you could use a large craft punch, scissors, or just skip the backing all together.

Glue the printed Valentine tag onto the neon backing.  Your child can sign their Valentines on the back.

Use a hole punch to make a hole and then thread a black ribbon through it and tie the Valentine onto the glow bracelets.

If you want to make it even more economical, instead of giving each child a tube of glow bracelets, you can just punch a hole on the bottom of the tag too and thread one glow bracelet through the Valentine tag.

Either way you have an adorable, affordable, non-candy Valentine, perfect for your little one to give to their friends.


I'm linking up with Two Cup Tuesday, Frugal Crafty Bloghop, Tasty Tuesday, Whimsy Wednesday, Moonlight & Mason Jars, Crafty & Delicious, Create Link Inspire, Create It Thursday, Cook It Craft It Share It, Thrifty Thursday, Showcase Your Talent Thursday, Creativity Unleashed, Pin Junkie, The Weekend Social, Link Party Palooza, Best of the Weekend, Weekend Potluck, Best Recipes, Saturday Night Fever, Pinworthy Projects,
Munching Mondays, Inspiration Monday, Mix It Up Monday, Craftastic Monday, and Busy Monday.
 

 

Individual Dark Chocolate Truffle Tortes

I love Valentine's Day, but this year we have a newborn and my sister and her family are going to be staying with us so we will be celebrating as a family (not the most romantic).  Instead we are focusing on the love we all have for each other and that translates to lots of hearts.  I wanted to have a special dessert for the grown-ups and these days I am all about things that I can make ahead since I never know when I will have a chance to put Lucas down and cook.

This dessert is perfect because it has to be made ahead.  It is deep, dark, and deliciously rich.  Even better, it has only two ingredients and comes together really quickly.

Start out by chopping up some good quality dark chocolate.  Put the chopped chocolate with some heavy whipping cream into the top of a double boiler.

Stir the chocolate and cream together over simmering water until the chocolate and cream are completely combined and smooth.

Pour the chocolate and cream mixture into individual molds (I used these silicone heart-shaped muffin cups that I bought at Michael's with a 50% off coupon) and refrigerate until set.  If you aren't using silicone molds, line your molds with parchment paper.

When the tortes are set, remove from the molds.  These are perfect as is, but if you want to fancy them up a little, use a fine sieve to sprinkle some cocoa powder or powdered sugar on top.  Another cute idea is to put a small stencil on top (maybe xoxo) and then sprinkle on the cocoa.  When you remove the stencils you will have the dark chocolate showing the design with the cocoa around it.  That was my original plan, but I ran out of time to make my stencils and I wanted to make sure to get you all this idea before tomorrow.

These are really delicious and rich.  I always think dark chocolate goes really well with red wine but a tall glass of milk would also be perfect with it.  Because these tortes are just cream and chocolate, they are really versatile.  Serve them chilled on their own or with caramel sauce, a raspberry coulis, or even some whipped cream. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Individual Dark Chocolate Truffle Tortes

• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 10 oz. dark chocolate, chopped
• cocoa powder or powdered sugar for decorating, optional

1. In the top of a double boiler, combine cream and chopped chocolate over simmering water.  Stir until combined and smooth.
2. Pour into silicone muffin cups.
3. Refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours.
4. Remove from molds by dipping the bottoms into warm water first so they come out more easily.  Then use a fine sieve to sprinkle on cocoa powder or powdered sugar if desired.
5. Serve chilled.  

I'm linking up with Thrifty Thursday, Link Party Palooza, Pin Junkie, Whimsy Wednesday, Wake Up Wednesday, Wednesday Whatsits, Pin It Thursday, and Create It Thursday.

Quick & Easy Valentine's Day Breakfast

When I was a kid my mom used to make us "I Love You" toast by using food coloring and a paintbrush to paint I Love You on toast.  Looking back on it, I realize what a simple thing it was, but at the time it used to make me feel so special.  With Valentine's Day approaching, I've been brainstorming what I will be serving my boys since I like to make thematic meals for the holidays.  Since Valentine's Day brings so many sweets, I want to make a savory breakfast.  The I Love You toast of my childhood kept coming back into my mind but I needed to add in some protein.  Enter one of my favorite breakfasts, the one-eyed sandwich.  This breakfast has a lot of different names but I was taught to make it under the moniker One-Eyed Sandwich.  I decided to combine the two to make the perfect thematic but savory and protein rich Valentine's breakfast.

Start out with a slice of bread, I love the Milton's Whole Grain, but use whatever your favorite sandwich bread is.  Use a small heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut a hole in the center of the bread.

Butter one side of the bread including the heart cut-out.   (I actually used Brummel & Brown, not real butter.) 

Put it in a pan, pre-heated over medium and sprayed with cooking spray, buttered side down. Then butter the side that is facing up.  Once it is nice and buttered, crack an egg into the hole in the bread.

When the bottom of the egg white is set, use a spatula to flip the bread.  Continue to cook just until the egg white is set (if you cook it too long, it will still taste good, but you won't have that deliciously creamy, runny yolk).  Also flip the little heart at this time.

When the egg white is set, take it out of the pan and put the little heart on top of the egg filled hole of the bread.  Now for the "I Love You" part.  Use a small paintbrush, (a watercolor one is perfect) and dip it in a few drops of red food coloring.  Use the paint brush to write an I and a U on either side of the heart.

That's it.  Quick and easy but filled with love.  Serve with salt and pepper and start your day with a smile in your heart.

I'm linking up with Two Cup Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Made By Me, Create Link Inspire, Mad Skills, Whimsy Wednesday, Wake Up Wednesdays, Wednesday Whatsits, Moonlight & Mason Jars, Pin It Thursday, Thrifty Thursday, Create It Thursday, Link Party Palooza, and Pin Junkie.