Celebrating Valentines Day if you have young children can be more stressful than romantic. Between getting a babysitter or putting together a meal for the kids and getting them off to bed early, you can’t help but wonder why even try. This year instead of having a stressful Valentines Day for two, opt to have a day of love for the whole family. You can always have dessert after the kids are in bed! Here are some kids Valentines Day activities.
Valentines Day activities with the kids
1. Be crafty
Instead of getting or giving flowers and chocolate, get together with your kids and make handmade heart shaped photo frames. Take a snapshot of the day together and put it in the frame. The memory will last a whole lot longer than flowers and candy.
2. Cook with a Valentines Day theme
Bake heart shaped personal pizzas together (recipe below). The parents can roll the dough out and each child can top their own pizza with their favorite ingredients. You can also create a dinner menu together with the family. Each person can choose one of their favorite foods to incorporate into the meal. Prepare the dinner together as well.
3. Make dessert
Bake Valentines Day cupcakes (recipe below), brownies, or cookies together as a family. Write messages on them with frosting and give them to your kids or spouse as edible cards.
4. Have a game and movie night
End the day with family night. Play a game or watch a family-friendly romantic movie together.
Kid Valentines recipes
Hearty Toad in a Hole
Makes 4 servings Ingredients:
8 slices whole-wheat bread
Cooking spray
8 eggs
Salt and pepper Directions:
1. Toast bread slices until lightly golden. When finished, cut a heart-shaped hole in each slice of bread with a cookie cutter, place bread in a cooking spray coated skillet. Save the center heart-shaped piece for dunking. 2. Crack eggs into the center of each piece of bread and cook until egg is at desired doneness. Remove eggs and bread from skillet and place on plates; season with salt and pepper If desired. Repeat with remaining bread and eggs. Serve with heart shaped bread slices.
Heart-Shaped Individual Pizzas
Makes 4 servings Ingredients:
2 cups water
4 tablespoons low-fat milk
4 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons shortening
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons semolina
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 cups bread flour
2-1/2 teaspoons yeast
2 cups pizza sauce
4 cups grated mozzarella cheese
Toppings: pepperoni, broccoli, chicken, sausage, etc. Directions:
1. Combine water, milk, sugar, salt, shortening and olive oil in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add yeast, semolina, and flours and process until a ball forms. Take dough out of machine and place on a lightly floured surface. Cover with a towel and let proof about 45 minutes. 2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Punch dough down and let it rest another 15 minutes. When ready to bake pizzas, cut dough into 4 equal pieces. Form each in a heart or spread dough into a heart shaped pizza or cake pan. 3. Top each pizza with sauce, cheese and desired toppings. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until cheese bubbles and the edges are browned.
Red Velvet Brownie Heart Cupcakes
Makes 24 cupcakes Cupcake:
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened at room temperature
2 eggs, room temperature
2-1/3 cups cake flour
2 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1-1/2 tablespoons red food coloring
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar Brownies:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder Frosting:
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, softened room temperature
2 to 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place cupcake foils in 2 (12-cup) muffins pans and butter and flour an 8-inch square pan. 2. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, being sure to fully incorporate. 3. In a second bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Whisk buttermilk with vinegar, vanilla and food coloring in a third bowl. 4. Beat dry ingredients and wet ingredients into butter and sugar mixture, alternating each, until fully combined. Pour batter into prepared cupcake tins and bake 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack while making brownies and frosting. 5. For brownies, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Take pan off of heat and mix in sugar, eggs and vanilla. Beat in cocoa, flour, salt and baking powder. Pour batter into prepared square pan and bake 25 to 28 minutes at 350 degrees or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool while frosting cupcakes. 6. To make frosting, beat butter with cream cheese; stir in vanilla and beat in confectioners’ sugar until fully combined. When cupcakes are fully cooled, spread frosting on cupcakes. 7. When brownies are fully cooled, cut out 24 hearts using mini-heart cookie cutters. Arrange hearts on top of frosted cupcakes.
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