Sunday, February 19, 2012

cupcakes, a picnic, and the very best belated valentines...


It is called many things... February 14th. V-day. The hallmark holiday. Let's be honest about what it really is, shall we? It is a day to remember everyone we love. It is a great reason to bring homemade cupcakes to co-workers. It means playing with my Cricut machine and mailing cards. Most importantly, it is a great excuse to eat terrible for you 100% sugar hearts. They are a guilty pleasure (and yes, i bought myself a box). Living 4 1/2 hours from your significant other means postponing certain holidays. Valentine's for me came on February 18th this year. We planned a picnic on the beach with a bike ride to follow. I brought a basket, cooked lunch, and we left to start our romantic day. It rained. It was cold. We had to run for cover and cancel the bike ride. It was not at all what we had planned. And it was the best (and most memorable) belated valentine's day ever. The following recipes were the ones I used for our picnic feast. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

BLT Pasta Salad


recipe:

1 Box (12 oz) Pasta (any kind will work)
1/2 cup mayonaise
2 tbs lemon juice (fresh or concentrate)
3 strips bacon (we used turkey but any kind will do)
cherry tomatoes
romaine lettuce
salt, pepper, parmesan cheese (to taste)

1) Cook pasta according to box directions
2) Combine mayo, lemon juice
3) Pour mayo mixture into cooked pasta and stir
4) Add bacon, tomato, lettuce
5) Add salt, pepper, parmesan cheese to taste

Semi-homemade Chocolate Cheesecake




Recipe:

Fudge ice cream topping
Sliced almonds
Graham Crackers
No-bake cheesecake mix


1) Cook no-bake cheesecake according to package
2) Heat fudge topping in microwave
3) Layer all ingredients in the following order: graham crackers, cheesecake, fudge, almonds.
4) Repeat layers

More picnic pictures!