Valentine’s Day Desserts

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. And what a better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day with those you love than with yummy dessert.

Here are 14 of delightfuly delicious mouthwatering desserts from some of my favorite food bloggers!

Enjoy!

Happy Valentine’s Day Desserts!

Red velvet whoopie pies with cream cheese frosting by Roxana’s Home Baking

Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Pops by A Spicy Perspective

Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies by two twenty one

Red Velvet Poke Cake by The Country Cook

Cherry Cheesecake Shooters by The Pioneer Woman

Slice n’ Bake Valentine Heart Cookies by Lauren’s Latest

Wine Fruit Snacks – Gummy Wine Hearts – Not For Kids – Great for Your Body! by Thrive Style

Chocolate Covered Peeps Hearts by Buns In My Oven

be mine brownies by the BAKER upstairs

Red Velvet Chocolate-swirled Brownie Bars by Averie Cooks

Ding Dong Valentines Chocolate Hearts by OMG Chocolate Desserts

Red Velvet and Strawberry Trifle by Taste and Tell

Easy Marshmallow Valentine Treats by The Sweet Life

Strawberry and Chocolate Nachos by Tidy Mom

I hope these wonderful Valentine’s Day desserts help you decide which one (or five) desserts you will be making for your loved ones…or yourself.

Happy St. Valentine’s Day!

Nutella Espresso Biscotti

Making Biscotti reminds me of my Nonna. When I want a little of my Nonna around me I make Biscotti.

So in honor of her, I made Nutella Espresso Biscotti!

I remember the delicious fragrance of the twice baked cookie wafting through her neighborhood. Even the neighborhood police officers would stop over her house for an espresso and a biscotti or two. My Nonna’s home seemed to be the hub of action, whether it was a holiday where all the family gathered (and there was a lot of us), or it was just the neighbors catching up, it was at my Nonna’s home. There was always freshly made espresso that she would drink out of a demitasse cup, it was the perfect dunk size cup my Nonna would say. In her home there was always laughter and of course loud talking, we are Italians of course!

Nonna only made anise biscotti unless it was Christmas where she would only make 1 batch of pistachio and cranberry biscotti. I would love to know what she would have thought of my Nutella espresso biscotti.

5.0 from 5 reviews

Nutella Espresso Biscotti

Author: Its All About The Yummy

Ingredients

½ cup vegetable oil + ¼ cup
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon instant coffee double espresso
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup Nutella
3 cup flour
1 tablespoon baking powder

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat
Using a mixer beat ½ cup oil, eggs, sugar, vanilla and espresso until combine
add in Nutella and combine
In a medium bowl whisk together flour and baking powder
Add the flour mixture to the espresso mixture a little at a time to form a heavy dough
**if dough is too crumbley to form add, a tablespoon of oil at a time until the dough forms ball
Divide bough in to 2 pieces
Place on your lined cookie sheet and form each piece into a roll as long a your cookie sheet
Press down on to the roll to form a ½ inch thickness
Bake for 20 - 25 minutes depending on your oven
Once cool enough to handle, slice each flattened roll into ½ in slices
Place slices back onto cookie sheet cut side up
Bake for an additional 8 minutes

Enjoy

Rosemary Oyster Crackers

My family loves snack foods whether we are reading or watching T.V. We love something yummy to snack on.

We also love the flavor of Rosemary. So I thought…why not combine the two flavors!

Rosemary Oyster Crackers

You must give theses little oyster crackers a try.

5.0 from 4 reviews

Rosemary Oyster Crackers

Author: Its All About The Yummy

Ingredients

1 12 oz bag of oyster crackers
¼ cup olive oil (any cooking oil is fine)
2 tablespoons of finely chopped rosemary (I used the dried, but fresh wold also work)
¼ teaspoon salt
baking spray

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Empty bag of crackers into a medium bowl.
Pour the oil into the crackers and sprinkle the rosemary and salt into the bowl.
Stir to combine and crackers are coated evenly.
Place crackers in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, sprayed lightly with cooking spray.
Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown.
Remove from oven and enjoy!
To store, place in an airtight container.

Sweet Potato Bake

I love Sweet Potatoes, Handsome…not so much. On my last trip to Costco I ended up buying one of their massive bags of sweet potatoes. So, in my effort to get them all cooked before they go bad and sprout a small forrest, I knew I had to come up with a dish Handsome would eat.

So here’s what I did to make this Sweet Potato Bake…

I peeled, cut, and chopped, the sweet potatoes. Tossed them with olive oil and placed them on a baking sheet to roast in the oven.

While the potatoes were roasting, I chopped and fried a half pound of bacon until crisp and placed on a paper towel to drain off the excess fat. I then added a chopped onion to the bacon drippings and cooked until slightly brown. Then, I added some flour, milk and seasonings to make a roux.

I then placed half of the roasted sweet potatoes into a 11×7 baking dish and topped that with half of the bacon and the crumbled blue cheese, then I topped it all with half of the sauce mixture. I then started another layer with the sweet potatoes, bacon, and onion sauce mixture. Placed it in the oven until it became all warm and bubbly.

And then, I served my Handsome up a plate of the yummy ingredients. And he LOVED it!

5.0 from 2 reviews

Sweet Potato Bake

Author: Its All About The Yummy

: 40 mins

: 15 mins

: 55 mins

Ingredients

3 Medium Sweet Potato, peeled and chopped into large chunks
1 Onion, chopped
½ lb Bacon, chopped
¾ Cup Blue Cheese Chunks
Olive Oil
3 Tablespoons Flour
¼ Teaspoon Nutmeg
¼ Teaspoon salt
¼ Teaspoon Black Pepper
2 Cups Milk
Cooking Spray

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
In a large bowl, coat sweet potato chunks with enough olive oil to lightly coat all sides. Place in a single layer on a baking tray and roast for 30 minutes or until sweet potatoes are fork tender and slightly golden.
Lower oven to 350 degrees.
In a frying pan, fry chopped bacon until crisp. Remove bacon from pan to a paper towel lined dish.
Add chopped onion to the frying pan with bacon drippings and cooking until slightly golden brown.
Make a roux by adding flour to the cook onions over medium heat. Let the flour cook for about 2 minutes to remove the flour taste and the ingredients become a paste. Add milk to the paste, and then add the Nutmeg, Salt, and Black Pepper. The mixture will begin to thicken. Turn burner to low and continue to stir.
Spray a medium size baking dish with cooking spray. Place ½ of the roasted sweet potatoes in the baking dish. Top potatoes with ½ of the bacon and all of the Blue Cheese then top with ½ of the onion sauce mixture. Place the remaining sweet potatoes on top to form another layer, then continue with the bacon and the remaining sauce mixture.
Place baking dish in the oven for 15 minutes.
Enjoy!

10 Most Popular Recipes of 2014

What a wonderful year it has been! It’s that time of year for lists of the most popular things. I want to share with you my 10 most popular recipes of 2014. These delicious recipes were my most viewed recipes over the past year. Come take a look at what you picked!

Counting down from #10

10. Restaurant Style Salsa

This delicious salsa comes together in minutes with just a few ingredients you most likely have in your kitchen! It’s delicious and tastes just like you are at a Mexican cantina all you need to add is a margarita.

9. Baked French Toast

This a perfect recipe when company is staying over and you don’t want a lot of fuss making breakfast in the morning. You assemble all the ingredients the evening before and just pop it in the oven in the morning.

8. Amaretto Biscotti

Have you ever eaten a cookie right out of the freezer? That is my favorite way to eat this Italian cookie. Give it a try, you won’t want to eat them any other way!

7. Hummus

It seems you all could not get enough of this deliciously healthy snack. It is one of my favorites too!

6. Fried Zucchini

The outside of this fried zucchini is crispy perfection while the inside is tender. The perfect snack.

5. Not Your Mama’s Grilled Cheese

This is not your ordinary grilled cheese. This is my Mama’s Grilled Cheese!

4. Beef Empanadas

These Beef Empanadas were a huge hit. They certainly are a favorite of mine and I make them often. A perfect dish to bring to a pot luck or a great Super Bowl finger food!

3. Speculoos Ice Cream

Ever since I made this ice cream, it has become a family favorite. Between the Speculoos Crunchy Cookie Butter and the Speculoos Cookie chunks, it’s no wonder it is my third most popular recipe of 2014!

2. Chicken Quinoa

This is one of my favorite meals too! I make this recipe more that any other that is posted. It is so light and refreshing and good for you too. A winning combination!

Drum Roll, Please!…

My #1 most popular recipe of 2014 is…

Mason Jar Mud Pie

This recipe has become a favorite birthday celebration dessert in my home. I’m not surprised by this at all. I have made it too many times to count. I’m happy you all love it too!

Thanks for stopping by to see the

10 Most Popular Recipes of 2014

I would like to take this time to thank each and everyone of you who read my blog. It means the world to me and I appreciate every view! I love sharing these moments with you and I look forward to our friendship in 2015!

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

From our goodies to yours.

May you and your family have a Christmas holiday filled with love and peace!

Quintessa

It’s Winery Wednesday

There are no words to describe the breathtaking experience we shared with awesome friends on this special day in October, Handsome and I were on cloud nine! And, it all happened at…

Quintessa

As soon as we arrived at the stone facade winery, we could sense there was a magical feeling in the air. It was harvest time! There was an excitement we had not noticed at any of the other wineries we visited over the past few months. When we were walking up to the main entrance, Handsome and I notice part of the wine making process was happening. We went over to take a peek.

Once the group of 20 of us had all arrived for our afternoon of festivities, we were taken on a short hike to the highest point of the Quintessa property. Under a shady tree, we were told all about the property. The views were spectacular from that spot.

And my favorite view, the view of the lake. I could sit here all day with Handsome and our friends enjoying a glass of Quintessa, Cabernet Sauvignon.

From this beautiful spot we walked back down the hill into the private wine tasting room where we met Charles Thomas, Director of Vineyards and Winemaking.

It was such a special treat for us to have Charles take time to speak to our group about the wine making process.

We felt privileged to be able to taste the tank samples. They were very tasty.

I can only imagine how delicious the final products will be. After about an hour of sampling the tank wines, we headed with Charles to our final destination, our Harvest lunch, by way of a jeep ride.

Over the bridge to the private island.

The area could not have been more beautiful! With the lush landscaping and the wonderful company.

The table was set so lovely.

The place setting.

The menu.

The scrumptious lunch!

Handsome and I are so grateful to have been asked to be a part of this members only, harvest lunch. P&B we thank you from the bottom of our hearts! What a experience!

Quintessa

Rutherford, Napa Valley, California

Call 707.286.2730 to request an appointment for your privately hosted wine tasting experience.

With harvest in full swing, I managed to find a few grapes on the vine at Quintessa.

If you would like to see the step by step wine making process, I found this wonderful site www.wineanorak.com

Cougar Vineyard & Winery

It’s Winery Wednesday!

This was the most friendly and my personal favorite winery in Temecula Valley.

Cougar Vineyard and Winery

There are so many reasons I love this winery. They were friendly upon walking in the door, I felt like I was home with family. Their wine is 100% Estate Italian Varietals.

They are very generous with their pouring of wine. If you print this page off their web site, you will receive 50% off their regular Monday through Friday wine tasting fee.

Cougar Vineyard is one of the only wineries in Temecula Valley that has a deli located inside the tasting room. On any given day you will see winemakers from other local wineries enjoying lunch in the relaxed atmosphere at Cougar.

If Handsome and I lived close by, one of these adirondack would have my name on it. I love the view from these chairs. Handsome and I enjoyed a glass of wine overlooking Temecula Valley.

Enjoy one of the many picnic tables located on the property.

Handsome and I were invited into the heart of the Cougar operation, where all the magic happens.

It was so very interesting to see the wine being bottled.

The benefit of a boutique family owned winery is the close personal relationships with their wine club members. As a member, you have the opportunity to volunteer to bottle and pack up the wine. It was such a fun atmosphere, I felt privileged to be a part of it, if but only for a moment.

You also have the opportunity to purchase a wine barrel, your name is put on the barrel. Cougar uses it for the duration of the wine making process and then the barrel is given to you when they are done. I love this idea!

Cougar Vineyard and Winery

39870 De Portola Road, Temecula, CA 92592

Phone # 951.491.0825

Doffo Vineyards

It’s Winery Wednesday!

Todays winery is located on the Northeast border of Temecula Valley.

Doffo Vineyards

Doffo Vineyards is not like any other winery Handsome and I have ever visited. It is a uniquely charming boutique family owned winery. The winery is built around the former site of a historic schoolhouse. The original school, know as the The Hyatt school was build in 1898. The Doffo family took tireless efforts to restore the old schoolhouse, but sadly, due to the extensive damage over the years it was not able to be restored. The old schoolhouse will forever remain alive in the Doffo Logo.

The wine tasting room.

There is a lovely covered outdoor area to enjoy a glass of wine.

Not only is Doffo known for its micro-boutique wines, but also for its extensive vintage motorcycle collection. Even visitors who do not like motorcycles are impressed with the Doffo family collection of over 100 motorcycles. Make sure you visit the Moto Barrel Room and take a peak.

When Marcello Doffo was young, he fell in love with racing and before he knew it he found himself collecting rare and unique motorcycles. Today he still races and is still collecting. Below are just a few of his motorcycles.

And now for the vintage motorcycles in the barrel room. There are motorcycles lining the top of the walls all the way around the room. I love the collection of Vespa’s and scooter type bikes.

While Handsome and I were looking at all the motorcycles, there was a gentleman also looking who was in total awe of these bikes. He kept pointing at different ones and gasping at how he could not believe they had so many rare and expensive motorcycles.

Doffo Vineyards is like no other winery! Where else would you see one of these old fashioned bikes amongst wine barrels?

Doffo Vineyards

36083 Summitville, Temecula, California 92592

Phone Number ~ 866.4myvino

Keyways Vineyard Winery

It’s Winery Wednesday!

Today’s Winery is located in Temcecula, California

Keyways Vineyard Winery

If you are looking for a winery that has a social calendar that would rival any socialite, and great tasting wines to boot. Then this is the winery for you.

I enjoyed that this winery was a tad off the beaten path. There were no larges busses taking up tons of parking spaces and there are not hordes of people. The staff is friendly and is able to really speak to you one on one, letting you know all the ins and outs of their particular wines and about the stunning winery itself.

The wine tasting area at Keyways is beautiful (my picture does not do it justice). The bar top is made of onyx. It has a charming early California style decor.

The casual seating area is perfect to relax and enjoy a glass of wine. If you book ahead you can have a wine tasting in their private wine room.

The gazebo area is the perfect place to enjoy a sunny afternoon catching up with friends or making new ones.I want to have a dinner party beyond the trellis in front of the fountain among the vineyard. Isn’t it beautiful?

One of my favorite things I saw was the poster for the yoga class held at the winery on Saturday mornings. Who wouldn’t show up for yoga class knowing there would be a mimosa waiting for you at the end of class? Now that’s a brilliant idea!