“…the quickest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” – Tiana, Princess and The Frog
Man-Catchin Beignets
If the quickest way to a man’s heart really is through his stomach, then some Man-Catchin Beignets should be on the menu this Valentine’s Day. And, if my man doesn’t love them, at least I know I will. When I visit Disneyland, it’s a ritual for me to stop by the late-night snack stand in Orleans Square to get some hot beignets with bechamel sauce- oh, my mouth waters just thinking of them.
Man-Catchin Beignets
I do have a homemade beignet recipe that I’ve used and love. But this year I ran into this handy mixture at Cost Plus World Market.
Cafe Du Monde beignet mix from Cost Plus World Market
Ingredients:
Cafe du Monde Beignet Mixture
Canola oil
Powdered Sugar
And for the sauce? Homemade bechamel sauce would be nice, n’est ce pas? But what would be even nicer (for moi), is an easier version using Jello Vanilla Instant Pudding mixed with a dash of pink… hot pink food coloring that is.
beignet dipping sauce
electric pink food coloring from Duff
Sauce:
Jello Vanilla Instant Pudding Mix
milk
hot pink food coloring
Directions:
after mixing the dough, roll it out on a floured surface
use a cooke cutter to cut dough into squares
fry in hot oil 380 degrees
until golden brown on both sides
mix together pudding mix, milk and a few drops of food coloring
serve and let the man-catchin begin!
One of my best friends, Noelle, just relocated to Nice, France for a few months in search of love. So, I dedicate this recipe to her….. let the man-catchin begin!
delicious
My kids gobbled down half the batch of beignets while they were still hot. While you enjoy your Man-Catchin Beignets, (be sure to save some for your man), you can watch the Disney movie clip that inspired the recipe.
What exactly are we celebrating on Valentine’s Day? Spiritual experts, artists and sages will agree that love is the universal purpose for our existence and the only thing we need to sustain us. Lenny Kravitz is my personal guru of choice, and if he ever decides to build an ashram on his beautiful Bahama beach, I’ll be the first student…. I digress. “…’cause it’s all just a game, we just want to be loved…”, says Kravitz; and I agree.
Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate love, and here are four ways I show that love to the people I love most.
4 Tips For Showing Your Family Love on Valentine’s Day
Tip #1- Decorate
After the mad rush of decorating for Thanksgiving and Christmas, I’m always so relieved to have my house “back” in January. And just as I begin the new year feeling organized with decorations neatly packed away in the garage, February arrives with it’s question of, “Whatcha gonna do?” The truth is, the last thing I want to do is decorate for another holiday.
Then I remind myself of how short a window of time with my kids this is. When I look at the time span of my entire life, I realize these precious few years when the kids are no longer babies, and too young to kick mom and dad to the curb on Valentine’s Day for school dances and dates. I want to make this time memorable, especially on a day when love is celebrated. As Life Management Expert, Kimberly Friedmutter, explains, “your personal surroundings should be a true sanctuary for your family and a reflection of you.”“Your home creates an emotional response to each person who enters”, says Kimberly,” so the question is what you want that emotional response to be.”
For Valentine’s Day and every day, I want my home to evoke and project love. I quickly realize that it’s not too time-consuming or expensive to bring some Valentine cheer to Casa Spilsbury. A trip to HomeGoods, Michaels or Target can give some inspiration and bring home the love for less than $50.
Silk roses are pulled from the stems to fill vases.
Simple hanging hearts welcome guests and family at the front door with an entry table full of roses and vintage Valentine’s decor.
Heart Hangers from Michaels
The Smell of Love
Scents also elicit an emotional response from family and guests, so filling your home with “pink” auromas add to your loving Valentine’s Day decor. My Scentsy warmer gives off sugary smells like “Love Story”, “Garden of Love”, “Lucky in Love, “Linger” and “Quiver”. If you don’t have a Scentsy candle warmer, you’re missing out on filling your home with scents to match the seasons and holidays by simply changing out the wax. If you don’t know what “Lucky in Love” smells like, you’ll be delightfully surprised to discover how much the smell matches the name. I just can’t wait to smell “Quiver”.
For a more naturally seductive smell, I love these hand-crafted Aromatherapy Essential Oils from Shangri-Las Vegas. Each scent is made by hand with organic oils and natural flowers and herbs. Scents like sandlewood, lavender and rose create a lovely aroma. I simply choose my oil and place in this warmer and within minutes my house is filled with a wonderful fragrant aura. There are many diffusers and oils to choose from on Shangri-Las Vegas.
Diffuser from Shangri-Las Vegas pours all-natural scents into the room
Love & Light Scent from Shangri-Las Vegas
Tip #2- Cook
Recently I watched an episode of Long Island Medium. It was entertaining to watch this gifted lady with her Long Island accent and big hair touch people with her messages from the other side. In this particular episode, I couldn’t help but notice another story playing out as her family talked about how she never cooks for them. It’s obvious she’s a great mom who loves her family. So why does her daughter appear almost hurt as she says, “I can’t remember the last time my mom cooked me a meal..”.
People say that the quickest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach- maybe this saying is true for everyone. Oprah calls it her “Love Sandwich” as she describes a special treat she whips up for her man. I know that cooking for my family every day is one of the ways I show my love for them. Cooking is a big deal in my home and my girls love to jump in and help. Cassidy recently created her first recipe, starting at the grocery store as she picked out Portabella mushrooms, fresh green beans and shrimp to saute and toss with brown rice. And my Brooke loves making her “special salad” as an appetizer.
Heart-Shaped Turkey Meatloaf recipe here from Toni Spilsbury
Last year we made some Man-Catchin Beignets inspired by Disney’s Princess and the Frog movie.
Man-Catchin Beignets recipe here inspired by Disney’s “Princess and the Frog” movie
Tip #3- Help Them Show The Love
Kids have people in their lives who are special to them as well, from teachers and coaches to friends, and they’re so proud of the treats we send them. My hope is that all those years of baking Valentine’s cupcakes and placing them in specially decorated boxes for school will be something my oldest daughter thinks about each year of her adult life.
Taking the time out to help my kids show love for people in their life, like “BFF’s” is another way I show my love for them. Whether it’s a homemade treat like my Heart-Healthy Granola, or simple homemade cards, my home becomes “Valentine’s Central” every February 13th. Last year, the kids and I made “I Heart Home Granola” and packaged it for heart-healthy Valentine’s gifts.
I Heart Homemade Granola recipe and tutorial here from Toni Spilsbury
There are tons of free online printables to help make your kids Valentine’s Day treats fun. This year, my favorite printables are from Tatertots and Jello:
Tip #4- Make It From The Heart
Christmas was just 50 days ago, so there’s no need to go all out with gifts for the kids on Valentine’s Day. Sometimes a simple homemade gesture can beat any store-bought card. I like to incorporate photos of Valentine’s Days past in my cards. “With a little glitter and glue, you can make magic.” – me… just now.
If your “glitter and glue” skills aren’t up to par, using online printable cards is another option. There are also lots of free online printables that make adorable Valentine’s Day cards. Here’s my favorite this year from Living Locurto:
My favorite this year are from Living Locurto
For More Valentine Fun
For more Valentine treats and ideas, check out some of our tutorial and recipes here from Toni Spilsbury:
Skip The Frosting Cupcake by Toni Spilsbury, 2011
White Chocolate Buttered Popcorn- Ooh La La! Recipe here from Toni Spilsbury
The secret to making amazing chocolate-covered popcorn is this- butter. The salty butter is the perfect contrast to sweet chocolate; so the more butter- the better! This mouth-watering recipe is super simple, and I’m making a platter of it this year for Valentine’s Day. Although, it can be made anytime of the year.
White Chocolate Buttered Popcorn
White Chocolate Buttered Popcorn Recipe
Ingredients:
buttered popcorn- 10-12 cups popped
white chocolate- 16 oz.
canola oil- 3 tablespoons
pink food coloring
Directions:
melt chocolate with oil in a double-boiler, fondue pot, or small pan over a medium-sized pan of boiling water.
In small batches, drizzle chocolate over popcorn and loosely toss with big spoons or hands, then transfer to a platter
once all the popcorn is on the platter, the chocolate will begin to dry and form the mold that was made with the popcorn while it was still melted
take half of the remaining melted chocolate on a spoon and drizzle over the top of the popcorn using swift motion
add a few drops of food coloring to the remaining melted chocolate; if it begins to harden, add more oil
drizzle pink chocolate over the top using the same motion
let dry
ooh la la!
Looking for a healthier Valentine’s Day recipe? Try my “I Heart Homemade Granola”, for a heart-healthy treat.
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serve and let the man-catchin begin!
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