Sweet Homemade Valentine Gifts

We can give without love but we definitely can't love without give. We can express our love everyday not only in this Valentine moment, but for some reasons, Valentine could be a great moment to give and express our love. Not only for our spouse or partner, but also for our other family member and friends. Teacher also has a right to receive our valentine's gifts but of course it's not a bribe for your grades haha..

Valentine's gifts are not always expensive and fancy and you may make it yourself from your kitchen. Below are some of homemade valentine's gift ideas that you may try.

Chocolate Praline, the most classic gift ever.

Woman loves chocolate, and gift some chocolate praline that you've made yourself is a sweet thing. Dealing with chocolate is not so hard and some people are very great with it. Here are some tips to deal with chocolate,

• The room should be from 60 to 70 degrees F, if possible.
• Melt chocolate on the lowest setting (do not overheat the chocolate)
• If chocolate is too thick after melting, add small amount of Crisco
• Chocolate if properly wrapped, may be kept in freezer for 6 months. Frozen chocolates should stand at least 8 hours at room temp before unwrapping
• Refrigerated chocolates should stand at room temp for at least 2 hours before unwrapping
• One lb of melted chocolate will cover 2 to 2 1/2 lbs of centers, depending on type of centers and thickness of chocolate
• You can change the color of your chocolate by adding paste food colors (Do not put liquid colors in your chocolate)
• Chocolate can be used for coating: nuts, raisins, dates, caramels, pretzels, chow mein noodles, rice crispies, coconut, candied fruit, peanuts, marshmallows (cut in half), or anything you like
• You can add oil flavoring to melted chocolate if you want to flavor the chocolate. For French mints, add peppermint oil to white chocolate; put in a candy mold, then add a thin layer of milk chocolate

Some simple praline recipes :

The basic Praline recipe

Ingredients
75 gr chocolate milk
75 gr peanut butter or almond paste

How to make it,
1. Melt the chocolate
2. Add peanut butter or almond paste, stir well
3. Ready to use as filling.

Dark chocolate praline recipe ingredients:

2 deciliter whipping cream
50 grams cocoa powder
2 egg yolks
120 grams unsalted butter
100 grams confectioner’s sugar
200 grams dark chocolate, melted
50 grams shredded chocolate

Easy chocolate candy recipe instruction:

1. Pour whipping cream in the saucepan in low heat to boil and stir cocoa powder in it.
2. Beat egg yolks, mix them in hot cream and remove it from the heat. Mix it till it’s cool.
3. Mix butter with sugar in the bowl to become smooth, add melted chocolate in it and cold cocoa cream mixture. Mix all together and place the bowl in the fridge to cool.
4. Form chocolate balls, roll them in shredded chocolate and place them in decorative paper cups.

Dried Fruit white Chocolate Praline

Ingredients
Chocolate 250 grams of white cooked
Sweetened condensed milk 4 tablespoons
Essences of mint 1 / 2 teaspoon

Contents:
Colorful Dried fruit  100 grams

How to make:
1. Place the mold of dried fruit in a heart shape (optional), set aside.
2. Steam white chocolate over low heat until melted, lift.
3. Add sweetened condensed milk and mint essence, mix well.
4. Pour chocolate mixture into molds that have been filled dried fruit, then store in refrigerator until slightly hardened.
5. Serve.

You may prepare a valentine dinner for your man or partner. Try this menu :

Appetizer : Crab Cakes

Take one pound of crab meat for each four crab cakes. Put crab meat into mixing bowl, add one and one-half teaspoons salt, and two teaspoons white pepper, one teaspoon English dry mustard and two teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, one yolk of egg and one soup spoon cream sauce or mayonnaise, one teaspoon chopped parsley. Mix well, making four crab cakes, press hard together, dip into flour, then into beaten eggs, then into bread crumbs. Fry them in hot grease pan.

Salad : Pear Salad, with avocado, sugared walnuts, and gorgonzola cheese.

Ingredients:
3 ounces baby wild greens
3 ounces romaine lettuce, cleaned and cut into 1-inch squares
1-2 fresh pears (your choice), peeled, cored and diced
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
1/2 cup Gorgonzola cheese (crumbled)
2-3 ounces sugared walnuts
White Balsamic vinaigrette

Instructions:

• Prepare your sugared walnuts ahead of time or buy it.
• Combine the wild greens and romaine in a salad bowl
• Peel, core and dice the pear(s) and avocado just before tossing the salad so they won't turn brown
• Add the pear, avocado, cheese and sugared walnuts
• Toss with white Balsamic vinaigrette

Main Course : Chicken With Brandy Cream

Preparation time: 20 minutes. Serves 6.

Ingredients:

Six 5-6 ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts, tenderized (pounded to same thickness)
Clarified Butter
4 ounces sliced mushrooms
4 ounces julienne red onion
4 ounces sun-dried cranberries
4 ounces brandy - or more
4 ounces heavy cream
5 ounces brown sugar
Seasoned flour
Orange zest (use your microplane grater/zester for garnish)

Instructions:

• Flour the chicken breasts and fry them in a skillet in clarified butter
• Keep the chicken warm
• In another pan, sauté the mushrooms and onions in butter
• Add the cranberries
• Deglaze the pan with the brandy
• Stir in the brown sugar and heavy cream and cook until the mixture thickens

To serve: place the chicken breasts on dinner plates and pour an equal amount of sauce over each, then garnish with the orange zest.

Dessert : Champagne Cream

1/3 cup granulated sugar

5 egg yolks
3/4 cup inexpensive champagne
2 tablespoons whipping cream
Fresh fruit (peaches, strawberries, green grapes, etc.)

Mix ingredients and cook over boiling water, beating until thick.

or..
Kahlua Mousse

Ingredients:
2 ounces Kahlua
1/2 cup of sugar
1 tablespoon fine instant coffee (your choice)
2 tablespoons ground Ghirardelli chocolate
2 cups of whipping cream

Instructions:

• Chill a bowl and a beater
• Put all ingredients into the chilled bowl and whip until stiff
• Spoon into dessert glasses or put the mixture into a pastry bag and pipe it into the glasses
• Serve topped with whipped cream and a liberal sprinkle of grated chocolate or if you're feeling extravagant, garnish with a piece of chocolate lace as shown or grated chocolate.
• Serve over fresh fruit

Don't forget wine or champagne. It really need a little of effort to prepare the dinner but it worth.

Valentine Gifts for Kids

You may try this idea, you could make some homemade candy for them and put it on tiny and cute box, add some bows and see what happen.  Or make some arrangements of candies in heart shape and it will make your sweetheart smile. Another idea is make a valentine's peeps heart candy bouquets.
Kindergarten teachers may give this kind of gifts to your students, they will love it.

Valentine Gifts for Parent
Some ideas to give for our parent : Homemade cakes of course, homemade cookies, bread and jams basket specially if you make your own jam and etc.

You may bring your homemade flowers bouquet, candies, homemade cookies, cupcakes, fruits basket, and many more.
One idea is to give a cup cake ingredients in a cup for your teacher, like this :

Ingredients for Cupcake in a Cup

1 cake mix in any flavor (See flavor ideas at the end of the article.)
1 box of instant pudding mix (4 serving size) in vanilla or chocolate, depending on the cake flavor
4 Tbsp meringue powder (optional) Meringue powder can be found in the cake baking and cake decorating section of the store.
1/3 cup of powdered sugar

• Mix the first three ingredients in a bowl and stir together well. Place ½ cup of the dry mix in zipper top bags for the standard sized cups. Use 1 cup of the dry mix for the jumbo sized (16 ounce) cups.
• Put 1/3 cup of powdered sugar in another zipper top bag.
• Place the bags of ingredients in a cup. One idea is to include a decorative spoon or whisk in the cup to stir it with.
• Wrap the gift in a clear gift bag or in cellophane wrapping paper and tie with a pretty ribbon.
• Attach a recipe card to the ribbon.

Recipe Card for Cupcake in a Cup

Cut and paste these directions into a document. Format to have a pretty box around the words. Print on cardstock. Cut out the directions and hole punch one corner. Thread a ribbon through the hole and tie it to the Cupcake in a Cup.