Show Love With Your Heart

February 8, 2023

Early in our marriage my husband gave me the best Valentine’s Day gift. It was sweet yet without the calories, thoughtful without it being too mushy, and wonderful without costing a lot. Hold on to your hearts and I’ll tell you what he did.

He bought a set of heart-shaped cookie cutters in multiple sizes. That’s not all! He took the set apart and attached a cute love note with a pretty ribbon on each one. He then put them all around the house so in each room that I entered…. kitchen, bathroom, living room… I found these sweet notes. It probably cost him under $10. I really appreciated the thoughtful effort he put into creating this gift. Don’t get me wrong, if he wants to get me an expensive piece of jewelry – that is OK! But we both agreed to find ways to celebrate this holiday by showing love rather than spending money.

Little did my hubby know that I would find so many ways of using those cookie cutters over the years. In fact, I use the cookie cutters all year long. Why cut brownies in squares when you can cut them in the shape of a heart? And don’t heart shaped cookies just make you smile? However, during the month of February, I sometimes go the extra mile to make our everyday recipes heart shaped. Even though the kids roll their eyes, “Mom? Did you have to cut my sandwich into a heart?” I know they secretly love it. (Moms know these things!)

Favorite I Love You ideas using our DinnerTime recipes:

Meat Loaf Italiano

Isn’t this cute? Your family will love how you made this easy-to-make classic meatloaf recipe into a heart. This year I plan to make individual meatloaf hearts so each plate shows the love. Remember to watch your cooking time if you make individual meatloafs as they cook a little faster.

Buttery Cinnamon Rolls

Start the day off right with these adorable cinnamon rolls. Begin preparing these as our recipe indicates. After completing step 10, gently unroll the individual cut rolls and re-roll each end to form the heart shape. Pinch the bottom to form a V. These can be made the night before so they are ready to slide in the oven first thing in the morning.

Easy All-American Burgers

Take this classic burger to new heights of love! I press the beef in a large cookie cutter for the heart shape. However, you can easily form this symbol of love by hand. I find the leaner beef holds its shape the best. If you really want to stay on theme, cut the roll and a slice of cheese with a heart shaped cookie cutter.

Favorite Vegetable Dip

These super cute carrot hearts are fun to use in salads, soups and as garnish. Peel your carrot and then using a sharp pairing knife, cut a long V down the center of the carrot. Flip the carrot over, and shave off wide peels on each side of the bottom of the carrot. Keep peeling until the two sides meet in a point and then slice off your carrot hearts. For zucchini slices, cucumber slices and bell peppers, I use a small heart-shaped cookie cutter. For a veggie platter with this yummy dip, I do a few of the hearts from various veggies for effect, and then cut regular length carrots, celery, cucumber and zucchini sticks for dipping. Want to make it extra special? Arrange your vegetables in the shape of a heart for extra wow factor.

Kid-Friendly Cottage Cheese Very Blueberry Pancakes

Here’s another easy-to-make recipe for a sweetheart message. We’ve even had these for dinner! When the kids were really little, we tried to make all kinds of shapes with our pancakes. But hearts are the easiest because I pour the batter into my largest heart cookie cutter to set the shape. If you don’t have a large heart cookie cutter you can still free-form it. Sometimes the free-form results are the most fun.

Fresh Fruit and Sweet Pepper Salad with Avocado-Citrus Dressing

We love this recipe so I’m going to make it with all heart-shaped fruit for a party this weekend. I’m expecting a lot of “Oh, how cute” and “Wow, that’s so sweet!” Remove the green leafy part of the strawberry (calyx) and slice the berry in half. Nature’s heart! For the other fruits and vegetables in the recipe, slice about a quarter-inch thick and then use a small heart cookie cutter to cut out your adorable fruits and veggies.

California-Style Barbecue Chicken Pizza

This recipe is practically a staple in our house! We keep pizza dough on hand ready to create whatever pizzas we want. Anytime I have leftover chicken this is the go-to choice. Whether you are a purist and make your own dough, or like me, use ready-made crust, it’s really easy to shape your pizza crust into this fun message of love!

We hope you have fun with these recipe ideas.

Please send us pictures of your heart-felt creations at recipes@DinnerTime.com.

Categories: Featured Recipes, Holidays and Other Occasions, and Tips & Tricks