Coconut Snowballs - Educational, Family Fun

This weekend I found myself with free time with my son so we ventured into the cooking world for a few lessons. It is a fun way to pass the time, you get yummy things to eat and my son looks so dang cute in his little apron. We choose this simple recipe, coconut snowballs, because we had the supplies (except we did substitute orange for the lime) and it was simple to do. Our lessons for the day were:

• Math - measuring ingredients and counting how many times you eat them
• Geography - listening to mommy explain where coconuts grow and how much she would really like to be there right now
• Safety - repeating "do not touch the mixer" about 100 times got the point across

So in the end the cookie results were so-so, but the time spend together was priceless.

Chocolate Cherry Cake - Valentine's treat for your loved ones

Maybe because I am in the marketing world or maybe because I am just a grouch, but I never really got into Valentine's Day that much. To me you don't need a holiday to say I love you (I think I read that on a card once). But I do have to admit that any holiday that promotes chocolate giving does win points in my heart. My husband and I learned long ago NEVER to go out for dinner on Valentine's Day unless you think there is nothing more romantic then dining with 1 million other people. So each year we usually do a special dinner at home, usually with a pasta dish since that is a favorite among all. Here is also a recipe for a Chocolate Cherry Cake which makes a perfect Valentine's Day dessert, with a mix of the required red and lots of chocolate. Then stay tuned for the next blog when I will try to turn all my leftover Valentine's chocolate into baking delights. Enjoy!

Chocolate Cherry Cake

Cake:
2 eggs
1 tsp almond extract
1 (18 1/2 oz) package chocolate cake mix
1 (21 oz) can cherry pie filling

Glaze:
1 cup sugar
5 T margarine
1/2 cup milk
1 cup chocolate chips

Combine eggs and almond extract in a large bowl and beat with mixer. Add cake mix and pie filling and blend well (batter will be thick). Place into greased and floured 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until center comes out clean. Put sugar, margarine and milk together in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add 1 cup chocolate chips and stir until melted. Spread over cake.

Heart Healthy Recipes for Heart Month

Being in the healthcare business, I know that February is Heart Health Month. A good chance to look at your diet and see how you can improve what you eat to keep your ticker ticking. My personal motto is everything in moderation, so that means you can have your sweets too but if you can make them heart healthy, the better for you. The American Heart Association has a good collection of recipes to try like Apple Cappuccino Cake and Chocolate Pudding Cake. Give them a try and you will be pleasantly surprised on how something so good for you can also taste so good. Enjoy!