Living the Pantry Lifestyle - February baking and Valentine's Day

Thank you for the comments and suggestions two weeks ago.  I always learn something new! 

By February, I'm ready for winter to be over, especially one like this winter which has been very cold and had too many days when the roads were ice covered.  I'm beginning to notice photos on Instagram from the deep south that are looking like SPRING.  It will eventually make its' way here but it takes awhile.

In the past, February was a month in which I did a lot of baking.  I don't bake as much these days but February tempts me back to the mixer and oven.  Today I'm going to bake a cake (although this time I'm using a favorite cake mix) and I will freeze one layer of the cake for another time.

I've noticed how cakes in Great Britain were usually one layer unless they were for a very festive occasion that needed to serve a lot of people.  So a few years ago, with a need to monitor sugar intake and be more frugal... I started freezing one of the layers for later when I made a two layer cake.  I make my own buttercream icing so it is quite easy to make half the amount as usual.

I learned from nutrition classes when we lived in Detroit that it is a false assumption diabetics cannot eat any sugar (now we have to monitor all carbs).  That comes from the days it used to be called "sugar diabetes" (my uncle also had adult onset juvenile diabetes and that is what it was called then).  Instead, my nutritionist taught me to enjoy a small piece of pie or cake at times and always with protein.  That way people better manage cravings.  So my one layer cake fits that direction nicely.

I was thinking last week that Valentine's Day is coming up and it was a holiday where I enjoyed making something special when I had children at home.  I tried to manage expectations when both of my kids were growing up. They didn't expect (and neither did I), an expensive piece of jewelry each year to celebrate.

My expectations of the holiday came from my parents.  Each Valentine's Day, my mother bought me a small heart shaped box of candy, the kind that had a tiny doll or some item like silk flowers on the top of the package. I came to associate Valentine's Day with chocolates.  Although to be honest, I could probably make a case for chocolate any day of the year.

While I did purchase chocolates once in awhile, I enjoyed making some of my own items for both Valentine's Day and Easter.  I thought I'd a few of these and other dessert recipes with you.  Some recipes can be tweaked for Christmas, too.

Raspberry Truffle Brownies... here.
These are the perfect brownies for a special occasion.  They look difficult to make but they are not as long as you follow directions and people rave about them.  (Photo shown above.)


Rachel Ray's Fudge... here.
This is a delicious and easy fudge from her old 30 Minute Cooking show.  I make it for Christmas gifts but it is perfect for other holidays.

Creamy Cheese Dessert Parfait... here.
I've made these for holidays before.  The recipe is simply the cheesecake filling of my Cherry Cheesecake Pie made into a parfait quickly and easily.

Beverly Nye's Candies
Homemade Mounds bars... here.
This recipe has other options on this page.

Homemade Mints... here.
Perfect for holidays, baby showers, wedding showers, etc.

Homemade Peanut Butter Easter Eggs... here.
I have made these at other times than Easter by rolling into balls instead of an egg form.

Photo:  From Country Woman Magazine where I originally found the recipe.