Candlelight and Cupid

Almost forgot this one from Seventeen, circa 1986:

Tokens of Love

I made the peppermint meringue kisses and Sweet Death Cake more than a few times… very sweet!

Confections of Love

Viva Valentine’s Day with these treats circa 1980-something.

Baby Cakes, Hopelessly Devoted Dream Bars, I’m-Fond-Of-You-Fudge, and Heartthrobs.

Valentine’s Day cookies

Sweetness brought to you circa 1980s Seventeen!

Below, the yummiest cinnamon chocolate cutouts.

But first:

WHITE VELVET CUTOUTS
2 sticks of butter, softened
4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup white sugar
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour

Cream together butter and cream cheese until smooth.
Beat in sugar. Add egg yolk and vanilla, and mix well. Add flour in slowly.
Gather dough into a disk, wrap in plastic and chill in refrigerator for several hours or overnight.
When ready to make cookies, roll dough on lightly floured board to 1/4 inch thick. Cut with floured cutters.

Bake at 350 F until edges turn golden.
Cool on racks. Frost with royal icing if desired.

Super Bowl snacks

While we can’t top these buffalo chicken wing cupcakes, we can at least give you a trip down memory lane. Thanks Lori!

This Super Bowl Sunday, you can be a football heroine by having the gang over for a delicious “TV” supper of barbecued beef — it cooks quickly in a pressure cooker and feeds at least 10 hungry “teammates!”

The menu pairs barbecued beef, assorted rolls, a hot bean pot, citrus slaw and Brownie wiches

BBQ Beef
2 tbsp oil
boneless beef bottom round roast 3 to 4 lbs
1 large onion, thinkly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jar 18 oz barbecue sauce
1/2 cup water
optional: hickory seasoning liquid smoke
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp flour
3/4 cup cold water

Alternative cooking method:

To cook beef, simmer for 3 1/2 to 4 hours in oven until it is very tender. Transfer meat to a warmed platter.

Add brown sugar to drippings

Hot bean pot
In a 2-quart casserole dish, mix three 16 oz cans Boston baked beans, 2 tbsp chopped scallions, 2 tsp mustard, and 2 tsp Worchestershire sauce. Top with 3/4 cup shredded Cheddar, bake at 350 F for 20 minutes. Serves ten.

Citrus Slaw
In a large bowl, combine 4 cups shredded cabbage, 1 cup shredded carrots, 1/2 cup chopped onions, and 1 tablespoon celery seed. Next, make dressing: in a small bowl, combine 1 cup bottled creamy coleslaw dressing and 2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed. Pour dressing over cabbage mixture; toss well. Serves ten.

Saucy saucepot

We tried to walk away from this one, we really did. But within minutes of leaving the Red Deer thrift shop, we circled back and race walked straight to the housewares aisle and grabbed it.

$8.99 people.

Loving this Le Creuset vintage flame No. 16 saucepot with spout and charming wooden handle. There is, sadly, no lid, and two unsightly chips on the rim. But we can deal.

It holds about a quart, or a bit less than a litre. It is the perfect vessel for our third batch of homemade cocoa mix. Naturally, we needed the perfect pot to heat it in!