Expressions from the Heart

Valentine's Day is this Sunday, and everywhere we go, we see hearts ... the universal symbol of love. As I was considering subjects for a post in honor of Valentine's Day, it occurred to me that the word heart is very much a part of our everyday language, most often being used to express emotions. So, if you will be so kind as to indulge me, I'd like to share a few of the "heart expressions" I could think of, and I'm sure you can add more. Let's begin by ... And I promise (cross my heart) ... Not to ever break your heart ... Because I know you have a heart of gold ... And I'd never want to give you a heartache Because that would give me ... So I'll just go through life ... Trying to stay "Young at Heart" ... While avoiding foods that cause ... Because I ... And will always love you ... Here are a few more I thought of ... Heart of Stone ... The heart of the matter is ... Take heart ... Spring is almost here! With an open heart ... His or her heart is in the right place. She is so kind-hearted. I had a change of heart. My heart stood still. My heart skipped a beat. You must never lose heart. My heart goes out to you. He had his heart set on it. You have my heartfelt sympathy. And last, but certainly not least, HEARTTHROBS. Oh, be still my HEART ! ...

Almost-Perfect Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries ...

My sweet husband likes chocolate-dipped strawberries and I decided to surprise him with some for Valentine's Day. I've never made them, but came across a recipe by Ina Garten. Ina, who is better known as the Barefoot Contessa, is my favorite hostess on the Food Network Channel. Everything Ina makes is elegant and delicious-looking, and I wanted my strawberries to look like hers.

I found the strawberries at a specialty grocery store in Jackson. They were the prettiest strawberries I've ever seen ... bright red and juicy-looking, with long stems ... perfect for dipping!

Here is Ina's Recipe:

Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips **
3 Tablespoons Heavy Whipped Cream
12 Long-Stemmed Strawberries

**I read the reviews of this recipe and discovered that some ladies had problems with the chocolate setting. Some said it was soft and "gooey," but one lady said she doubled the chocolate chips and hers were perfect. So, I used a cup of chips, because I wanted mine to be perfect, too.

Directions:

Melt the chocolate and cream together in a bowl set over simmering water until just melted. Stir and remove from the heat. Dip each strawberry in the chocolate and set aside on waxed or parchment paper to dry.

Note: As a result of researching "chocolate-dipped strawberries," I discovered that it's important that the strawberries be room temperature and completely dry before dipping them so the chocolate will adhere to them.

I was almost paranoid about mine being "perfect" (nothing but the best for our sweet hubbies, right?), so I carefully dried each one with paper towels and then used my hair dryer on the cool setting to finish drying them. I don't recommend doing this, though, because it wilted the leaves a little.

Even though mine weren't perfect like Ina's, my husband loved them (wilted leaves and all), and said they were "fantastic!" I was happy with the way they turned out. What do you think?

Evidently, he wasn't just saying he liked them to be nice, because this is how the plate looked last night ...

And for the record, we didn't eat all those by ourselves ... we had company who helped!

Best wishes to you for a very happy
and memorable Valentine's celebration.

Sincerely,