I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that there is a tradition I have wanted to do for Valentine’s day since Vu and I got married 5 1/2 years ago that I have never ended up doing because I get sick every single February.  Well I am happy to report that I did not get sick.  There was a day I really thought I was going to, but it turned out to be some really intense allergies and I was fine the next day.  So I finally managed to get it done.  I have wanted to make a heart shaped or Valentine themed food every day from the 1st of February until Valentine’s day, February 14.  So 14 days of love food.  I am so happy I finally did it.  However, it has made me realize that I don’t actually want to do this every year, sick or not, for all 14 days…  It was fun once, but just too much for 14 days.   From now on I will just stick to doing something the day of.  Or maybe some random days leading up to Valentine’s Day, if I am feeling up to it.

If you are looking for some inspiration, here are the foods I made this year:

1.  Chocolate chip cookies – in a heart mold.  I think they tasted better cooked normally, so won’t be doing this one again.
2.  Fried rice – This was a perfect one.  Just make some fried rice and put the cookie cutter on the plate and fill it up.  On a side note, I have to give myself props for making a fried rice that my Asian husband loves.   This is big people!
3. Almond white chocolate hearts – I love this mold that looks like the little candy text hearts.  I like the mold much more than the candies…  I should have added less chocolate and more almonds though, it was a bit too sweet.  Also those coral ones…. 😍
4. Sliced and baked potato hearts – We got the recipe from Blue Apron and I make this a lot, we love it.   I just cut it in the heart shape.
5. Crème brûlée in a mini heart pan – how can you not love crème brûlée?  This was really a simple one, just swap out a regular dish for the heart one.
6. Heart spinach salad and toasted butter Parmesan bread – For the salad I cut the spinach, but you can’t tell so I would skip that.  The bread is another recipe I use all the time.  I got it from a family I used to babysit for when I was young.  It is better with french bread, but still super delicious with sliced bread and we never can go through a whole loaf of french bread just the 2 of us.
7. Heart french toast – French toast is one of those things that I didn’t really like most of my life that I have come to enjoy as I get older.  I still don’t love it, but I like it lot more than I used to.  And it is one of Vu’s favorite’s.  Plus it is sooo ridiculously fast and easy.
8. Heart shape sugar cookies – I love these with the tiny little cookie cutter and then they are the perfect bite size.
9. Heart Bacon, eggs and hashbrowns – I cooked the bacon on the stove top and it would have been way easier to bake it in the oven, but it just takes so much longer.  If you have time though, I imagine the heart shape will hold better if it is baked. I bought the egg mold on amazon.
10. Mini Apple Pie – I bought one of those big cartons of apples at Costco and Vu asked me to make an apple pie with them.   And then he only ate one slice.  This is why I will only make him desserts that I like…
11. Loco Moco Pham – This is a recipe we created after going to Hawaii.  We found this food truck that made the most amazing dish called Loco Moco using Kalua pork.  We adapted it by using a hamburger patty instead.  Super simple, and so good.  But I can’t wait to go back to Kauai some day and eat it with the pork again.
12. Strawberry cream cheese heart tart – Vu says this is his favorite dessert and it is definitely up there for me.  It is the same one I used here but in a heart shape.
13. 4 Cheese Ravioli Hearts – I was most worried about this one because I have made homemade pasta twice before, and both times it was not very good.  But both Vu and I really liked this one.  The filling was good and the pasta worked really well.
14. Heart shaped beignets – it’s a beignet.  That is all you need to know.