Teens: You can send sweets instead of tweets
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Chocolate-Covered Strawberries are an elegant, and easy, treat for Valentine's Day. -
Werewolf Chow will have Team Jacob fans at your daughter's lunch table howling with delight. -
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Valentine's Day gift-giving can be tough for the high-school set.
A bottle of Champagne or dinner at a fancy, romantic restaurant is most definitely out of the question, and you also don't want your 15-year-old giving, or receiving, an expensive piece of jewelry from a boyfriend or girlfriend. Then again, a card doesn't quite cut it.
So how else might your teenager tell that one special someone she's crazy about him on Valentine's Day?
With a homemade treat, of course.
Nothing says "I love you" like time spent in the kitchen when your kid would rather be doing, well, anything besides cooking. What makes these bite-sized expressions of love especially sweet is the fact the recipes were inspired by the culinary adventures of two of the most love-sick teens in literary history.
If you've got a female under the age of 20 in the house, chances are you're intimately familiar with the romantic travails of "Twilight's" Bella or Katniss Everdeen, the heroine huntress from the popular "Hunger Games" trilogy.
Each series of books has spawned an "unofficial" cookbook, so here's her chance to slip into those shoes on the most romantic day of the year.
All are simple enough that even a tween cook can tackle any of the recipes on her own. Even better, they're economical, which means it won't take a huge bite out of her baby-sitting money.
And if your kid doesn't have a certain someone? They're perfect for sharing at the lunch table with a group of BFFs.
Chocolate-covered strawberries
PG tested
These hand-dipped treats are as pretty as they are sweet and delicious, and remarkably easy. Be sure the berries are completely dry before dipping or the melted chocolate could "seize."
- 8 ounces high-quality semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 8 ounces high-quality milk chocolate, chopped
- 8 ounces high-quality white chocolate, chopped
- 1 pound fresh strawberries with stems, rinsed and dried
Line a metal cookie sheet with parchment paper. Chill pan in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Place semisweet and milk chocolates in one bowl and white chocolate in a separate bowl. Using a double boiler, melt semisweet and milk chocolates, stirring occasionally until mixture is smooth. (If you don't have a double boiler, melting chocolate in bowl placed over hot water will do.) Don't let the water touch the bottom of the upper pan. The chocolate mixture should actually be cool to the touch while melting.
Once chocolate is melted, remove from heat. Holding strawberries by the stem, dip the berries into the chocolate mixture, give a little shake (this will fill in the cracks and leave a nice line at the base), swirl in a quick clockwise motion to let the excess chocolate drip off, and then place on chilled parchment-lined cookie sheet.
Repeat using white chocolate. Spoon melted white chocolate into a small resealable plastic bag. Cut corner off bag and drizzle white chocolate over milk-chocolate covered berries.
Set strawberries aside to set at room temperature, at least one hour. Serve.
Makes 1 pound.
-- "The Unofficial Hunger Games Cookbook" by Emily Ansara Baines (Adams Media, Dec. 2011, $19.95)
Werewolf Chow
PG tested
Addictive and yummy, best enjoyed by the handful. For Team Jacob members, of course.
- 9 cups rice cereal, such as Chex brand
- 1/4 cup butter or margarine
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or a combination of 1/2 cup chocolate chips and 1/2 cup peanut butter chips
- 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Place cereal in a large resealable plastic bag.
In a one-quart microwavable bowl, microwave butter, chocolate chips and peanut butter uncovered for about 1 minute; stir. If mixture hasn't melted, stir and place in microwave for another 20 to 30 seconds. Once melted, stir in vanilla.
Pour the chocolate chip-peanut butter mixture into bag containing the cereal. Then add powdered sugar and shake. Spread mixture on waxed paper to cool.
Store in airtight container.
Makes about 9 cups.
-- "Love at First Bite: The Unofficial Twilight Cookbook" by Gina Meyers (iUniverse, 2010)
Sweet Sugar Cookies from a Sweetie
PG tested
These crispy sugar cookies are based on the ones Peeta's father bakes for Katniss in chapter 3 of "The Hunger Games." Readers know she ends up throwing them out of the train window. But we guarantee you'll want to eat them.
We rolled the cookies in raw sugar before baking, but you also could use pink or red sanding sugar to make them more Valentine-like.
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
- 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons white sugar, divided
- 1/2 cup turbinado (raw) sugar
In a medium-sized bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and sea salt. In a small bowl, beat together the egg and vanilla.
In a large bowl, cream together butter, 1 cup white sugar and turbinado sugar. Cream until light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. Add egg and vanilla mixture, mixing completely. Gradually blend in dry ingredients.
Chill dough in fridge for at least 1 hour. Fifteen minutes before baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Pour remaining 3 tablespoons white sugar into a small bowl. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into small balls. Roll balls in sugar, then place onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until just barely golden brown at the edges. If cookies don't look completely done, that's OK. Let cookies stand on sheet for 5 minutes before removing to cool on wire rack.
Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
-- "The Unofficial Hunger Games Cookbook" by Emily Ansara Baines (Adams Media, Dec. 2011, $19.95)
Too-Hot-to-Handle Caramel Corn
- 8 quarts plain popped corn
- 1 cup butter or margarine
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 1 package cinnamon heart candies
Place popcorn in a large bowl and set aside. In a saucepan, combine butter, corn syrup and red hot candies. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly Place popcorn mixture in to a baking pan and bake at 250 degrees for 50 minutes. Remove from pan and spread on waxed paper to cool.
Makes about 9 cups.
-- "Love at First Bite: The Unofficial Twilight Cookbook" by Gina Meyers (iUniverse, 2010)
First Published February 9, 2012 12:00 am
