Valentine's Day Recipes: How to Make Your Favorite Foods Red or Pink

When I think of Valentine's Day, I think of hearts, roses, cherubs, boxes of yummy chocolates, and of course everything pink and red! What would this wonderful day be without sharing with those you love delicious food and treats dressed in passion pink and velvety red?

Here are some wonderful ideas for coloring your Valentine's Day meals and treats. So, grab the red food coloring and let's go!

Make a delicious breakfast of pancakes and sausage patties. Place a few drops of red food coloring in the pancake batter and use a small heart cookie cutter to cut out the sausage after cooking. There are delicious gourmet syrups available such as strawberry and raspberry that will add scrumptious flavor and beautiful color to your already pink pancakes. Serve with fresh berries. Add a few spoons of Nesquik Strawberry to a glass of milk and what a lovely Valentine's breakfast to enjoy!

Valentine's meals can be so much fun for children. They will be happy to find a specially designed lunch when they open their lunch boxes in the cafeteria. Use a large heart cookie cutter to make ham and cheese sandwiches or PB&J festive. Other pink and red items to include are an apple, strawberries, strawberry applesauce, cherries, cherry Jell-O, red pepper strips, cherry tomatoes, and of course ranch dressing with a drop of red food coloring. Another good idea is to mix a few drops of red food coloring into softened cream cheese and spread it on a bagel or celery. Don't forget to cut a heart shape into the napkin and send a "love" note.

Dinner items are a little tougher since some people may find it not very appetizing to eat abnormally colored food. So, your focus should be on foods that are naturally pink and red. Some ideas are chili, pasta with red sauce, pepperoni pizza, or steak (a little pink in the middle) which can be served with anything red you can think of like red cabbage, beets, radishes, tomato salad, red potatoes, or berries. You may also be able to find heart shaped pasta or make your own pasta and color the noodles with beet juice. If you will be serving a daring family or individual, then you can add red food coloring to mashed potatoes, sour cream, cream soups, and anything else that starts out white.

Desserts can easily be made into Valentine's Day treats. You can purchase heart cookies with pink icing and sprinkles or make your own by adding a few drops of red food coloring into the wet ingredients of your sugar cookie recipe. Top it off with a delicious pink frosting which is available from Betty Crocker, Duncan Hines, or Pillsbury. Pillsbury even makes a special Funfetti Valentine's frosting with hearts and sprinkles. My favorite thing to make on Valentine's Day is a heart shaped cake. You can use any cake mix (or make your own from scratch) and pour half of the batter into a square cake pan and half into a round cake pan. After they bake and partially cool, remove from the pan and let cool completely. Place the square cake on a large platter so it looks like a diamond. Then cut the round cake in half and place one half on each side of the diamond to form a heart. Choose your favorite icing and you will have a beautiful heart shaped cake to enjoy!