Happy Valentines

Happy Valentines to everyone.  It is always a scramble to create something new and interesting for valentines day.  The rising cost of flowers can put them on the down side of possible.  I wanted to come up with ways to help keep the romance up, and the cost of celebrating love reasonable.

Creating an eddible arrangement is easy, pleasing and shows how much you care.  An appealing boquet of fruit really says "I Love You".  It doesn't need to be an elaborate, over poulated bouquet.  Simple is the key, being sure to collaborate the right combination of color.  Below is only a few suggestion.  Any combination of fruit you desire will be appreciated for the effort.



If you don't happen to have an old vase sitting around any thrift store will usually have one for a couple of dollars.  Wooden kabbob spears can be purchased from almost any retail store that sells kitchen supplies.  Fill the bottom of your vase tightly with red or white tissue to hold the spears in place. You may want to forgo the vase all together and use a pineapple.  Cut the pineapple in half, and remove a 1/2" slice off the bottom.  It will sit nicely and the pineapple will hold your spears of fruit.  The remaining pineapple can be used for the arrangement.

 An obvious fruit of choice for Valentines Day would be strawberries, and watermelon. You can place one piece of fruit per spear.  You can also alternate the fruit slices on a spear and create vibrant color.  If you prefer to chocolate dip the strawberries it's not at all difficult.  Purchase one large milk chocolate candy bar and melt in a microwave with about 4 tablespoons of milk.  Remove the chocolate and let cool about 2 to 3 minutes so it will bond with the fruit.  Dip the strawberries in the choclate and refrigerate until the chocolate is fully set.  You will have six to eight appealing additions to your arrangement. 

A white pillar candle in the middle of the arrangement adds a touch of romance to the gift.  A few mini chocolate muffins add aroma.  Making mini muffins from scratch is simple and thoughtful.  You can also craft the creation surrounnding a bottle of wine.  Use something a bit larger than a vase or pinapple, such as 1/2 of a mellon, to hold the arrangement cutting a wedge in the middle to hold your beverage.

There are a few rules to always remember when making your own eddible arrangement.  Always use fruit that will not spoil or brown in a short time.  Plan to make the arrangement as close as possible to the time of use.  You want the fruit to stay vibrant so you may want to try a sprinkle of Fresh Fruit sold with canning products.  Add a small sprinkle to you gift and it should stay attractive for hours.