Red Velvet Whoopie Pies (they’re heart-shaped!)

Rice Krispie and Coco Pops Treats (dressed up for Valentine’s Day)

Valentine’s Day Treats Recipes by Martha

Chocolate Lip Balm with Cocoa Powder

And don’t forget to check out my Valentine’s Day ideas from last year – tag: Valentine’s Day

I meant to enter.  I am not sure if I missed it, though.  I can barely get a tea moment around here, let alone an internet moment.

(This too shall pass.  It’s only a season.  Deep breathing.)

I am sure things will settle down once we start our school schedule.  But that is for another post, I guess.

Right now, the kids are in the other room being…quiet!  It won’t last.  So, I am going to put down the laptop and enjoy that first sip of a hot cup of Darjeeling warm my body (not that it needs it in this heat) and sooth my soul.  Ahhh!

I have always loved that first sip, but never so much as when it is enjoyed with a moment of silence.  What a delightful break from a hectic day!

Maple Pumpkin Tart with Cinnamon Shortbread Crust

Crust

• 1/2 c (1 stick) unsalted) butter, softened
• 6 Tbsp. packed dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Filling

• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree (2 cups)
• whipped cream (optional, for serving)
• maple syrup for drizzling (optional, for serving)

Preheat oven to 350-degrees.  Butter a 9-inch pie pan or a 9- to 9 1/2 inch tart pan with removable bottom.

Prepare crust.  In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed until blended and smooth, about 1 minute.  Sift together flour, cornstarch, and salt and add to bowl.  Mix on low speed until dough forms crumbs and flour is blended, about 15 seconds.

Transfer crumbs to prepared pan.  With clean dry hands, press dough smoothly and evenly into bottom and sides of pan.  Using a fork, prick top of dough lightly  Bake crust 15 to 18 minutes, until firm and lightly colored; edges should not begin to brown.  Let crust cool for 20 minutes before filling.  Lower oven temperature to 325-degrees.

Make filling.  In a large bowl, whisk eggs, brown sugar, and maple syrup, until smooth.  Add cream, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt, whisking just to incorporate.  Use whisk to blend pumpkin in thoroughly.  Pour into partially baked crust.

Bake tart until filling is just set in center and edges are firm, about 52 to 58 minutes.  Transfer to rack; cool completely, about 2 hours.  Refrigerate at least 2 hours, up to overnight.  To serve, gently loosen edges with small knife.  Serve chilled or at room temperature, topping each slice with whipped cream and a drizzle of maple syrup, if desired.

I found this recipe in a magazine put out by my local grocery store.  I could not find it on the internet, so I am posting it here because – oh my! – this is the best pie ever.

Update: Wouldn’t you know, after all that work typing out the recipe, I found it online!  Maple Pumpkin Tart

Skip step one. Do step two and three, except for the wine. Then add the mixture to the crockpot with the tomatoes and 3 cups of water. (I did not use the wine, but if you do, you might also need to reduce the water by the same amount.)

Cook in the crock pot for 2 hours, stirring after the first hour. It was still a little watery when the two hours was up, but the rice was tender.

Then do step 5. At this point, I left the lid off and the mixture thickened nicely, as it cooled.

This is a wonderful, creamy dish.

The Veggie Enchiladas from last week’s menu plan were so awesome! In fact, I am going to have one for lunch today.

I ended up making them Saturday, instead of Friday, and we had them for lunch yesterday, too.

Next time, I will freeze half.

Little E has a really bad cold, so I was up with him at 5:45 yesterday and 4:30 this morning!

The poor little guy sounds bad. He is very congested and was having trouble breathing. I sat and rocked him for a while in a chair, then I took him into our room and propped him up with lots of pillows.

Rocking a 45 pound, 3′ 8″ child is not as easy as it is when they are smaller. My, that boy is a tall one!

He was able to go back to sleep in our room, but I did not sleep very well after that.

The Bloggy Giveaways Carnival is this week. There will be lots and lots of great giveaways to enter.

I have a giveaway going on right now for Huggies Clean Team products, but I have another one that I was planning for the carnival. I will post it tomorrow, so be sure and check back.

One more great thing to check out: The finalists from the Martha Stewart cupcake contest. Very cute and cool cupcakes! Go have a look.

That’s all for now. Have a magnificent Monday!

It is back again, this time with Jenny McCarthy joining the cast.

I think it is a great concept, using stories submitted by real moms.

The stories are then posted on the In the Motherhood website where readers can vote for the one that will be made into an episode.

Have a look.

Wow.

That is all I can say.

It is so much easier to choose the winning comment using WordPress, which numbers the comments, instead of Blogger, which does not.

I have already contacted Marcia and I will be shipping out her prize this weekend.

Thank you to all who participated. And many thanks to Shannon from Rocks in My Dryer and Bloggy Giveaways for hosting.

Welcome Bloggy Giveaway-ers! Thanks for stopping by my giveaway. Feel free to poke around a bit before you head off to the next great giveaway.

Today, I am giving away a jewelry making set for kids of any age.

And I do mean any age. I had fun playing with my set.

Since I have no little girls to buy this kind of stuff for, I sometimes buy it for me. And I bought an extra one that I am offering you.

This is a Tommy Nelson Playpak, called “Braiding and Beading.”

All of the projects have a Christian theme to them, although many of the designs are not overtly Christian.

I had fun playing with my set. Here are a couple of things I made. (The friendship bracelet is not finished.)

The kit comes with 10 instruction cards and supplies (beads, floss, and more) to make the projects.

It does contain small parts that could pose a choking hazard, so please keep that in mind.

To enter, just leave a comment with a valid e-mail address.

The contest ends on Friday at noon, at which time I will draw a random winner.

For more great giveaways, be sure to visit the Bloggy Giveaways Carnival.

The giveaways start on Monday. I will be participating again, but my giveaway this time is not quite as cool as my last one.

Be sure to check back on Monday to get in on the action.