Last Minute Valentine’s Day Breakfast

When I had a little more time and energy and I loved putting a lot of effort into creating a fun holiday event. But nowadays putting together a few simple, yet fun foods at the last minute is about all I can manage. Today I’m sharing a Valentine’s Day breakfast you can pre-prep tonight with foods you probably already have in your pantry.

I’m already a procrastinator but Valentine’s Day is one of those holidays that always seems to sneak up on me and fall through the cracks. this breakfast is my go-to for special days and celebrations. It checks all the boxes for being easy, prep-ahead, delicious, and fun for everyone in the family.

You can start today by prepping Weekend Baked Eggs. You’ll grate the cheeses, cook your breakfast meat, and mix together your egg base and store them in the fridge separately overnight. Tomorrow all you’ll need to do is pour the eggs over the cheese and meat then put it in the oven an hour before you want to eat. If you don’t have breakfast meat in your fridge or freezer, no problem, just leave it out!

Next, you’ll mix up a batch of Whole Wheat Scones. These are best if the dough sits in the refrigerator overnight which makes them perfect for a relaxing Valentine’s Day morning. They only take about 15 minutes to bake so they’ll be ready in a jiffy. Serve them with your egg casserole, or save them for later and have a mini Valentine’s Day tea party.

Now you can sit back and relax or work on a few Valentine crafts until tomorrow. I’ll have a post a little later today with some cute garlands you can make with your kids or some friends.

In the morning while your oven preheats, assemble the egg casserole and set it aside. Rinse some raspberries and strawberries and lay them out on a dishtowel to dry. Get a double boiler going on the stove and start chopping up some melting chocolate.

Your oven is probably ready about now so go ahead and get your eggs baking. They take a good hour so you have plenty of time to finish up the other goodies. Spread out some foil near where you will be dipping your strawberries and begin dipping your berries as soon as the chocolate is nice and smooth.

If your kids are old enough this is a great project to give them while you drink a cup of coffee with your feet up. My 13-year-old could handle this task with ease.

if you’re feeling extra fancy, you can melt down some white chocolate as well and use a fork to drizzle lines back and forth across the milk chocolate. Even if they get a little clumpy, your family will think they are decadent!

Next up, White Chocolate Stuffed Raspberries which sound a lot fancier than what they are. All you’re going to do is literally stuff a white chocolate chip into a raspberry. If it is a big berry, add two! I’m not kidding; it’s that easy. Neither my husband nor my daughter loves white chocolate, but they said they were delightful. Again, get your kids to help if you feel they are up to the task.

Your eggs are probably about ready now. As soon as they are out, turn your oven up to 400 and pull your scones out of the fridge to slice and bake. Pour yourself a tasty drink from this post and get ready to plate up your festive Valentine’s Day Breakfast.

Are you a procrastinator, too, or have you had your Valentine ducks in a row for weeks now? Give this menu a try and let us know your favorite part. Happy Valentine’s Day!

XOXO

Shan and Doe

Three Simple Non-alcoholic Drinks for Valentine’s Day

Our families love a festive drink for any kind of celebration. Tonight we’re sharing three simple drinks that can be enjoyed by the whole family. With only a few ingredients, that can be found at most any grocery store, these drinks are a perfect last-minute addition to your Valentine’s Day menu. Their bright red color will brighten any day but are especially fun for this LOVEly holiday.

Cran-Raspberry Spritzer

Ingredients for Cran-Raspberry Spritzer

Can you make a festive drink any simpler than this? Unlikely. Just two ingredients are all it takes to make this bubbly beverage. Simply mix equal parts of a cold juice of your choice, cran-raspberry is our favorite, and chilled lemon-lime soda, like Sprite or 7-Up. But your family doesn’t need to know you’re not a master mixologist. Mix the juice and soda in a fun goblet and garnish with a few fresh berries and everyone will want to make a toast in your honor!

Cran-Raspberry Spritzer

Italian Cream Soda

Dori was introduced to Italian Cream Sodas while she was in high-school (can it be that was more than 25 years ago?!) and has been hooked on them ever since. They seemed to be pretty common on the west coast, but don’t seem to be as popular farther east.

Ingredients for Italian Cream Soda

The fun thing about Italian Sodas is their versatility. The base recipe is simple. Layer 8 ounces of cold club soda, 4 TBSP flavored syrup, and 2 TBSP half & half in a glass filled with ice. Your cream may separate a bit on occasion, but it doesn’t affect the taste of the drink.

Fruit-based syrups are ideal for Italian Sodas: strawberry, raspberry, lime, etc. Caramel, coconut, and vanilla are delightful also. We used vanilla-flavored syrup because it’s the easiest to find at the grocery store. We’ve topped it with 2 TBS grenadine to give it a lovely pink-y red hue. If you’re feeling decadent, top it with some whipped cream and sprinkles. You can leave out the cream if you want and it’s still delicious.

Italian Sodas are wonderful year-round and kids love coming up with different combos and mixing them by themselves. For a fancy, at-home brunch, try making an orange cream soda using pulp-free orange juice and vanilla syrup. (You’re welcome!)

Vanilla and Grenadine Italian Cream Soda

Shirley Temple Upgraded

Ingredients for a Shirley Temple

Sometimes we forget about the old stand-bys, but Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to bring back this classic sipper. We’re making it feel a little fancier by riming our champagne glass with whipped topping and a generous sprinkling of sugar sprinkles.

This one doesn’t really require measuring, just fill your glass 3/4 of the way with chilled lemon-lime soda or ginger ale and then add in a healthy splash of grenadine. Adjust the flavor to your preference, but whatever you do, don’t skimp on the maraschino cherries; scooping them out and munching down is the best part!

Shirley Temple Upgraded

You don’t have to spend a lot of money, take a lot of time, or have a ton of ingredients to mix up a festive drink to delight the whole family. You can even keep most of these in your pantry and then whip them out any time something or someone needs a littel celebrating.

What do you think; will your family loves these drinks as much as ours do? We think so! Give them a try this Valentine’s Day weekend and let us know which is your favorite.

XOXO

Shan and Doe