Valentine’s Day Entertaining
Talk Of Alabama
{Watch The How To Videos Courtesy ABC 33/40}
Pure Sweetness
My family breakfast table anchors the dining room, a stray we took in when first building our home. We took in a lot of strays back then refinishing, painting & covering a collection of odd but very well made furniture pieces that needed freshening. Although the table has hosted numerous dinner parties & celebrations, it functions best for more hardworking tasks as most dining room tables do.
One long weekend, I blocked time to strip it down. The morning sun had sauntered across the top everyday for years & with age, the finish had lost it’s luster. Coarse grit sandpaper removed layers of nicks & dings that had built up. What had once been rough & raw was now polished new. You could run your hands down the legs & feel the soft curves again. A few coats of protectant sealed the beauty that had been revealed. Sometimes when I look at that table, blush tones take me by the hand & I’m swept back to a breakfast set for grade school children. Pink boxes of heart-shaped confections with small wrapped gifts at each place setting pull me in close & a homemade treat was always on the playlist. Chocolate cupcakes & sugar cookies were certainly popular items.
Sweeten the day by spoiling your own family. Set up a spot on your table for crafting a batch of homemade cards for one another. A pan of brownies become a memorable dessert when rosy red sweethearts sashay about. Two easy batters twirl together & bake up into something special the whole gang will love.
Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies
makes 16 servings
The brownies, dense yet moist, will shrink away from the sides by approximately 1/8-inch then settle back down into the pan after cooling.
1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces
1 1/4 cup sugar, divided
2 eggs
1/3 cup whole buttermilk
1 {1-oz} bottle red food coloring
2/3 cup ap flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 {8-oz} package cream cheese, softened
1 egg
one
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Line an 8-inch pan with foil allowing 2-inches to extend beyond the sides.
Lightly grease the foil. Set aside.
Microwave the butter in a large glass bowl at 30-second intervals until melted.
Cool 5 minutes.
Whisk 1 cup sugar into the butter. Stir in the eggs & the buttermilk.
Stir in the food coloring until well blended.
Whisk together the flour, the cocoa powder & salt in a small bowl.
Fold into the butter mixture & remove 1/3 cup of the batter.
Pour the remaining batter into the prepared pan.
two
Beat the cream cheese & the remaining 1/4 cup sugar
with an electric hand mixer on Medium speed until light & fluffy.
Blend in the egg on Low speed just until combined.
Pour the cheesecake batter over the brownie batter.
Gently spread the cheesecake batter to the pan edges with a small offset spatula.
It does not need to cover the brownie batter in an even layer.
Dollop the reserved brownie batter evenly over the cheesecake batter.
Swirl the two batters together using a small wooden pick.
three
Bake 40 to 42 minutes or until the brownies are puffed & just set in the center.
A wooden pick will not test entirely clean & will hold a few crumbs.
Cool completely.
Gently loosen the foil, if necessary, from the pan using a paring knife.
Lift the brownies from the pan using the foil as handles.
Place onto a cutting board & slice into squares.
FROM THE KITCHEN OF BUTTERMILK LIPSTICK
{testing notes}
How To Make Swirls Of Sweetness
Blending two batters together is an easy & delicious way to offer a lovely dessert with an instant presentation. Brownies & cheesecake flavors are a classic combination that work well together. The balanced batter textures allow the dollops to hold their shape once placed into the pan.
The 411
There will be an approximate 3:1 ratio of brownie to cheesecake batter.
Once the cheesecake batter is added,
portion the remaining brownie batter in about 9 dollops over the surface.
Run the very tip of a wooden pick gently through the two.
If you begin at the top of a dollop & run the pick directly down the center,
you’ll create a sea of floating hearts.
Swirl the two batters together as much or as little as you prefer.
Expect the brownies to bake up thick & have a cake-like texture.
Additional food coloring paste, which can be found from craft stores,
can be stirred in for a brighter, rich red hue.
etc
Handcrafted Valentine’s Day Cards
Handcrafting a card for someone you love is such a special gift.
It’s an opportunity to revisit a moment in time you’ve both shared.
Favorite movie characters or song lyrics are great resources to inspire the messages.
Start a simple word document & type the picks.
Print them out on basic paper.
Cut the sayings with scissors & tape them to strips of colored card stock.
Construct a sea of small & large hearts from the same hues.
Create a design. Play around with the placement of the words & shapes.
Attach to plain cards with double sided tape & old school glue.
Personalize the pieces as you wish…
Nicknames & monograms are always fine choices.
The Typography
Choose a font style & size…
Play with the arrangement of the words for a custom card creation.
music to your ears
“If You Want This Love” Julie London
social butterfly
instagram: buttermilklipstick
facebook: Buttermilk Lipstick
twitter: Buttermilk Lipstick@ButtermilkLips
{college football} Rebecca Gordon@TidefanFare
pinterest: Buttermilk Lipstick
Rebecca Gordon
Be sweet.
No comments yet.