Sweet Valentines

About author / Christine Gable

Culinary enthusiast; kids cuisine and slow cooking; magazine recipe developer; professional writer. Her simple recipes are great for family dinners.

It’s that Valentine’s Day time of the year. And what comes to mind? Hearts, red, pink, kisses, hugs, declarations of love, right? Yeah, it seems like the first two weeks of February are filled with all thoughts of what we can do to show our love and affection for each other.

While I do like to surprise my kids with a little goodie bag, this Valentine’s Day fun is thanks to my daughter. In her excited 9 year-old passion and excitement for all things filled with holiday fun, she bounded down the steps this morning and had a super idea for breakfast: heart-shaped pancakes. And not only heart-shaped pancakes, but chocolate chip heart-shaped pancakes. Now that’s sweet.

Not just an opportunity to whet the appetite, it was first necessary for me to clean out the utensil drawer. For those heart-shaped pancake forms were in there. Somewhere. Yes, those metal heart-shaped pancake forms had been quite forgotten for many a month (How exactly do all those kitchen tools accumulate?!).

Here was another chance for her to get cooking in the kitchen (with enthusiasm to boot). That’s the way I love it best. For it’s never as good when it degrades into coercing, cajoling—or ordering. Then it’s just another chore. No, it’s best when they’re ready to go with their ideas—all I have to do is help from the sidelines. Say where the extra box of Bisquick is … help them find the bottle of maple syrup that got pushed to the back of the shelf … suggest how high to turn the stove.

Pancakes are just plain easy. And that makes them the perfect kid-food. Not to mention they’re a great way to get kids using measuring cups (both for dry and liquid ingredients) and practicing flipping with the spatula. And if they’re too young to be up at the stove, what a perfect opportunity to get them to practice setting the table or pouring some little attractive individual bowls with maple syrup or jam. Or even slicing the butter into ¼-inch pats.

Don’t have kids or family who go for chocolate chip pancakes? Here are some other options to make heart-shaped pancakes extra special:

• Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar
• Serve with little bowls of warm strawberry jam
• Layer with cream cheese and drizzle with a favorite syrup
• Traditional with butter and real maple syrup

And if you want to turn those griddlecakes into a complete and satisfying meal that isn’t as heavy on the carbs, try pairing them with some of these side dishes:

• Mini brown-n-serve sausages
• Canadian bacon rounds
• Tofu scramble or vegetarian soy sausages
• Eggs – scrambled, over-easy, or dippy

So this Valentine’s Day, perhaps you’ll want to check out some pancake forms too. They make for a sweet pancake treat—and I don’t know if it was that special 9 year-old touch, but those pancakes that we noshed last Valentine’s Day were the best ones I think I’ve ever eaten.

And they’re guaranteed to be repeated again this year.