Here is a round up of some Valentine’s Day crafts and treats that caught my eye.

Diy Art

Painting is not really in my wheelhouse but I think these Love Letters from We Lived Happily Ever After are just gorgeous and would love to give them a try.

I’ve always wanted to do one of these string art projects. This one is over at Green Wedding Shoes is really cute!

How about some Scrabble tile inspired coasters from blue I style?

Hand Sewing

I just LOVE these mini hoop hearts by Laurenmakes. They are super simple but striking. I think they are so adorable and they are on the top of my make list right now!

And how cute is this little felt love note hoop by Amy Chappell from Ameroonie Designs at the Polka Dot Chair.

Machine Sewing

I also found a couple of adorable pillows to add to my Valentine pillow collection. First up is this adorable Love You Pillow by Amanda at JediCraftGirl guest blogging at Amy Smart’s Diary of A Quilter.

And how about this cute heart pillow by Anna from Noodlehead guest blogging on U-CreateCrafts.

I don’t really sew plushies but these Love Koi by Sew Desu Ne? on Blueprint are making me rethink that!

I also saw this felt heart table runner at Pottery Barn Kids. This would be so simple and cheap to make and they want $39.00 bucks for it?

I LOVE this one by Center Street Quilts. I might need to make one of these!

Sweet Treats

How about some delicious treats? I love a quick and simple yummy treat and this bark from Lauren at Delish looks amazing.

And who doesn’t love a yummy Rice Krispy treat? These from Midwest Living look so good!

I’ll wrap up this post with these Cookies ‘n Cream Strawberry Cheesecake Bars from Creme de la Crumb look amazing! I think I may be able to get Sam into making these with me!

You can find my treat bag tutorial here.

My Valentine pillow covers sew up quick! You can find the patterns here. They are on sale all through February.

And if you’re looking for a little bigger project, try out this Flying Home pattern. It is 30% off all month long.

I’ve also been meaning to make a Valentine version of my Christmas Cards quilt using some reds and pinks and calling it Love Notes. Can you see it? You can find the pattern here.

I hope these ideas have you inspired! I know I am, and I think I have a few ideas of my own!

Krista

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To get started, you will want to prepare a 9″ cake pan by spraying it with cooking spray or coating it with oil. Set this aside. (I usually use a 9″ leakproof springform pan.)

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt brown sugar and 1/2 cup butter, whisking occasionally until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil and do not stir, cooking until caramel thickens and turns a dark golden brown, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in 1 tsp. salt. Pour into prepared pan and let cool about 30 minutes.

Add pineapple slices evenly over caramel.

In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, and baking powder. Whisk together milk, egg, and butter. Add wet ingredients to dry, whisking together until just combined. Add to prepared pan.

Bake at 350° for 30-45 minutes until toothpick in center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for approximately 30 minutes. Run sharp knife around sides of pan to loosen cake. Invert onto a large serving plate.

Note: I recommend using light brown sugar. You can use dark brown sugar and it will still taste amazing but I think the lighter brown sugar makes a prettier cake.

I hope you enjoy! If you make it, I’d love to see it! Tag me on social media @fourrobbins

Prepare your Pastry

Combine the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a couple times. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is coarsely combined. Add the cold water and pulse just until the dough starts to hold together. Remove dough and divide in half. Shape each into disc and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or overnight.

Make your Filling

Combine strawberries and granulated sugar. Bring to a boil and mash. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until mixture reduces and begins to thicken. Mix cornstarch in tablespoon of water and add to jam mixture. Stir in, remove from heat, and cool until use.

Preheat over to 425°f.

Assemble Tarts

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow it to rest 10-15 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disc of dough into a 1/8 thick rectangle 10 inches by 16 inches. Divide into four 10 inch by 4 inch rectangles. Add to parchment paper. Brush all around edges with egg wash. Add 3 to 4 tbsp. of filling to center area of one half of pastry leaving edges clear. Fold dough over longways so three edges meet, making a 4 inch by 5 inch pastry. Press edges and then crimp edges with fork. Cut a couple small slits on the top to vent. Repeat with remaining disc.

Bake Tarts

Brush the tops with egg wash. Bake 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°f and bake another 15 minutes.

Cool thoroughly.

Make Icing & Finish

Mix powdered sugar, vanilla, milk, and jam. Drizzle on top of cooled tarts. Add sugar or sprinkles if desired. Let sit about 15 minutes for icing to set.

I’m thinking of trying peanut butter, chocolate chips, and marshmallow and mixing cocoa powder with the icing next! And maybe brown sugar and cinnamon inside with maple in the icing. How about raspberry or blueberry filling and lemon icing?

What do you think sounds good? I would love to hear!

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Preheat the oven to 375°F. Prepare a muffin tin with muffin papers and set aside.

Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder and set aside while you prepare the wet ingredients.

Beat together butter and sugar until well mixed and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla, yogurt, lemon juice and zest.

Stir the flour mixture into the wet mixture. Mash 1/2 cup blueberries and stir into batter. Toss the remaining berries in the 1/4 cup of flour and then fold into batter.

ill the muffin liners, dividing the batter between the liners. They will be full. Sprinkle the sugar over the tops of all the muffins and bake for 30 minutes until golden. Cool 10 minutes and then serve warm.

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Honestly, it doesn’t need syrup. The brown sugar and butter gets nice and syrupy and kind of caramelized on the bottom of the baking dish. Some of it bakes into the bread and when you serve it, you flip it upside down on to the plate and spoon what’s left in the pan right on top. It is amazing.

You can use really whatever bread you have on hand but I love egg bread are the best for this: challah, brioche. It makes it seem kind of fancy. And it is so easy to make and forgiving. It calls for 8 eggs but I’ve gotten by with six. You can make it ahead or you can make it right now. It only takes a few minutes to put it all together.

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True story with my 20-year-old.

‘It’s been quite a while since I’ve made scones. I’ve always kind of liked them. I say kind of because sometimes I get them and the flavor is yummy but they typically tend to be a little dense and kind of dry. Then I made them. At first, it was hit or miss with how tender or flaky or tough, moist or dry until I learned four key things: 1) cold butter 2) cold cream or milk 3) work the dough as little as possible, and 4) if you can’t bake them right away, refrigerate the dough or precut scones and put them in the oven when they are cold. Follow those tips and your scones will rise high and be moist and tender and flaky and oh, so delicious.

You can do any combination of dry fruit/chips you like for this recipe. You can use fresh fruit, too, but not frozen because your scones will be soggy. Just gently fold them in just before baking, again, being careful not to work the dough too much.

Give them a try and let me know what you think!

Krista

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