[1dayatatime]

Planning ahead keeps us from making big mistakes. So, I'm curious what everyone has planned for this day.

I've decided to cook for my family (it's also mine and dh's second monthiversay). I'm making a turkey meatloaf (shaped into a heart), Cheddar and Chive Mashed Potatoes (a CQ recipe), and I want to have a green veggie but I'm undecided as to what.

My indulgence is going to be dessert. I'm making a red velvet cake (heart shaped, of course) with cream cheese icing. I plan on decorating it with capped and halved strawberries. Cutting a small V in the top of them also makes them shaped into hearts. I figure if I can focus more on the strawberries with just a bit of the cake and icing then I should be okay and still enjoy the evening.

I've purchased a red table cloth, red disposable cutlery (fancy, huh?) . I've purchased small heart candy boxes that I plan on using for name cards (as if my family doesn't know where they normally sit at the dinner table ). I don't have a box and don't want the chocolate so much so I'm trying to think of something to use as my name card. I'm considering asking my son (12) and daughter (10) (privately and seperately, of course) to write something special about their siblings and suprise them with reading them aloud at dinner. I'll help the 4 year old with this task. I really want to focus on the love factor within a family and home.

What are your plans?

[LLV]

Your dinner sounds like it will be very nice

Plans? No plans here. It's a weekday, it will carry on as per usual.

[Heather]

Carrie -- Can I come to your house for dinner??

I'm with Linda, nothing special. Maybe there will be flowers on the table, but I doubt it.

[Vilandra485]

My fiance and I are buying each other something small on Monday, and on Tuesday morning I'm getting my hair dyed, woo hoo, perfect timing, lol. And my fiance gets a day off work on Tuesday, which is great! So, we might go out to dinner - but only somewhere where we can count calories! 1dayatatime - you gave me ideas! I might try to make a potion controlled dessert for us as a surprise as well....those little Lava Cakes you can make from the box are only about 250 calories each! Perfect! Now to do it without him noticing.....lol!

[1dayatatime]

The more the merrier!

There won't be any hiding the dinner table but I figure if I can keep it secret until that day I'm doing pretty good. Tell me more about these Lava Cakes, please! I don't think I know about them.

~Carrie

[Vilandra485]

Sure! They are these little round chocolate cakes, and inside them is a chocolate sauce. You can find them - most likely - in the baking aisle of any grocery store, like with cake mixes, icing, etc. There's enough for 4 cakes in a box, you mix it with some milk and *maybe* an egg...but my fiance and I figured it out and it was all together about 250 calories per cake. If I get out today I can get the brand name for you. Here - in Canada - they're about $4 for the box of mix. (And oddly enough the mix makes the liquid chocolate in the center too! I don't know how that happens, lol! Cause it's not uncooked batter...hmmm, lol) If you have a Kelsey's restaurant where you live, the Lava Cakes they sell for dessert are the same thing! But at 250 cals and $1 each, you can't beat em! Like I said, I'll check for the brand name today.

P.S. They taste really good with some light whipped cream.

[Cassie501107]

Those lava cakes sound REALLY good! Nothing special planned for us--yet!

[Vilandra485]

I found their website! They're called "Dr. Oetker Chocolate Lava Cakes"

I couldn't find out how to post an image from my computer, so here's the website link, let's hope it goes through.

http://www.oetker.ca/cgi-bin/WebObje...nation=page_36

[Vilandra485]

Did I start something with the Lava Cakes? LOL

[1dayatatime]

I think you did! lol

We don't have that brand here. I've looked at the Betty Crocker and Duncan Hines websites and found nothing like those. I know what they are but I've never seen a recipe with that few calories! The CQ website has a recipe for one but it's over 600 calories for one

I've seen some mix labels like that one and I'm curious if that's just the mix or "prepared". What do you have to add to it? Usually, at least in the USA the labels will specify how many calories in the mix and how many calories prepared.

Sure would like to find them aound here somewhere *sigh*

Edit: The CQ website calls it a molten cake and I've always thought they were the same thing.

[Vilandra485]

Yeah, the usual name is actually 'Molten Lava Cake'. I think you have to add one egg and some milk...so that about an extra 140....so altogether only an extra 35 calories each or so!
That sucks that you don't have them! Maybe I should send some, lol!

[KimberlyinMN]

My husband is out on the road this week.. so we went out to eat for Valentine's Day on Saturday.

We bought a new toilet for a Valentine's Day gift.

As my husband said, "A throne for my queen."



It IS really nice though. The other toilet was only 14" high so your knees were practically up by your ears when you sat down. This one is a few inches taller. AND... it has some sort of forced something for flushing.

Woo-hoo!!

Kimberly

[1dayatatime]

LOL! That's quite the married couple gift! I know dh and I spent a gift card we got when we married (back in December) on a Flip-It Floor Cleaner.

And that's just too cute..."A throne for my queen".

[blues4miles]

We'll probably celebrate by going out - and picking up food from our favorite Mexican restaurant! I'll indulge in my usual carne asada burrito (usually saved for a weekend treat) but I plan to keep my daytime calories low so that I will be close to my range. I had a bit of a chocolate craving the weekend before last and I think I knocked out my chocolate-bar V-day craving so dinner by itself will probably be fine. Might follow it up and make us some sugar free Jello pudding if my fiance is in the mood for it As for gifts? I have no idea! I was supposed to buy him a new computer game but he ended up buying it for himself before the weekend. We may just make a rule of no gifts this year as we are both trying to save rather than spend. It is nicer that way anyways, V-Day should be about love!

[just_a_dreamy1]

For V-Day, my bf is getting me (another) gift that he insists I need, because he loves me...lol
I'm probably getting him cologne. Make him smell all nice
And since we work...and can't go out for dinner (we went to Cheesecake Cafe last year)...I'm having an Oh Henry bar to satisfy a month worth of (almost completely) denied chocolate cravings!