Love is in the air! It’s finally time to start prepping your plans to win over the heart of your secret crush or longtime lover. Here are some ideas to inspire your craftier side and help you give your valentine a homemade sign of your affection.

Flip your average cupcake on its side – but really. Layer a mason jar with pieces of cupcakes and icing for a festive and portable treat! You can even dye white cupcake batter pink and red for an extra pop of color!

Bake a giant cookie and write a little love note on it with icing! You can bake a stick into the back for an easy cookie-gram handoff to your valentine.

Repurpose Tillamook Yogurt and Sour Cream containers into candy carriers. Cover them in felt and fill with your favorite holiday candies!

Still have some Smile Sticks from your last Loaf Love Tour visit? Remove the handle and cut a hole into the middle of the smile for a lollypop! When the kids lick their lollypop, the smile stick will be in perfect position over their mouth! You can cover the back with felt or paper and write a personalized note to your valentine!

Show your loaf love with a festive homemade lunch! You can easily cut sandwiches into hearts using cookie cutters. Sometimes it’s the little things that show you care. Don’t forget some Oregon Strawberry or Raspberry Yogurt for a little pop of pink!

By Amalya

Happy Valentine’s Day! What are you doing tonight? This year, my husband and I are staying in and cooking dinner and dessert. It won’t be much different than any other night… but, at the very least, there better be a beautiful bouquet of flowers waiting for me on the dining table (I hope a certain someone reads this before I’m home from work).

In honor of Valentine’s Day, here’s a collection of totally cheesy pick-up lines*:

Lets make like fabric softener and Snuggle.

Did it hurt? When you fell from heaven?

Are your legs tired? Because you’ve been running through my mind all day.

I hope you know CPR… ’cause you take my breath away.

Have you spent some time in jail? Because it’s got to be illegal to look that good.

Baby, you must be a broom… ’cause you just swept me off my feet.

Do you have a map? Because I just got lost in your eyes.

Is it hot in here, or is it just you?

You must be a magician, because everytime I look at you, everyone else disappears.

Can I have your picture? So I can show Santa what I want for Christmas.

Are you a parking ticket? Cause you got ”fine” written all over you.

Your feet must be tired, because you’ve been running through my mind all day long.

If I could rearrange the alphabet, I’d put U and I together.

Please note: I do not recommend that you use any of these pick up lines. In fact, I highly discourage you from doing so. If, by some miracle, you have any degree of success when using one, you must look like (or actually be) these people.

By Loafy

Breakfast in bed is romantic. Valentine’s Day is romantic. A combination of the two for your favorite loved one… super romantic! There is something incredible about the combination of almond, orange, and cherry that makes Tillamook Cherry Almond Scones taste so amazing. Add a pat of  Tillamook Butter and some orange marmalade to the side of your plate, and serve with Tillamook Yogurt… breakfast in bed is served! You could even add a rose to the tray for a bit more romance. Happy Valentine’s Day!   

Cherry Almond SconesIngredients:         
2 cups all purpose flour        
2 teaspoons baking powder        
¾ teaspoon salt        
¼ cup sugar        
½ cup Tillamook® Unsalted Butter, chilled and cut into ½ inch pieces      ¼ cup dried cherries, chopped        
¼ cup almonds, coarsely chopped        
1 tablespoon fresh orange zest        
¾ cup whole milk        
¼ teaspoon almond extract        

Directions:         
Preheat oven to 450°         
         
In large bowl sift together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.  Add butter pieces and work with fingertips or cut with a pastry knife until mixture resembles very coarse meal.  Stir in cherries, almonds and orange peel.  Make a well in the center and pour in milk and almond extract.  With a rubber spatula, quickly blend ingredients into soft, slightly wet dough.               
Turn dough onto a well-floured work surface.  Lightly sprinkle dough with flour.  Pat into a 7-inch circle.  Cut into 8 wedges.         
      
Place wedges 2 inches apart on greased baking sheet.  Bake 12-14 minutes until lightly browned.         
Serve warm from the oven.         
         
Makes 8 scones

Photo courtesy of Jessica.Tam

By Jennifer

I’m definitely in the mood for chocolate this month. The thought of Valentine’s Day makes me want something sweet! This recipe for Tillamook Ultimate Chocolate Cake used to be on the back of the Tillamook Butter box. It was really popular, and when we changed the recipe on the box to a different recipe, many people sent me requests asking for this particular recipe. It’s amazing – rich, creamy, perfect!

Here’s a little tip: You may want to dust the cake with confectioner’s sugar while it’s still warm. It melts a bit and tastes so very good! Share with your Valentine… or eat it all yourself!

Tillamook Ultimate Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
12 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
¾ cup Tillamook® Salted Butter, plus 2 teaspoons to grease pan
¾ cup sugar
5 eggs, yolks and whites separated
⅓ cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Confectioners’ sugar
Prepared Whipped cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan.  Line bottom with parchment paper, butter paper and sides of pan.

Melt chocolate, butter, and sugar in a large double boiler placed over simmering water. Stir until smooth. Transfer mixture to medium bowl. Let cool 10 minutes.

Beat yolks until blended. Whisk into chocolate mixture until smooth. Combine flour and cinnamon; whisk into chocolate mixture until blended.

Beat whites until stiff peaks form. Stir one third of whites into chocolate mixture to lighten. Gently fold in remaining whites until completely blended.

Pour batter into pan and bake 25 min.

Cool pan on wire rack. Turn cake out onto a plate. Dust with confectioner’s sugar. Cut and serve with whipped cream.

Serves 10

By Jennifer