Happy Valentine's Day - XOXO!

I have talked to a bunch of friends and family today that aren't making a big deal about Valentines Day. I am making one last ditch attempt to do something about that sad fact. There isn't anything more fun than a silly holiday that is about nothing other than celebrating the ones you love. You don't have to spend a lot of money or do anything extravagant to let someone know how much they mean to you.

So if you are sitting on the couch reading this and you aren't planning on expressing your love in anyway special tonight I urge you to read this recipe. It is so easy. It only has two ingredients and takes about 15 minutes of effort to create something special. You don't have to go to dinner and you don't have to make some grand gesture - all you have to do is take a 10 minute trip to the supermarket, pick up two ingredients that will cost around $5-7 dollars and then come home and whip up this delicious treat in no time. Your sweetheart will appreciate it and and I promise you it will be worth it!

Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Adapted from Food Network Kitchens

Ingredients

• 12 ounces semisweet chocolate morsels
• 1 pound strawberries with stems (about 20), washed and dried very well

Directions

Put the semisweet chocolate into a heatproof medium glass or stainless steel bowl. Fill a medium saucepan with a couple inches of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Turn off the heat; set the bowls of chocolate over the water to melt. Stir until melted and smooth. (Alternatively, melt the chocolates in a microwave at half power, for 1 minute, stir and then heat for another minute or until melted.) I attempted to read about tempering chocolate and realized I didn't have the right tools (like a chocolate thermometer or a marble slab) so I nixed that idea. You will be fine without tempering the chocolate. I didn't and they turned out great.

Once the chocolates are melted and smooth, remove from the heat. Line a sheet pan with parchment or waxed paper. Holding the strawberry by the stem, dip the fruit into the dark chocolate,

lift and twist slightly, letting any excess chocolate fall back into the bowl. Set strawberries on the parchment paper. Repeat with the rest of the strawberries.

Set the strawberries aside in the fridge until the chocolate sets, about 30 minutes.