I’ll admit it: sometimes doing stupid, cliche, over-the-top romantic stuff is fun. So when Mike and I decided to celebrate our own Valentine’s Day a week late, we (read: I) pulled out all the stops. Sometimes you just gotta embrace the love, people! Here’s three easy tips for a “super-cute” (to coin one of Mike’s favorite, semi-sarcastic expressions) brunch.
1. Heart-shaped foods are a must
That includes the bacon…because why not? Check out this cute idea I stole from The Paper Mama. A couple minutes of prep work, 15 minutes in the oven, and boom, you’re done. I was worried the bacon wouldn’t turn out as crispy as it does in the pan (since that’s my bacon-texture preference), but I was pleased with the results. Note: There is a bit more grease than normal when the oven is involved, so be prepared to do some extra bacon-blotting.
2. Red velvet errythang
Okay maybe not “errythang,” but red velvet is a surefire way to emphasize the “love” theme. I picked up some Red Velvet Pancake mix from Bed Bath & Beyond a few weeks ago and it did not disappoint. Making these pancakes into actual heart-shapes was a bit more difficult… Jamie at TimetoSaveWorkshops.com offers this tutorial for using tin-foil as a heart mold, but I ended up using actual large heart-shaped cookie-cutters (Thanks, Valentine’s Day section of Target!) I tried a few different methods like:
- Pouring the batter into the cookie cutter while it sat on the griddle, removing it before flipping and keeping my fingers crossed. Note: Cookie cutter WILL be hot.
- Pouring the batter into the cookie cutter while it sat on the griddle and then trying to flip the whole thing (cutter and all) to maintain the shape. Note: You need a pretty big spatula for this.
Both methods worked out okay, but I think I favored the second one. Overall, they turned out pretty decent!
The finished product... Yum!
3. Pop champagne
I mean… I’m pretty sure this one goes without saying. An instant way to turn any breakfast into a “brunch” is to add some bubbly. Just add some OJ and you’re good to go! Make sure you pop responsibly...
Mike demonstrating proper champagne-popping technique…
I guess the real message here is that any meal, event, or occasion can be that much more romantic with a few special touches. And life is short so, why not? Bon appetit!
Labels: breakfast, brunch, love, red velvet, valentines day
