Jen Peters is a mom of three (now adult) children. Creative by nature, she always enjoys adding "a bit of love" in all she does and sharing it with others. She says she loves holidays and devising new ways to share her love, creativity, and joy with others. Take a look at a few of her Valentine's Day creations.
Entertaining
Entertaining with charcuterie boards is so much fun! There is no right or wrong way to create them.
"My daughter Abbie and I are a culinary team when it comes to board making," Peters shares. "We like to choose fresh and dried fruits, meats, nuts, and finger foods that not only are flavorful, but are also aesthetically pleasing when theming a board."
To make this board, the two used heart-shaped cookie cutters to shape the food, heart dishes to hold small items, candies, chocolate-dipped strawberries, and made roses out of meats to go with the Valentine's Day theme. They then plated everything onto a heart-shaped plate.
Peters advises making sure allergies are taken into consideration if you are gifting a board. Otherwise, have fun getting creative!
As a Gift
These DIY mini sugar cookie pizzas are sweet, easy, and not too cheesy for any age. You can even add a personalized card and a little “dough” for the teen in your life, too.
To make them, Peters used 6-inch corrugated Kraft boxes for the pizza box (find them at a craft store or on Amazon). She cut them to size and placed checkered food liners for the cookie pizza to sit on. She also added a little heart surprise on the inside lid.
Use your favorite (non spread) sugar cookie recipe. Get creative! Add red/pink frosting for the sauce, sprinkles for the cheese, and any other topping you’d like.
"I find heart candies make the cutest pepperonis," Peters says. "To finish the box, I added personalized labels. This makes the recipient feel a bit more special, too."
A Craft
Have leftover candy canes from the holidays? Here is a simple way to repurpose them, by turning them into hearts for Valentine’s Day!
All you need are two sealed candy canes to make each heart, a little hot glue, and ribbon.
Gather your candy canes, pair them up, and form each one into a heart. Next, add a dab of hot glue to the curved ends and bottoms where they match up. Hold the ends together until firm.
Lastly, wrap them with ribbon.
"I dab more glue at the bottom connection point and work my way around," Peters says.
The candy cane ribbon hearts can then be used in a variety of ways to add interest to your Valentine's Day decor. Tie them end to end to make a whimsical banner, glue them together in a circle to make a wreath, or add them to a floral arrangement or any tablescape—or, as Peters did here, simply add them to candle holders.
To order items for an upcoming event for yourself, contact Peters at jen.abbie.peters@gmail.com.
