Peanut Butter Cookies

Nothing says "I love you" like a giant heart-shaped cookie! When I was growing up, my mom always got us Valentine's Day gifts, and one year she made my sister and me each a heart-shaped chocolate chip cookie using just the recipe on the bag of chocolate chips and her heart-shaped cake pans. I've resurrected this idea from time to time on Valentine's Day, but this year decided to try it with my husband's favorite peanut butter cookie recipe. What makes this recipe his favorite is that we add "extras" to the batter... like chocolate chips, raisins, chopped nuts, or whatever candy or dried fruit we have in the pantry.

Whether you put it in two heart-shaped cake pans or just drop the dough in spoonfuls on a baking sheet, these cookies are full of love!

1/2 cup shortening

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 cup peanut butter

1 t. vanilla

1/2 cup milk

 2 cups flour

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. baking soda

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1 - 1 1/2 cups of your favorite additions (chocolate chips, raisins, chopped nuts, other candy or dried fruit, etc.) - Optional

In a mixer, cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs, peanut butter, vanilla and milk and continue to mix until combined. 

Separately combine flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. With mixer on, gradually add dry ingredients to wet and mix until combined. Stir in any addtional nuts, dried fruit or candy you'd like. If you want to make one for you and one for your sweetheart, divide the batter in half here and customize the additions. 

Add batter to two greased 9-inch heart-shaped cake pans and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until cooked through. You may need to put aluminum foil on top of them for the last 5 minutes if the tops begin to brown before the cookies are fully cooked.

For drop cookies, scoop out 2 T. of dough at a time onto a greased cookie sheet. You can press them down with a fork to make the traditional peanut butter cookie waffle top. Bake cookies at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

Salmon with Couscous Pilaf

I love salmon any way it comes. This recipe has a Mediterranean flare with raisins, almonds and mint, making it suitable for any dinner party. But it's so simple that there's no excuse for making dinner from scratch even on the busiest night.

3 large carrots, peeled and cut julienne

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/2 cup raisins

1 cup uncooked couscous

1/4 cup fresh mint or 1 tsp. dried mint

1 t. salt

1/4 t. ground black pepper

1 T. olive oil

1 1/4 c. water

4 (4 oz.) salmon filets (boneless and skinless)

salt and pepper to taste

1 lemon, cut into wedges

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a medium-sized baking dish (big enough to fit your salmon filets), combine carrots, almonds, raisins, couscous, mint, salt, pepper, oil and water. Mix to combine. Season salmon filets with salt and pepper and place them on top of the couscous mixture.

Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake it for 25 minutes or until couscous is tender and salmon flakes with a fork, or desired doneness. Transfer fish to plates and serve on top of or along side with the couscous pilaf and a lemon wedge.