Homemade Valentine's Day

Recipe # 3

Edible Valentine's Buttons

You will need:
Square Pretzels
Hershey Kisses - white chocolate looks best
M&Ms - the valentine colored ones look best

Step 1: 
Simply pop the pretzels in the oven with kisses on top of them for about 3-5 minutes, at 275 degrees. After the chocolate has melted onto the pretzel into a kind of circle, take them out.

Step 2:
Now place the M&Ms on top of the circle of melted chocolate. 

Cake Balls

Recipe #2

Cake Balls seem to be taking the country by storm. Seriously, these things are everywhere now. Instead of cupcakes, cake balls. And I can't complain, they're delicious! They're easy to make and can easily be transported without a car catastrophe. I can't say why this is such a sensation, but it just is. I love these little things and can't get enough of them.

You only need these three things:

1 Cake Mix, any flavor.
1 can of frosting, whatever flavor you wish
Chocolate for the covering, can be white, dark, etc. I recommend Almond Bark

Step 1: Bake the cake.
Use the directions on the box.

Step 2: Crumble the cake.
After the cake has cooled for about fifteen minutes, crumble the cake with your hands.

Step 3: Frosting.
Mix the frosting with in with the crumbled cake with your hands. Mix lots of frosting for moist cake balls, less frosting for more of a cake taste. Chill the balls for a little while in the fridge.

Step 4: Roll into balls with your hands. Put in freezer to set. If you let them stay in the freezer for 6 hours, it makes the balls much easier to dip in the chocolate and they come out much prettier.

Step 5: Melt chocolate in microwave/stove. Follow directions on chocolate.

Step 6: Roll balls in chocolate. Set out wax paper to lay the chocolate covered balls on. Several different ways to dip the chocolate work, you just have to find the best one for yourself. You can use a toothpick to poke the ball and dip it, or a fork and spatula, even a spoon. I prefer the fork and spatula.

Step 7: Decorate your cake balls. You can drizzle another color icing on top, put sprinkles on top, whatever, be creative. Cupcake pops are a cute treat.

Bon Appétit

Recipe # 1 

I'm from the South, so I love spicy food, sweet iced tea, and sweet potatoes.

This is my very own recipe. And it is one of my favorite side dish recipes for sweet potatoes. It's great at Thanksgiving, Christmas, Sunday dinners, etc.

Carolina’s Cajun Sweet Potatoes

A sweet potato with a cajun kick. The sweet potatoes are baked with oil and brown sugar to make a scrumptious seasoned sweet potato and extra brown sugar sauce for dipping.

Ingredients

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (hot/spicy flavor) or 1/4 teaspoon (mild/sweet flavor)

3 large sweet potatoes, fresh 

2 1/2 tablespoons olive/canola/vegetable oil (use more or less as desired or needed)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a small bowl, stir together brown sugar, paprika, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper to make the seasoning.
3. Wash the potatoes and cut any deformed/ugly spots off of the skin, as well as cutting off the ends of the potatoes. 
4. You can make the potatoes two ways. Either in halves or in slices. (I prefer slices because they flavor better.) Slice the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise, or slice the potatoes in small (1 to 2 inch) chunks. 
5. Drizzle the potato pieces with olive/canola/vegetable oil. 
6. Sprinkle the seasoning onto the potatoes in a thick, even coat.  
7. Place sweet potatoes in a 9x2 round plate or pan and place in oven.
8. Bake until tender, or about 20-30 minutes (slices), 30-45 minutes for halves.
9. When you get the potatoes out of the oven, there should be extra brown sugar sauce on the bottom of the plate. Use as a dipping sauce for an extra yummy taste.