Valentine's Day Cookies

I'm not really sure why some people hate Valentine's Day so much. I kinda like it. It reminds of those parties I used to have in elementary school where everyone would make a Valentine's Day box and get little valentines with catchy sayings on them.

"You're magical!"

"Will you be my valentine?"

"You rock my world!"

It always made feel special even though all of my classmates got exactly the same valentines. And I got TONS of candy which, of course, I devoured within 2 hours. In tenth grade, we do not have parties on a regular basis. Except, apparently, in French class. My insane French teacher made us make cards with a poem on the inside and romantic sayings on the outside. Of course, it was all in French so chances are no one would no what you were talking about anyway. My poem was about my dog. Very romantic, I know. Anyway, she had the German kids come in and we had to exchange cards. VERY AWKWARD.

Even if we do not have parties, the unmistakable air of romance lingers in the hallways. The student government (alliance) sells roses and notes that you can buy at lunch and send to your sweetheart. Hand holding and hugging (and sometimes more) can be observed down nearly every corridor. And then there's always Sweethearts aka the annual Sadie Hawkins Dance where the girls ask the boys to go to the ball with them.


This year, this was very anxiety-inducing. Last year, I didn't really have anyone in mind who I would like to ask, but this year was a different story. I went back and forth about asking him for close to two weeks before making up my mind. Or rather, my friends made up my mind for me. It shouldn't have been that stressful. I knew he would say yes because he asked me to Homecoming in September but I was still doubtful despite all the evidence to the contrary.

Some girls go all out for the big question. For instance, a girl I know wrote cheesy sayings on sticky notes and plastered them to her boyfriend's car. That was slightly (a lot) out of my comfort zone so I stuck to a balloon. It was red. And shiny. And heart-shaped. It said his name on one side and "Sweethearts?"  ad my name on the other. And it also seemed like a good idea at the time although I may have been very wrong about that.

Since we're both in musical, I decided to ask him during a Saturday rehearsal we had a few weeks ago. I planned to leave it in the theater room and just let it hang there until he figured out it was for him. Maybe that way I could avoid some awkwardness. not.

It seemed fairly straightforward, but, as always, it did not work out quite according to plan. Apparently the janitors in the building think 9 am is too early to unlock any of the classroom doors. Yes, when I got there the door was locked. shut tight. My heart started going into overdrive. Okay, scrap Plan A. Now I was outside the room with a very suggestive balloon in front of the entire cast and some of the crew. Never mind about that whole "avoiding any awkwardness" thing.

And then he came and I almost had a heart attack. My mouth wasn't capable of working so I just threw the balloon at him. He looked at it, then looked at me, smiling. I found my voice and asked, "Is that a yes?" He gave me a hug. Best. Day. EVER.

Here's a recipe for heart shaped cookies. Very romantic. Enjoy! from Martha Stewart

• 4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. Sift flour, salt, and baking powder into a bowl.
2. Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in eggs and lemon juice. Reduce speed to low. Gradually mix in flour mixture. Divide dough in half; flatten each half into a disk. Wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees with racks in upper and lower thirds. Let one disk of dough stand at room temperature just until soft enough to roll, about 10 minutes. Roll out dough between two pieces of plastic wrap to 1/4-inch thick. Remove top layer of plastic wrap. Cut out cookies with a 6-inch fluted heart shaped cookie cutter. Transfer cookie dough on plastic wrap to a baking sheet. Transfer baking sheet to freezer, and freeze dough until very firm, about 15 minutes. Remove baking sheet from freezer and transfer shapes to baking sheets lined with nonstick baking mats. Roll out scraps, and repeat. Repeat with remaining disk of dough.
4. Bake, switching positions of sheets and rotating halfway through, until edges turn golden, 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.