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Do you enjoy making a special little treat to mark Valentine's Day? You know, just show a little love by sharing something sweet with everyone. If you've outgrown candy hearts and want something a little more grown up and tasty, flash forward to the other day when I was shopping at Costco and I found a snack that I had to try. They are called Coconut Rolls by Sun Tropics. The things that drew me to them are that they are very coconut tasting (made with coconut cream), organic, gmo free, gluten free, sweet, and vegetarian. (Sorry Maddy, they contain eggs!)
I may or may not have eaten more than the suggested 10 that are the serving size.
Then, I noticed the fact that each end has a hole, because the Coconut Rolls are hollow in the middle. They reminded me of little cannoli shells. And since they are so sweet, I thought a cream cheese fruit filling with very little sugar would be amazing!
Do you see the flaky layers? And that hole on the end is just waiting for a piping tip to fill it up!
The first thing I did was take a 6 oz. container of blackberries and smash them into a sauce pan, add a splash of lemon juice and 2 Tablespoons of sugar to get the juices flowing. Simmer them for about 5 minutes until the juices start to thicken and then strain out the seeds through a fine mesh sieve. Let that cool while you use about 6 oz. of cream cheese and some powdered sugar to make a filling. I just eyeballed it. I didn't want it to be too sweet, but when you add the blackberry juice a Tablespoon at a time, you may need a little more sugar to get it to piping consistency.
I used a Wilton 18 tip to pipe in the filling from each end of the Coconut Rolls, et voila! Little mini cannolis! Store them in the fridge until serving. 
These will be so cute for Valentine's Day. But, can't you picture doing them for a baby shower or bridal shower? You could fill then with a lemon filling or blueberry to achieve different colors. They are adorable and delicious little things!
I used the original, organic flavor, but Sun Tropics also makes Coco Rolls in Espresso and Salted Caramel! I think a caramel filling and dipped in chocolate would be amazing!
If coconut isn't your thing, Sun Tropics has many other products. Their Banana Chips and Mochi Bites come in many flavors.
Of course, these are already gone. So excuse me as I dash off to Costco for another bag full of them! I will have to hide them until I am ready to fill them for Valentine's Day. I can hardly wait!
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There are 2 things about this recipe that are perfect for me! First, I have been trying to learn more about Danish cooking. Second, I love salmon!
In my search for Danish recipes, I came across this website, International Cuisine. Of all the recipes that I found to make cured salmon, this one was by far the most simple and it worked fantastically! So, I am referring you to that website for the recipe and just sharing a bit about what I learned as I made Gravlax, or Cured Salmon for the first time. 
I lined a glass baking dish with the plastic wrap that I was going to used to wrap the salmon, then I placed the salmon skin side down on it. Next, I rubbed on the salt and sugar curing mixture and then placed on some fresh dill sprigs. Now, most of the other recipes I had read also used a bit of wine or cider vinegar or mustard in their recipes. This recipe doesn't call for any of that, so it made me nervous. So, I poured about 1/2 a cup of cider vinegar around the edge of the salmon. I don't know if it did anything. I couldn't taste it later on, so you don't have to use it. After I had done it I worried that I shouldn't have, but everything came out great in the end.
Finally, wrap the plastic wrap tightly around your salmon and put the whole thing into the refrigerator for 3 DAYS! That made me really nervous because I didn't want it to go bad. But, all of the recipes required at least 3 days to cure the fish, so I crossed my fingers and did it. I wondered if I would be brave enough to eat it when it finally was all done. 
After 3 days, I pulled the salmon out of the refrigerator. There was liquid in the pan that leaks out during the curing process. I drained that off, removed the dill and threw that away and rinsed off all of the salt and sugar mixture. I was pleased to see that the salmon was darker in color and looked just like cured smoked salmon that I have purchased in the store. Except mine wasn't smoked. Now for the moment of truth! Tasting it!
The recipe says to slice it horizontally into thin strips. I struggled with that. It was hard to get a pretty thin slice, but that may have been my knife. I did get a few good slices. Of course, I tasted the very first slice. It was fabulous! This salmon is so flavorful and sweet! I was thrilled with the result.
Since many of the recipes called for mustard. I first served mine on a sprouted wheat roll with a layer of mustard and the salmon on top. I was trying to get that smorgasbord feel. 
Later, I boiled some eggs and served a light supper with sprouted wheat toast, slices of eggs topped with gravlax. It was so tasty! My husband loved it, too! I felt so in touch with my Danish roots! I can't wait to try another Danish recipe very soon! Let me know if you give this one a try!
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Have you made any goals for the new year yet? I have made a few and one of them is to read two books a week. So far this has been going well but only because I have devised a system that allows me to do this without slacking on everything else I need to get done.
5 Tips to Help You Read More in 2020
*I still use Libby even with Audible. I prefer Libby when I want a book that’s older and I know I won’t be reading again or a book on my list I don’t mind waiting in line for. I also prefer to get audiobooks for my kids to listen to on Libby. Audible just has a much, much larger selection of audiobooks than my library through Libby does.
And if you’re like “What the heck is Libby?” It’s a really cool platform that works with local libraries to let you check out e-reader versions and audiobooks all from your phone. It’s free for you, all you need is your library card! Is reading more one of your goals for 2020? I hope these tips help you to reach your goals!
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Valentine's Day is always such a fun school day holiday. There are Valentines to make/address and Valentine Mail Boxes to decorate. Then there are the heart shaped cookies and chocolate kisses. Themed days like Valentine's Day are great ways to encourage reading in children as the fun and excitement for the holiday builds. I've gathered some great suggestions that will draw your kids into reading without them even realizing that as they celebrate a holiday, they are building reading skills as well. An extra bonus is that many of these books about love can help you teach your children lessons about love, kindness and healthy human interactions. And, remember, books make great Valentine's gifts!
For the Youngest (Especially if they have older siblings, they want to join the fun as well!)
Primary School Age (They will probably like Splat the Cat, too).
 
 
Second to Fourth Graders (Give or Take)
 
So, there you go! 18 books to get you started enjoying Valentine's Day with your kids. If you have more suggestions, drop them in the comments!
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Creators of Hot Cocoa Bombs! (copyrighted)
Author
Helen Reynolds: Mother of six children , grandmother to eleven! I love to cook, craft and create things and I especially love doing that with my family, So, when my lawyer daughter, Lindsey, my artist daughter, Madalynn, and I came up with the idea of Hot Cocoa Bombs, this blog was born. Then, one more daughter, with her technical and science skills, plus creativity has joined in to round us out! Read more about us here! 
Click this link and visit 3WinksDesignShop on Etsy. Find our Hot Cocoa Bomb Idea Book, our For the Love of PIe e-book and more of our creations!
Amazon Gift Cards are the Perfect Gift!
 
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