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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!)  

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! 

    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. ​

• Plug my phone in my living room, not by my bed. I charge my phone at night, and I used to plug it in by my bed. This would lead to me browsing my phone for awhile. I decided this time would be better spent reading my books. So now my charger lives in the living room, and the only thing left for me to peruse is my book.
• Keep my book by my bed. This may be like a “duh” tip but it’s more extreme than that. My book doesn’t go farther than my nightstand (which is actually a basket of yarn #crafterproblems). I only read in my bed. If my book is there I don’t have to get out of bed when I inevitably forget my book in the living room from earlier in the day. I loathe getting out of bed after I’m all cozy under the blankets.
• Use a rechargeable book light. Talk about hating to get out of bed, reading with the lights on would mean just that.  I have replaced the phone charger that was by my bed with the cord for my rechargeable book light. I have used many book lights and lamps in my life. This is my favorite. It’s light (no pun intended), easily positioned, and has three different light modes. This makes it easy to limit the amount of blue light I’m using before bed. And because it’s rechargeable it’s not bulky! ​

• Listen to audiobooks with Audible. If someone tries to tell you listening to a book isn’t reading, don’t listen to them. It’s absolutely the same! And sometimes audiobooks have a little something extra from the author to enhance your experience with the book. My goal of 2 books a week would be impossible without Audible because it allows me to multitask. I can listen while I clean and make dinner. I love Audible and I think it’s very worth the monthly price. I love the selection they have. I love my personalized suggestions they make based on my past selections. I love that for $14.95 i get 3 books a month: two Audible originals and one credit for any book I want. The two Audible Originals I get every month are actually good listens. And if I don’t like or think I’ll listen to a book I’ve used my credit on, I can exchange them for a different book. One think I really love is I don’t have to wait months on end for a new release for a popular audiobook like I do with Libby or Overdrive.* I love that I can get new releases as soon as they’re available. 
• Use a bluetooth speaker or wireless headphones. My phone speaker isn’t the best, and carrying around my phone is inconvenient while I’m trying to get stuff down. That’s why I love my Bluetooth speaker and headphones. This little Oontz Angle speaker packs a punch. It’s small and portable but loud enough to be heard over running water, stove fans, and knife chops. Alternatively, I have these Sony over the ear Bluetooth headphones that work great. If I’m going to be bending over a lot or scrubbing vigorously at soap scum these Soundpeat wireless earbuds also work great. A bonus is I can just put in one at a time to listen for my kids shenanigans. ​​​

*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!)

• You Are My Sunshine-Sarah Magsaman:  It is the song with a cute sun finger puppet! 

• The Littlest Things Give the Loveliest Hugs-Mark Sperring

• Splat the Cat Funny Valentine Lift the Flap Book-Rob Scotton:  If you haven't seen this adorable, hilarious cat, you won't want to miss out any longer!  And don't forget Love Splat while you are at it! 

Primary School Age (They will probably like Splat the Cat, too).

• Pinkalicious: Pink of Hearts-Victoria Kann: Every little girl will love this one! It includes stickers and Valentines! 
• Fancy Nancy: Heart to Heart-Jane O'Connor: Not to be outshone by Pinkalicious, Fancy Nancy is a grade school favorite! Stickers also included! 
• Happy Valentine's Day Mouse-Laura Numeroff: The same mouse from If You Give a Mouse a Cookie has more antics! 

• Happy Valentine's Day Little Critter-Mercer Mayer: I am always a sucker for Little Critter Books.  The illustrations always have little things to find and talk about.  There is usually a cute lesson to be learned. 
• Robot In Love-T.L. McBeth: A cute robot, with heart shaped pupils in his eyes is in love.  He dreams about her, snoring in binary code!  A darling book for up to 2nd graders. 
• Groggle's Monster Valentine-Diana Murray: Adorable story and fantastic illustrations will captivate kids.

• 3 Berenstain Bear Books for Valentine's Day- Stan, Jan and Mike Berenstain: For books that always are sweet, have challenging vocabulary and teach good values, you can always turn to the Berenstain Bears.  Here are 3 of their many choices:

• Pete the Cat: Valentine's Day is Cool-James Dean: Pete the Cat is always popular with young grade schoolers and this book will really enchant with its cards and poster.  Super Cool! 

Second to Fourth Graders (Give or Take)

• This is Not a Valentine-Carter Higgins: Not all Valentines are hearts and flowers.  This sweet book will teach that expressions of love can come in many forms. 

• Nate the Great and the Mushy Valentine-Marjorie Weinman Sharmat: A great Valentine mystery book for boys and girls alike! 
• And finally, 2 Junie B. Jones books by Barbara Park that everyone will adore:

    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!