Need Some Valentine's Inspo?
February 14th is a day to show that extra someone in your life some LOVE.
I have gathered up several items that may help you set the mood to create a romantic & cozy space. Just tap on each mood board to be directed over to my LTK. I have curated some items currently available in the shop too.
Here at CCH, we like to keep things pretty calm for Valentine's & usually have a cozy dinner for two, or sometimes even the kids will join us at home. We love that our grown kids still want to hang out with us & even on Valentine's Day. It's just not a holiday for couples; we love everyone right & enjoy celebrating with them any holiday, even the Hallmark ones.
We like to go more on the menu than any other dinner. As a bonus, we'll cook together & sometimes even clean up together. We love a sweet dessert, either chocolate or red velvet, haha this year, I'll bake a red velvet cake & instead of cream cheese frosting, I'll whip up some chocolate frosting, & by whip, I mean open up the container from the store. I enjoy homemade, but this gal doesn't have the time & if you use your Kitchen Aide mixer & add your frosting to the bowl & whip it, haha, whip it good! I had to use that line. I am the baker in the CCH family, but I am not the one who frosts our baked goods; Billy does. He's good at it & has his tips on how to either give the goods full coverage or a vintage look.
Billy's Frosting Tips:
He uses two spatulas, one metal & one rubber. The rubber spatula is your typical baking spatula & the metal spatula is one of our charcuterie flat cheese knives. He uses the rubber spatula for the top of the cake & the metal spatula for the sides to create a clean look.
If creating a full-coverage cake, his tip is to add the frosting to the middle of the cake. Spread all the way & up to the edge of the cake evenly; he leaves a bit off the edge. Once the top is fully covered, he will start with the metal spatula & add frosting to the sides, blending the bit of frosting he left from the top. Doing so creates even & full coverage. This technique will give a smooth finish.
To create full coverage with swirls, he will use the same tools, but instead of spreading the frosting, he will move the frosting in swirls all while moving the frosting to cover the cake top & sides all in one.
When we or I would like a vintage cake, it's the same technique as if he was going to make a full coverage cake, but with less frosting & longer strokes to spread out the frosting, making it thin. Once your start seeing the cake peeping through, you have achieved the vintage look.
I always love an excellent frosted cake! So I leave room for a slice of cake.
If you choose to stay in or go out, you'll find in this post something that will make your home ready for Valentine's. I would love to know something special you do on Valentine's Day, a special recipe, or your favorite restaurant; drop it in the comments.
Thanks for stopping by & catching up with me!!
XO
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