Thursday 13: When all else fails, daybook musings!

he week has just slipped away from me, in a plan-ahead-and-blog-thoughtfully kind of way... I had great plans of doing a Thursday 13 of smoothie recipes, initiated by my Aunt Bobbi asking about good combinations with yogurt... and sadly, I did a little initial research but did not get it together in the end.

So, you're stuck with musings. (The smoothies WILL happen, hopefully next week. I am in the mood for smoothies since I started looking around this week.)

FOR TODAY (pared down from the original Simple Woman's Daybook)

1. Outside my window... Gray skies with a rim of blue. Makes me think a little breeze might just blow the whole gray thing away. However, I did just see some snowflakes fall from the gray... we'll see who wins, blue or gray!

2. I am thankful... for my family. Near and far, I am loved and supported. Such a blessing.

3. In the kitchen... I made more breakfast cookies last night. This time I put in dried blueberries rather than dried cranberries, and I really like it. I am eating one as I type...

4. I am wearing... a skirt with leggings. I'm pretending that spring is coming, wearing flats and footless leggings... we'll see if my feet freeze off? I think not... heat on in the car, heat on at work! But I did get dressed before I saw the snowflakes...

5. I am creating... mental space? Maybe, but not even that, some days. Sadly, nothing much going on in the creative realm at the moment. I was thinking about getting a little crochet group going at work over the lunch hour one day a week, just to have that nudge toward working on something. We'll see.

6. I am going... slightly mad? OK, that's not even true, but in a stream-of-consciousness way, it was the first thing I thought of. Isn't that from a Queen song? On a slightly different tangent, I have been craving a little ELO lately, maybe with a side of Supertramp, and a condiment of Alan Parson's Project. ELO always brings me a great deal of nostalgic happiness.

Appropriate for my wishes of late...



7. I am reading... I am plugging away at the books I posted as aiming to read this quarter, and making a little headway. The thing I didn't factor in, but of course should have--given my short attention span--are the books that have since crossed my path and have bumped a few of the current books off the "must read now" list. So, we'll see what I have to report at the end of the first quarter. Will I have read all 13 of the original books? No. Will I have read 13 books, period. Um, no. Did I try? In a manner of speaking... But! There's March to go, so wish me luck.

8. I am learning... A lot. Every day. This project at work takes my brain to new places, and takes me back to places I've been before. It's all good, and I do usually feel completely mentally used up by the end of the day, which I really enjoy.

9. I am pondering... how to best approach an email I need to send. I will noodle on it for a bit, and see what I come up with. It's certainly not as difficult as I sometimes make it out to be in my head, and it's certainly become well-traveled road for me. I just need to get off my butt and do it.

10. A favorite quote for today... I'm sure it's from a larger poem, which I will find. But I ran across this yesterday and just loved it:

Never mind. The self is the least of it. Let our scars fall in love. 
-Galway Kinnell

11. One of my favorite things... has got to be my morning coffee. Really, my whole morning routine. Such a routine girl...

12. A few plans for the rest of the week... Work. Lunches out--two of them! Carpooling Seth to and from tennis practice. The usual...

13. A peek into my day... 

This amaryllis came via post from my oldest and dearest friend Corinne. I love it. I can't show you all four flowers at the head, but it is gorgeous, and the color! Wow. (Sorry about the white blowout there behind--that's where snowflakes are falling. But I decided this is better than turning around and you seeing my whole cluttered kitchen as a backdrop!)

I hope your Thursday is off to a great start. If you want to play along with Thursday 13, go here.

How has your week has been? I hope the fact that it's Friday tomorrow brings you great joy. It certainly does for me!

Common Miracles: Week #42

 “Rejoicing in ordinary things is not sentimental or trite. It actually takes guts. Each time we drop our complaints and allow everyday good fortune to inspire us, we enter the warrior’s world.”
–Pema Chodron

t's been a while since I've participated in the Common Miracles project, and if I wait for actual time on my hands to jump back in, it won't happen. Too much, on too many plates. And they're all spinning, madly. (But happily.)

This video may be overstating it (you think?), but boy did I laugh heartily when I was thinking of illustrating plates, spinning, juggling things:



Meanwhile, what's going on in my miraculous world? Here's what I noticed today:

* Smiles. You know how "they" always say smiles make a difference? True story, that. One of those things where legend and reality meet up.

* Boots and tights. Wonderful for cold mornings. Especially cold, sorta-snowy mornings!

 * Our dear dog. So after he learns how to text, I want to teach Chief how to make my morning coffee. Seems doable, don't you think? He watched me making my latte this morning with such rapt attention and intelligence, I have to believe he could get the hang of it. (Kind of like those Geico guinea pigs rowing, right?)

* Dreams. I have been having some whackadoodle dreams lately. Co-workers, dogs (duh), my dad circa 1978 (no beard though), therapy circles in the grass, and a child I once thought was really sweet, apparently not so much! Basically my subconscious, once removed. Hilarious and kinda makes my day/night. Knock on wood there isn't a crossing over into nightmare-land...

* Robins. Saw a robin with a bright red breast in the snow this morning. The contrast was stunning. Obviously the groundhog forgot to copy the robins in on the six-more-weeks-of-winter memo! I got it, I just didn't believe it.

* Spontaneous singing. Must say, I have the best kid. Bursting into Am I a Man, or Am I a Muppet? in the kitchen and having your son join in? Bonus.

* Cheese. I was talking with husband this weekend about food cravings--of which he has very few. How is that possible? Me, on the other hand? I have them quite frequently, and they almost always involve cheese, in some variety or form. Am I predictable or what?!

* Family read/prayer time in the morning. It's quick and we're often hurried, but it is one of my very favorite parts of my morning... my day, too. I am blessed, we are blessed, and stopping for just a minute and remembering that, saying thanks for this family I am so thankful for? Bonus.

* Husband's key in the lock, home after an evening meeting. Love that sound.

* Music that makes my heart happy. Case in point today:



There. A snapshot of my common miracles, on this day (just like any other day), in this week (just like any other week), in this month (just any other month).

Except it's not. It was today. And there will never be another one just like it. I'm glad I got to live it. And I'm glad you did too.

To learn more about the Common Miracles project, go here.

What miraculous happenings took place in your world today?

Friday night grateful moment

ild wind is howling, gusting around the house quite fiercely. This is *so* not how I wanted to head into the weekend, a weekend where I dream of peaceful sleep, rest, quiet--you know, the opposite of a windstorm.

But the wind is here, and I'm here, and I'm nothing if not resourceful. Earplugs at the ready, I will sleep No. Matter. What. And be grateful. Not for the wind per se, but for plenty of other things:

rununculus

A day spent with husband, just doing our thing. It was a lovely time together, especially given that it was a weekday, and hookey days are really rare for him. For me they have been much less rare, but when he'll take a day off, I jump at it, and I'm grateful for our chats and discussions throughout our time together, too.

sunflower

For morning energy, I am grateful... to get up and go, to meet each day with enthusiasm--no doubt helpfully fueled by coffee, but still, I'm moving, right? It's so amazing how our minds and bodies bounce back from fatigue. Given a bit of rest, we get up and go again. Thank goodness for that!

cherryblossoms

Spring is coming! I can feel it. The dahlia catalog has been perused, now to pare the order down. Seeds have been purchased. There's talk of rototilling on Sunday, but it will really depend on the weather between now and then. Regardless, it's warmer and warmer, and sprouts and such are appearing. Oh happy day!

daisy

The dear boy is off at a jazz festival in Idaho with his jazz band compatriots. We'll be so glad to see him tomorrow night when his bus rolls back into town. I am so grateful for his smiles and hugs and our talks. They may not always be the light-hearted chats of his tween years, but I am grateful to remember what being 15 was like (sometimes all too vividly), and also glad that I can empathize. I could not be persuaded to go back to the angst-filled teen years for ANYTHING. No thanks.

 forgetmenots

I am always so grateful when I see generosity in people. Not necessarily generosity of stuff, or money (though that's fine too!), but generosity of spirit. People who are big enough to give others props without thinking it somehow diminishes their own light. Those who regard others with an open heart, not worrying about what they will receive in return. I love those people. Those people make the world a better place.

Chief

I am SO grateful for Chief. I can't imagine what the house would be like without him right now. He is like a shadow for both husband and I, staying right beside us as we move through the house. That can be a little bit of an obstacle if you're looking to get somewhere quickly, but I can deal with it, knowing all he's been through this winter. He's seen his pack disappear, and when I took him to get his teeth cleaned this week, boy did he not want to go. Pretty unusual for our social beast, but he seemed pretty convinced that only bad things happen behind that door in the vet's office. Poor sweet thing, he did make it through OK and get the "great teeth" stamp of approval, too!

(This is where I confess how dorky I've gotten about Chief. When we were having lunch out today, I told husband I wished Chief could text, just so we could check in on him. Good grief, that's a level of doggy closeness I hadn't anticipated. I used to make fun of my friends who would leave messages on the answering machines for their dogs, but I think I'm about half a step removed from that nonsense. Seriously, wouldn't that be cool? "How's things?" "Fine, bring me back a treat." Kind of like a teenager, eh?)

bells

Color continues to make my world go round, in these early spring days when green still feels a bit sparse. Can't wait for all the colors of spring and summer in our garden; but until then, I've sprinkled some of my favorite colorful flowery finds (well, other than Chief!) throughout my grateful list, for you.

I hope your weekend brings you all the good things you need to face another week!

Peace.

Thursday 13: Thursday link love

he past couple of weekends have been busy with home things, actually getting things done! But of course I have taken *some* time out for my usual wanderings around the internet, checking out bits and pieces that intrigue me. And you know I have to share, I'm just the sharing type, right? So I'm not waiting for a "Weekend link love" opportunity, I'm taking advantage of NOW, and sharing 13 interesting places/stories around the web.

1. Why is this news not being blasted from the mountaintops? BPA is found in canned goods as well as plastic? Good to know, even if the researchers are unsure what health effect this has, long term. Good thing we don't eat from tin cans very much. Grrr.

2. I enjoyed this post from one courageous mother, blogging about her cancer journey. Well, she didn't mean for it to be about cancer when she started it as an artsy-jewelry kind of blog a few years ago. But circumstances unfold (cancer, ugh, yuck), and she responded...

3. Have you heard of Fab.com? If you haven't, you should check it out. You have to sign up, but that's a minor whatever. There are many fun, pretty items, on sale. I have yet to buy anything, but it sure is fun to look. Check out these pretty iPhone covers:

4. Remember when Facebook used to update you with information on the pages you followed? I think they were called updates, right? Then they changed the whole "pages" thing and went with more of a business-page idea, and if you like something, updates end up in your feed. But sometimes, you still get messages, apparently. Where are they? Just below your messages themselves, in that left-hand column. I had not looked there in more than a year, and when I read this article, I decide to go looking. There were mostly updates from people/companies/blogs I'd followed for a while, but there were also a couple of "hey, wanna be my friend" messages from people I DO NOT know, and have no desire to know. Maybe I'm the only one who hadn't kept up with the "other" messages, but I'm glad to now know. (Creepy people now blocked, thank you very much.)

5. This interesting story about a small weekly suburban publication in Boston caught my attention. Seems the publisher can't figure out a reason why he'd want to publish online. Given that he doesn't seem to have any competition (print or digital) in his area, I say let's start an online rag to compete! Give him a reason to get digital. OK, that might be mean, but he's pretty much advertising for someone to do it.

6. I have had good luck with interval training in the past, and this post reminded me why I should take it up again. I did a couple of days at the beginning of the week, and enjoyed it. Now to make it a regular thing!

7. So apparently cupcakes are only for the middle to upper classes now? I guess at $2.50-$4 a pop, that makes sense...

8. Take a look at these paper dolls that have been crafted especially for Downton Abbey fans. What a hoot! The scary thing would be to find adult women actually playing with them (I have my eye on you, Jen! And Megan! And all the rest of you!)

And of course, in keeping with the ongoing (and sadly, now waiting for season 3) Downton Abbey obsession, this explanation of the highs and lows  of British cuisine was quite interesting to me. Also in the Downton vein, an article on how Downton Abbey has made PBS "cool" again. (For some of us Masterpiece/Nature geeks, it always was...) Just yesterday I was sent a link to this hilarious recap of the Downton finale. (Language warning. Really. Don't say I didn't warn you.) Just about wet my pants laughing. Thanks, Robin!

9. I enjoyed this blog post about the various kinds of commenters out there in blogland. Glad I only have the kind and thoughtful ones, so far... What's your experience? Any trolls out there in your world?

 9. This "what I really do" meme has taken off like a rocket around the interwebs, and a wide variety of themes have arisen. Mashable has a compilation of career-related ones, but I think my favorites are the ones like the North Dakota one above, where all the pictures are the same. But then I see another one, and then that one is my favorite. I am a sucker for this meme, true story.

10. This piece about how our media diets mimic our actual diets (ie, cheap and easy) is an interesting way to look at both phenomenons. (Here's an interview with the author on NPR, if you'd prefer to listen.)

monasnookie

12. And to follow the point of the article just mentioned (re: media diets), the picture above pretty much sums it up. The fact that I know who that is really bothers me.

13. And back to more enlightening topics, this piece about sleep really woke me up! I never knew that there had been other kinds of sleep patterns, hundreds of years ago. Makes sense that we have tried to jam it all up into one 8-hour slot, so we can get more done! Maybe I shouldn't fight the 3 a.m. wake-toss-thing?

That's it from me this week. Hope there was a link or two that piqued your interest! What have you read lately that kept your interest? I would love to know.

For other Thursday 13 participants, go here. And have a great Thursday, while you're at it!

Midweek reminder: There is so much sky beyond our roof

source

There are so many dreams beyond our nights, and so much sunshine beyond our gray walls. But we can't see it when we stay at home. There is so much sky above our roof. Is the door so old that it won't open, or are we at home because we're afraid of catching a chill? -Francoise Hardy

Starting the day out right: Breakfast cookies

ears back, in the catering days, I made breakfast cookies a LOT. First for my own consumption, and then for my personal chef delivery clients. The cookies were quite popular, and then for some reason, post-catering, I just stopped making them. 

I fear the original cookie from in the day will never be reproduced... but what I came up with might be even better! Really. I used the original recipe from my previous experimentation for inspiration, but my notes are lacking. (I know, you're shocked. Me too.)

But, not to be deterred, I went with a bit of memory, a bit of what was currently in the cupboard. Three adaptations later (husband and I liked all three versions), we decided this is the one we like best.

Breakfast cookie
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups oats
2 cups whole wheat flour
3 Tbsp. chia seeds (or ground flax meal)
2/3 cup oat bran
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/3 cup almond butter (could use peanut butter, easily)
1/3 cup canola oil
1 cup applesauce
1/3 cup water
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup toasted walnuts (or hazelnuts, or any nut, really), chopped roughly

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment.

In a large bowl, stir together all dry ingredient, including the cranberries and nuts; create a well in the center. In a smaller bowl, mix together the wet ingredients. You may need to warm the applesauce and almond butter together to make the butter smooth enough to mix easily. Pour all wet ingredients into the well. Mix well.

Scoop cookies using an large spoon or ice cream scoop, making the size that you prefer. I have always wanted a large breakfast cookie look and feel, so I go big (or go home, right?). One recipe makes 12 4-inch cookies, and the recipe doubles well, too.

Bake for 10 minutes for smaller cookies, 15-17 for larger cookies. Make sure to pull when they are still somewhat underbaked, so that they are soft and cakey. Cool on wire racks.

These cookies freeze well, and for those mornings when getting out of the house in a hurry is important, they are fabulous for on-the-go eating.

Enjoy and happy breakfasting! I'm looking forward to having one with my coffee tomorrow.

Popular posts, because I know you care :)

logger and it's good friend (well, OK, boss) Google have made things a lot easier in tracking traffic to blogs. I used to look at my stats every few months, just checking to see which posts got the most views, which ones didn't. Nothing regular and nothing I've ever written towards. For me, this blog has evolved from part-recipes-part-gratitude to recipes-gratitude-inspiration-journal-pretties-poetry. It's worked for me, and I've really enjoyed playing around with the format, the content, getting to know other bloggers and generally staying up on this technology-lite platform.

Taking comments or stated "followers" alone as an indication of readership is not accurate--such a low percentage of readers comment, and there are supposedly ways to increase that (notice my little questions at the end of posts, sometimes?!), but other than flat out begging (and that always strikes me as WHY?) it is what it is. I know how many blogs I peruse and/or zip past on a regular basis and very few do I actually comment on (but apparently I would/could also increase my own blog traffic by doing so more often). And, some of the super-popular blogs have a gobzillion comments already, adding to that mass always strikes me as WHY, again?

So back to Blogger and the revised interface for the blogger--it's pretty cool. While signing in takes you directly to posting, there's a tab called "Overview" that opens up to your traffic stats and where in the world they are coming from--no, not to the IP address level, don't worry I'm not stalking you--but as general as United States, Canada, Australia, Germany, Russia, etc.

Google/Blogger also track popular posts. So after a couple of months of just looking at daily post tracking every few days, I finally drilled a little deeper and looked at page views for posts. Here's what I found (I know, interesting to me, maybe less so to readers? So bear with me!):

*Most popular post ever: 13 things I love about Canada, with 2,657 views. Who knew? I bet it shows up in some "Canada love" Google searches... (see below!)

*That post is followed by two food-related posts, sort of: Cupcakes! and Gingerbread houses galore. Both are curated-style posts, with links to cupcakes and gingerbread houses from around the web.

*Interesting note: All three of the above posts are Thursday 13 posts--actually the top seven most-viewed posts are Thursday 13s. Probably that's the reason they're so popular, but I'd be hard pressed to figure that out concretely without some help; part of me thinks it must be something more... usually Thursday 13 has a general weekly participant range in the 30-50 range... not in the 1,500-2,500 range. But who knows, it could be some general cascading effect... (Thursday 13 is also my highest referring website, so there you have it. But again, the numbers don't quite add up...

*In my pages region--that line-up of titles on the right-hand side of the blog--the most-visited pages are the quotes and recipes. Which tells me I need to update the quotes more often, and probably the recipes too...

*Oh, and because I know you're dying to know about the audience and what browsers you're all using (ha ha, sure Sher), the audience is primarily viewing with Internet Explorer, with Firefox, Safari and Chrome trailing behind. Here's where I put in a plug for Firefox. Love it! Very user-friendly, intuitive, and not a lot of junk in the toolbar area; very editable, which I like. My last computer had IE on it and crashed and flickered and did all sorts of nutty things. I stopped using IE and switched to Firefox and it's been great, though I might give Chrome a spin sometime soon.

*One last thing, one thing I thought would be funnier than it is--I don't know what I was expecting--is looking at what search terms bring people to my site: "Upbeat music" is the number one search, which explains why my video post for Thursday 13 of my favorite upbeat songs is in the top 10 most viewed. "Canadian money" is next, and combine that with the seventh-biggest search "Canada money," sort of explains the "13 things I love about Canada" popularity. Sort of. Total of 523 searches, and 2,657 page hits? Hmmm. Naturally, "gingerbread house" and "cupcakes" show up next, followed closely by "sweet tea and sunshine," "happiness quotes," and so on. Nothing too shocking. Darn.

There you have it. Fun to research, however shallowly, and share with you, my readers. Gentle readers, as some would say...

Friday night grateful moment

he was indeed a precious, sweet doggy. A very unique dog in many ways, not your average affectionate, "pet me now, please" kind of pup. Nervous around people, anxious from birth, she was happiest with her brother, Jack. So when she passed this week, almost exactly 3 months after Jack, and at the ripe old age of 13.5 (or as Seth likes to put it, "almost 98, Mom.") it was both sad and awful, and not surprising. We will miss your sweet spirit, Darby, and your jumpy, dancing ways. I am grateful you were a part of our lives.

I'm greatly thankful for Chief, our one remaining dog. He brings comfort and lots of opportunities for petting, indeed. The past week he has been aware that lots is up, and seeing him alone in the yard, without his pack, is quite disheartening. So he is with us as much as he can be, and it's good for him, and good for us too.

I'm thankful for my men, who are kind and thoughtful and protective of me. They both looked out for me this week, in my more tender times... I am one lucky and very blessed girl. And our sweet Valentine's moments made my week brighter, for sure.

One of the things on my list this week, one of my favorite things, is an annual fundraiser I help with for a local non-profit, Children's Home Society of Washington. I wasn't able to be AS involved this year, especially on the day-of, because of work commitments, but I enjoyed attending and appreciating the stories shared about the difference individuals can make in the lives of children. I'm grateful for our community, and the strength in numbers when gathered together--both figuratively and monetarily!

 source

Seed catalogs! I am SO grateful for those little reminders that show up in our winter mailbox, happy, sunny reminders that spring is coming. No surprise that they put beautiful, colorful flowers on the front most of the time... But then I turn the pages and all the fun vegetables pop out at me too--should I do two-toned radishes? Purple carrots? Striped beets? Yes, please, to all of that, and more. Can't wait for those warmer days (and nights).

I'm grateful to have spent the bulk of the week with four guys who, while often speaking a different language than I (computer language stuff), were able to dissect and discuss and probe and question and challenge and engage... and learn. It was good. I am glad our three days in the developer "cave," as I called it, are over, but I'm also very glad they happened. Oh, and there were stories and jokes and laughter, and they were very kind to me when I got a bit mopey about Darby too. Good times.

My friends are wonderful. I may have mentioned that a time or two in the past, eh? But it's true, they are. I am grateful for them.

And, because it can't help but be mentioned at least once or twice a week, I am grateful for color. When I saw this video, I knew I had to share.




How was your week? Any fun tidbits to share? I could use fun tidbits...

What's on your grateful list as you finish out the week? Tell me! And above all else, have a great weekend. Peace.

Midweek inspiration

Via The Happiness Project's Moment of Happiness for today:

Contemplate the extent and stability of the heavens, and then at least cease to admire worthless things.
-Boethius

It's a-s'mores-ay!

pparently I've reached new dork heights (or is it depths?) with that post title, I'll give you that. But this recipe? This amazing blend of flavors? It can take any amount of dork teasing you dish out. And I'm sharing, just in time for Valentine's. OK, technically I'm late if you're going to make it for THIS Valentine's day, but it's so good and easy, you could still make it in time, really.

It has been a long time since I've been so gushy about a sweets recipe... at least a month or two anyway; I'm sure there was something at Christmastime that I was ga-ga over... but that's so last year. This recipe is very now. Very yummy indeed.

I'm a one-s'mores kind of girl, around the campfire. Give me one, and I'm done. They are usually too sickeningly sweet, too much chocolate to the bite (reminder: chocolate is not the first sweet thing I go for, go figure). But this recipe, with its soft, graham cracker-ish top and bottom... well, it is quite sweet, there's no denying that, but it's also very more-ish. As in, one bite leads to another bite, and then just one more. Get it? And warm from the oven? Just all the more more-ish!

I did a few online searches to arrive at this recipe, and I am so glad this is where I landed! It may be called s'mores pie, and I did indeed make my Valentine guys a pie just tonight, but I've also made it in little individual cups, and a massive pan of bars, and a small pan of squares, too. Seth happened to take a bar or two to school and shared, resulting in a big request for more, and before I knew it I was whipping up enough for his English class. So whatever iteration is your pleasure, it will work. It doubles, triples and even quadruples quite well.

I know traditional Valentine's treats center around red, with hearts. While this recipe lacks both, it does have that one critical Valentine's ingredient: chocolate. I think it makes a thoroughly enjoyable sweet, Valentine's or not!

S'mores pie
adapted from Hershey’s
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup salted butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla 
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp. baking powder
6 regular-sized Hershey Bars, broken into pieces 
1 7oz container of marshmallow creme
Wax paper

Preheat oven to 350°.

Spray a 9-inch pie pan with baking spray. Beat butter and sugar together, either in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, until combined. Add egg and vanilla, beat well. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, graham cracker crumbs and baking powder. Add to the wet mixture and combine well. Divide the dough in half. Press half the dough in the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pie pan.

Evenly spread the marshmallow creme over the bottom crust. Spread the broken chocolate pieces on top of the marshmallow creme.

Form the remaining dough into a ball and place on a piece of wax paper. Top with another piece of wax paper and flatten into a 9″ circle. I used a rolling pin to gently get the dough to the right size and thickness. If you just haul away on your rolling pin, the wax paper will break. Trust me.

Carefully peel the top piece of wax paper off. Flip the crust onto the top of the pie and peel the other piece of wax paper off.

Pinch the dough together to form the crust. Bake 20-25 minutes until lightly browned.

I guarantee a happy Valentine with this treat!

I think that funny little pinch job I did around the one edge looks like a smile, don't you?