Spelling Out Love

Sometimes you don't have the words to express your feelings. Luckily, there are Sweethearts®, the sweet little candy hearts with the quirky little sayings.

For more than a century, the makers of NECCO Sweethearts Conversation Hearts have come up with some of the sweetest ways of saying "I love you." Every Valentine's Day the company presents new messages on the tiny colored hearts that have been a holiday tradition since the Civil War.

Conversation hearts were invented in the 1860s by the brother of NECCO's founder. These first hearts had printed paper notes tucked inside. The lengthy, old-fashioned sayings included such wistful thoughts as "Please send a lock of your hair by return mail."

For 2010, NECCO introduced new flavors and sayings. The new flavors include strawberry, green apple, lemon, grape, orange, and blue raspberry. For the first time in its 145-year history, the American public was invited to participate in an online survey to decide which phrases of love would appear on conversation hearts in 2010. The winners include: "Tweet Me," "Text Me," "You Rock," "Soul Mate," "Love Bug," and "Me + You." The following classic expressions reappear on the candies: "Puppy Love," "Sweet Love," "Sweet Pea," and "Love Me."

Last year's new sayings featured food-inspired phrases, such as "Recipe 4 Love," "Table 4 Two," and "Top Chef."

Hope you had a wonderful day! And be sure to check out Audrey's blog February 14th on her creative scheme "Heart Attack" to surprise her friends on Valentine's Day. http://mnprairieroots.com/

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Chicken in Cherry Sauce

Cook's notes: It's an easy and elegant meal to celebrate George Washington's birthday.

Serves 4  inspired by BHG
photo by Dennie (it was her dinner)
Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breasts (about 1-1/2 lbs)
• extra virgin olive oil, for brushing
• salt and pepper
• 2 tsp. butter, divided
• 1 shallot, chopped or 2 garlic cloves
• 1 cup red wine (cabernet or zinfandel)
• 1/2 cup chicken broth mixed with 1 TB. flour
• 2 TB. balsamic vinegar
• 1 TB. cherry preserves
• 12 oz . fresh or frozen pitted sweet cherries (if frozen, do not thaw)
• 1 TB. chopped fresh thyme or 1tsp. dried thyme
• juice of 1/2 lemon 

Directions:

• Pound chicken breasts to an even thickness, brush both sides with extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. 
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add in chicken. Saute until no longer pink, 3-4 minutes a side. Remove to a plate then tent with foil to keep warm. 
• Melt 1 teaspoon butter in same skillet, add in shallots or garlic cloves and saute until tender, 2 minutes. 
• Whisk in wine, chicken broth with flour, thyme, balsamic vinegar, cherry preserves and fresh or frozen cherries
• Simmer until sauce is reduced by nearly half, 3-4 minutes and slightly thickened, 2-3 minutes more
• Remove skillet from heat, stir in remaining teaspoon butter and lemon juice. 
• Spoon sauce over chicken breasts and serve with steamed broccoli.