Just in time for Valentine's, I thought I would post this one. It's really quite easy, cute, and delicious. This is from kraftrecipes.com.

Strawberry Heart Pillows

time prep:

1 hr 10 min

total:

1 hr 10 min

servings total: 16 servings, one heart each

what you need

1 frozen puff pastry sheet (1/2 of 17.3-oz. pkg.), thawed

1/3 cup strawberry jam or preserves

1 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, divided

4 large strawberries, each cut into 4 slices

1 square BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted

Make It

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Unfold pastry. Cut into 16 hearts with 2-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter. Place on ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE 20 min. or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.

CUT each heart horizontally in half. Spread 1 tsp. of the jam onto bottom half of each heart; top with 1 Tbsp. of the whipped topping and a strawberry slice. Cover with tops of hearts. Drizzle with chocolate. Serve immediately. Or, cover and refrigerate up to 1 hour.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

How to Melt and Drizzle Chocolate

Place 1 unwrapped square chocolate in microwaveable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 1 min., stirring after 30 sec. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Pour into small resealable bag; seal bag. Snip off one bottom corner of bag; twist top of bag to drizzle chocolate over dessert as desired.

How to Thaw COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

Place unopened 8-oz. tub of whipped topping in the refrigerator for 4 hours. Do not thaw in the microwave.

servings

total:
16 servings, one heart each

Smart Cooking The Costco Way

I received a free "Smart Cooking The Costco Way" cook book a couple of years ago from a holiday promotion they were having. Every recipe I have tried in it thus far, has been MORE than satisfactory. You can view the entire cookbook by clicking HERE.

Below is listed a couple of the recipes I have made and LOVED. Also, I included one full recipe that we made tonight because I made some alterations with what I had and it turned out great.

Rafael's Honey Ginger Salmon
Grapefruit Alaska (minus the rum)
Penne with Walnut Pesto

Beef Stir-Fry with Vegetables
This recipe is one delicious way to use vegetables from an Eat Smart vegetable tray.

1/3 cup peanut butter or hoisin sauce (I used chunky peanut butter)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar (I only had regular vinegar)
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil (I didn't have this and therefore did not include it in the recipe)
8 oz. linguine (I used 1 cup of Quinoa instead)
5 cups vegetables of your own choice from an Eat Smart vegetable tray (I used broccoli, peppers, onions, and carrots = whatever we had in our fridge)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
8 oz. top sirloin, cut into thin slices
1/4 cup sesame seeds (optional)

In a medium bowl, whisk together peanut butter, vinegar, honey, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Set aside.

*(See below for what I did instead, with the Quinoa) Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add linguine and cook according to package directions. add carrots, snap peas and broccoli during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water, and rinse under hot water.

Meanwhile, heat vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. add garlic and sirloin; stir-fry for 3-4 minutes, or until almost cooked. Add grape tomatos and continue to stir-fry for 1-2 minutes, or until the meat is cooked. Pour the sauce mixture over the top to warm.

Return the linguine and vegetables to the pasta pot and stir in the meat/sauce mixture. Thin with the reserved cooking water if necessary. Garnish with sesame seeds. Makes 4 servings.

*Instead of cooking the noodles and veggies together, I cooked my Quinoa in my rice cooker while I sauteed the sirloin and garlic together. Remove the sirloin from the pan and saute vegetables until they still have a little bit of a crispness when you bite into them. Combine sirloin/garlic with veggies in the pan, remove from heat, and pour in the peanut sauce. Stir to coat. Eat over Quinoa.

Tip from Costco: leftover party trays make great salad toppers, soups and stews. Or mix with light olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper to taste and roast in the oven (400 degrees F).