MOTLEY MILL & CUBE

before heading back. We made our way to a table, and I was surprised to see a bouquet of roses on the table. Not the usual thing to see in a little cow county cafe. The waitress appeared and handed us the menus and stated that there were several specials that day for Valentine’s Day. We had no idea it was Valentine’s Day. The calendar had ceased to matter for a week or two.

We laughed and ordered one of the specials. That was one of the best Valentines Days we ever had. Looking at each other’s wind and snow burned faces over a candle and roses, knowing that person was really your sweetheart after all we’d been through.

We usually have our Valentine’s at home now. Living on remote places really teaches you to make the most of things and that you can make special occasions memorable and better at home than going out. You’ll likely have a better steak or prime rib at home than you will out. The recipe below will show someone they are really your sweetheart.

Sweetheart Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup of butter

1 tsp almond extract

½ tsp salt

1 cup of powdered sugar

2 ¼ cup flour

3 TBS maraschino syrup or juice

½ cup chopped maraschino cherries

½ cup slivered almonds

1 cup dark chocolate morsels or chunks

Directions:

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and preheat oven to 350.

Using either a stand or handheld mixer beat butter until creamy, then add almond extract, salt and powdered sugar.

At low-speed alternate adding the some of the flour and the juice or syrup, til thoroughly mixed.

Stir in nuts and chocolate pieces. Roll into golf sized pieces and place on the parchment covered cookie sheets.

Bake for about 12 to 18 minutes, just until the edges barely show a bit of golden color. Don’t overbake, they are delicate cookies. Let them stand for a few minutes before removing from the cookie sheet.