Valentines for Veterans

Growing up Valentine’s Day was so important to me.   Remember the joy of making valentines for all of your classmates?  In elementary school when we brought our valentines to school we were also supposed to bring a decorated box, usually an old shoebox, so that when the time came, classmates could drop a valentine in your special box.  At the end of the school day we would be given time to look in our boxes and open our valentines. There would be lots of construction paper hearts decorated with paper doilies and some purchased items and every now and then a box of conversation hearts or a lollipop.  

As I got older I kept the tradition of sending cards to my close friends for many years but once I had children my time was spent helping them get valentines prepared for their classmates.  And each year I made a special valentine cookie which you might know as the cream wafer.   It’s an old recipe my friend Aggie gave me in 1975.   I would cut the cookie into heart shapes and tint the filling a lavender color.  (See the recipe below in case you want to make these delicious, melt in your mouth butter cookies).

 As my last child left the nest I’d stopped celebrating Valentine’s Day until a few years ago.  Now it is a big deal and the planning starts in January.   Why, you ask?   It’s Valentines for Veterans!!!  Last month we encouraged employees and their families to start making valentines at home.  We've got craft supplies in the break rooms so employees can make a valentine on their breaks.  Already we've shipped boxes of Conversation Hearts and handmade valentines to a military concussion center in Afghanistan, and sent beautiful valentines to our military friends and family serving overseas.  Next week children from our employee day care will be hand-delivering handmade valentines and candies to all of our veteran employees.  We’ve got an enormous box of valentines going to a VA hospital located in a rural area.   I’m seeing lots of red and really excited about it.   

Nicole has been helping coordinate all of these activities

Hope you have a wonderful Valentine’s Day. Just in case you feel like doing some baking here's the best butter cookie you ever tasted!  

Ingredients for the cookie:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Sugar

Ingredients for the filling:

1/4 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-1/2 to 2 teaspoons heavy whipping cream

 food coloring

To make the dough cream the butter add the flour and cream.  Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 1-1/4-in. round cookie cutter. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Sprinkle with a little sugar. Prick each cookie 3-4 times with a fork.

Bake at 350° for 7-9 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks to cool.

In a small bowl, mix ingredients to make the filling, adding whipping cream a little at a time until achieving desired consistency.