We associate Valentine’s Day with sweet treats. We also tend to associate chocolate, strawberries, cherries and raspberries with the holiday that celebrates love.
Red Velvet Cake, Queen of Hearts Tart, Dark Chocolate Cake with Raspberry filling and Chocolate Chip Cherry Cookies say Valentine’s Day to the people lucky enough to eat them.
Yes, they are rich and delicious, and they are supposed to be. It’s nice to have something special to make the day something to remember.

Raisins are good for you, but don’t hold that against them. Not only do raisins get an A for nutrition, they also get high marks for flavor. They’re low in fat and are a favorite of athletes looking for high energy snacks.
But that doesn’t mean that they should only appear in trail mix.
The recipes featured this week utilize raisins in stuffing, baked beans, cake and ham sauce. We hope you’ll give them a try.

You could probably write a complete book about hot dogs and still leave something out. Everybody has a favorite.
Most of the time I tend to stick with what I know, which consists of a pack of wieners (which I call weenies) from the grocery store, buns, onions, ketchup, mayonnaise and slaw.
I’ve never been a hot dog chili fanatic because that’s just another way to add calories to a food that doesn’t need any help in that department. Slaw dogs are at the top of my list.
However you like your hot dogs, these recipes could make the whole hot dog experience a little richer.
And not every hot dog served requires a bun. Sometimes, if you’re in the right mood, a just plain weenie is good.

Peter Piper is famous for picking peppers, but his are all pickled.
Peppers are colorful, flavorful and offer an amazing range of temperatures. Some like them hot, some like them cold. But there’s sure to be a pepper out there with your name on it.
Decide how much heat you like and go from there. One of my favorite peppers is the red bell. It’s readily available and has a sweet mild taste that almost everyone can enjoy.
But there are many more. Please try some of these recipes and decide for yourself which you like best.

Green beans can be delicious, and it’s hard to find anyone that doesn’t enjoy them cooked like Grandma used to. However, there is nothing wrong with stepping out of that comfort zone and trying other ways.
Don’t shy away from other beans. And if you don’t like beans, or think you don’t, it may mean you haven’t found the right bean cooked the right way. There’s a bean out there with your name on it.
Feel free to tweak these recipes any way you like. If you can improve upon them please e-mail your version and I’ll let readers know. Thanks for the feedback.

It wasn’t very long ago when a number of tropical fruits just weren’t available in local grocery stores, but now we can easily buy mangos, papayas and other fruits we aren’t accustomed to eating on a regular basis.
It’s nice to have more options when it comes to serving fruits. Now that we can buy mangos and papayas, we can experiment with recipes featuring these fruits.
We’ve had kiwi fruit available for a much longer time and may be more familiar with more options for this fruit, but I thought kiwi should be included in this selection. It’s flavor mixes well with many other fruits.
I hope you’ll try and enjoy some of these suggested dishes.

There are a lot of meats we tend to serve at holidays or for Sunday dinners. And although we all love them the first time they appear on the table, our enthusiasm can wane if they don’t get eaten up quickly enough.
This week, I dug out some recipes that may inspire you to use up all those leftovers after the new has worn off.

I love the creamy richness of ripe avocados and enjoy them sliced and sprinkled with lemon juice.
They don’t taste like anything else and add lots of flavor and texture to everyday salads. But if you want to stretch your repertoire a little, branch out and try avocados several different ways.
We’re so fortunate to have the access we do to so many kinds of fruits and vegetables whether or not they’re in season, and avocados are just one example of our great good fortune.
And if you’re one of those people who’ve never tasted avocado, please don’t tell me you don’t like it. First you have to eat it. Then feel free to critique it.

When you think of cottage cheese, do you immediately think of dieting? Well, think again.
Cottage cheese has been the go-to food for those who want to slim down, but please don’t limit this versatile cheese to just being a tummy trimmer.
It is used here in a dessert, an omelet, a loaf of bread and in a potato salad. I think you’ll be surprised.
So try at least one of these and tinker with it as you see fit. Fine-tuning recipes is just another part of being a cook. I hope you enjoy one of these.

When spring finally arrives, the yard is calling my name.
I don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, so I look for food that isn’t too heavy or time consuming.
The crusted pork tenderloin is a nice weekend dish to make. Pork tenderloin is one of the leanest meats, and crusting it will keep it from drying out. It also makes great sandwiches the next day if there’s any left.
The cabbage apple salad will keep for several days and goes well with the pork, as do the sweet potato patties. The extra patties can be frozen and kept on hand for another meal.
The flourless chocolate cake is delicious, extremely rich and low in calories. Now isn’t that wonderful? People will fight over this cake, so be careful who you invite for dinner when you serve it.
Thank you to my readers for your thoughtful comments and feedback on the recipes.