Food from the Heart
February 4, 2008
When Mr. Rogers used to sing, "There are many ways to say I love you. There's the cooking way to say I care about you," preschoolers and grown ups alike knew just what he meant. So why not make a special family dinner for Valentines Day?
I like to give kids time to plan and prepare. They may be into decoration, or they may want to help make a favorite dish.
A heart-shaped theme works well: use a cookie cutter to make mini toasted cheese sandwiches, or splurge on a heart-shaped cake pan for a special lasagne, meat loaf, or family-sized omelette.
Another tack is to just make everything pink and red (tomatoes, strawberries, pomegranates, punch.) You can also add red food coloring to white foods like yogurt, milk, or mashed potatoes; an activity that kids find mesmerizing.
When you make a Valentine's Day family supper, it keeps home as a safe zone away from the romantic sturm und drang that can get to all of us. And isn't family love one of the best, most enduring kinds?
Mealtimes Matter Video
from Miriam Weinstein
About Miriam
Miriam Weinstein is an award-winning documentary filmmaker. As a journalist, she has won several awards from the New England Press Association. Her work has appeared in Boston Magazine, the Boston Globe magazine, Hope, and ParentSource. A former staff member for North Shore Weeklies and freelancer for Essex County Newspapers, she writes restaurant reviews and food columns as well as features on a wide variety of subjects. She lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts, with her husband and has two grown children.
The Surprising Power of Family Meals
In her book, The Surprising Power of Family Meals, Miriam Weinstein shows how this basic human institution helps nourish and strengthen our families today. You can buy this book from our friends at Smucker's® Online Store.
