As Feb. 14 approaches, people everywhere find themselves scurrying to get the perfect person to celebrate this romantic day with. Regardless of one’s relationship status, there are endless activities to do on Valentine’s Day to get into the spirit. What better way is there, though, than to cook your heart away with delicious love-themed recipes?

Heart-Shaped Lasagna

To start the list off strong, first up is an entree that is perfect for celebrating this special day. 

Ingredients:

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Heart shaped bundt pan
• One 16-ounce box lasagna noodles
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• One 6-ounce can tomato paste
• One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 12 ounces ricotta 
• 8 ounces shredded mozzarella (2 cups)
• 2 large eggs
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Directions:

1. Set the oven to preheat at 375 degrees Farenheit.
2. Cook the lasagna noodles according to the box and set out to dry.
3. Cook onions over medium heat in the oil for around 8 minutes. Then, stir in the garlic and oregano for about 1 minute after. 
4. Add beef, salt and pepper for about 8 minutes. After this, add the tomato paste for 2 minutes, then add the tomatoes, sugar and water. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for about 20 minutes.
5. Mix together the remaining ingredients: the ricotta, mozzarella, eggs, parmesan, and parsley.
6. Cut six lasagna noodles in half in order to have them fit in the pan. Arrange the noodles inside the pan to cover the whole bundt. Set some noodles vertically on the sides of the bundt, with one side hanging over the edge and the other side sitting on top of the bottom noodles, reaching to the center of the pan.
7. Begin layering in your meat sauce, ricotta mixture, and then more noodles.
8. Fold the overhanging noodles off of the edge to the center of the pan once done layering, covering the hole and the filling completely.
9. Bake for 45-50 minutes, allowing the noodles to crisp.
10.  Invert the pan, then add the remaining sauce to the center, and serve!

“All of these recipes sound absolutely delicious, but I would love to try the heart shaped lasagna,” said sophomore Alejandra Torres.

Mixed Berry Pot Pies

Not only will this dessert taste amazing, but it looks absolutely adorable, too! 

Ingredients:

• Heart shaped baking dish (mini)
• Pie dough
• 7 cups of mixed berries (fresh)
• 1 cup of sugar
• ¼ cup of cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons cubed unsalted butter
• 1 beaten egg
• Coarse sugar to garnish the pies

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Farenheit.
2. Mix together the berries, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla and the lemon juice.
3. Roll out the pie dough and cut accordingly, depending on the size of the baking dishes. There should be enough dough to cover the top and bottom of each dish. Dough should be at a ⅛ inch thickness.
4. Line dishes with the dough and then fill them up with the berry mixture. 
5. Brush the edges of the dough with an egg wash and top each dish with the remaining pie dough, pressing the edges together with a fork.
6. Finish the pies by trimming off the extra dough and then brushing the tops with egg wash and sprinkling the coarse sugar on top. 
7. Reduce the oven’s temperature to 350 and then put the pies in, leaving them baking for  35-40 minutes.
8. Let them cool, and enjoy!

White Chocolate Chex-Mix Trail Mix

For an easy, quick and shareable snack, this trail mix recipe is perfect to make for Valentine’s Day. 

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of Wheat Chex
• 3 cups of Rice Chex
• 3 cups of Cheerios
• 3 cups of M&M’s
• 1 ½ cups of pretzels
• 1 cup of honey roasted peanuts
• 5 cups of white chocolate chips, or melting candies
• 1 tbsp of vegetable shortening
• Valentine’s Day themed sprinkles

Directions:

1. Mix together both Chexs, the cheerios, pretzels, and 2 cups of the M&M’s.
2. Next, use a preferred method of melting the white chocolate. Use a double boiler with vegetable shortening if using white chocolate chips. Follow the directions on the packaging if using white chocolate specifically designed for melting.
3. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the mixed cereals and stir with a wooden spoon until evenly coated.
4. Spread the mixture over a piece of parchment paper and sprinkle the remaining M&M’s on top. Add the sprinkles.
5. Let it cool for at least 1 hour, then break it apart, and enjoy!

Heart Cake

Though quite a simple dessert, this recipe had to be included, seeing as just the look of it is bound to get people into the Valentine’s Day spirit.

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• Boxed cake mix of your choice (and the extra ingredients needed for that)
• 9 inch square cake pan
• 9 inch round cake pan

For the frosting (or just store bought):

• 16 oz room temperature cream cheese
• ½ cup of room temperature unsalted butter
• 2 cups of powdered sugar
• Sprinkles to decorate

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit. Spray both cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Put parchment paper on the bottoms of each pan, and spray the paper as well.
2. Follow the boxed cake instructions and put batter into both pans.
3. Bake the cakes for 35-45 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
4. While the cakes are baking, beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth and combined.
5. Add in powdered sugar for about 3 minutes until the frosting is fluffy.
6. Place the square cake in a diamond orientation, with the corners facing up and down. 
7. Cut the circle cake in half and frost the straight, cut sides. Stick each half onto the top right sides of the square cake to create a heart shape. 
8. Frost the whole cake with the remaining frosting and decorate as preferred. Done!

“I would love to try a vanilla heart cake. I feel that it completely represents Valentine’s Day, with a classic vanilla flavor that could never go wrong,” sophomore Sofia Rodriguez said.

Regardless of your plans on Valentine’s Day, any one of these recipes will be a great addition to the day. Considering that this year the holiday might be a little more difficult to celebrate due to COVID-19, baking the day away is a good way to celebrate Valentine’s Day safely. And even though these recipes are Valentine’s Day themed, they can be made even after the holiday passes, perfect for any time of the year.