Valentine’s Day Breakfast Ideas for Your Loved Ones

Valentine's Day is a special day. It goes without saying that we show our love to those in our lives throughout the year but on that day we like to do something extra special. Start off the morning with a breakfast that screams, “I love you.”
 
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It provides us with the nutrition we need to make it until lunch time without passing out. There are plenty of suggestions for Valentine’s Day breakfast meals that kids can make for parents or one spouse can make for the other (women do make breakfast for their husbands, too).

Let’s start with casseroles. These are man-friendly breakfast dishes that don’t require too many steps. Most casseroles can be put together ahead of time and baked on demand in the morning.

Most breakfast casseroles contain eggs. They hold the entire meal together. If your sweetie doesn’t like them or doesn’t eat them, you can choose something else to make. Some popular add-ins for casseroles include: sausage, bacon, hashbrowns, chopped peppers, chopped onions, ham, and cheese. Yum!

How about breakfast in bed? We’ve all heard about it and probably thought it was some type of urban legend, but it does happen and Valentine’s Day is the perfect occasion. Keep it simple so there’s room on the tray for a rose or a beautiful card.

The centerpiece of that breakfast place can be pancakes or French toast. Metal cookie cutters are placed in the pan and batter poured in to make heart-shaped pancakes. For French toast, it’s easier to cook the toast and then use the heart-shaped cutter to create your loving masterpiece.

Some people don’t like to eat too much in the morning. For them, try a simple breakfast of fruit and toast. Cube their favorite fruit and top with yogurt. Some toast and jam adds substance to the meal. This is a Valentine’s breakfast that would satisfy that vegetarian in your life.

The season is still winter when Valentine’s Day rolls around. If it happens to be a particularly cold morning where you are, try a bit of hot cereal like oatmeal or cream of wheat for that special day. Use honey or syrup to drizzle a sweet “I love you” on the top.

Valentine’s Day is that time when we show the folks we love an extra special good time. This year, start with an invigorating meal that comes from the heart to show them how we feel.

Groundhog Day Fun Facts

Image via Wikipedia

It’s doubtful whether anyone would have thought, during the first official Groundhog Day in 1886, that over 100 years later people would still be focusing their attention on a little critter on February 2 each year. It is on that date that Punxsutawney Phil tells the nation if there will be six more weeks of winter or not.

Many people don’t realize Groundhog Day has its origin in Germany. Tradition there claims that a badger or hedgehog would predict the coming of spring. If the animal saw its shadow on Candlemas, winter weather would continue. German settlers moved to the United States and continued the tradition. However, since there weren’t hedgehogs or badgers where they lived, they chose the groundhog as the weather prognosticator.

* Phil, the groundhog everyone looks to, has a long name: "Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators and Weather Prophet Extraordinary." This name was given to a groundhog in 1887 by the "Punxsutawney Groundhog Club."

* Phil lives in the Punxsutawney Library for the remainder of the year, but each year as Groundhog Day nears, he’s taken from his home at Gobbler’s Knob.  He is then placed in a heated burrow until he makes his appearance at 7:25 a.m. on Groundhog day each year.

* In 1993 the movie “Groundhog Day,” starring Bill Murray, was released. The movie, filmed in Woodstock, Illinois because Punxsutawney is in a rural area which made it difficult to use for filming.

* For those unable to make the annual trek to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, each year’s ceremony is broadcast on major television stations. It can also be seen on the big screen at Times Square, New York City.

* Groundhogs hibernate each year and generally come out of hibernation between the first and second weeks of February. Experts say the animal comes out of hibernation due to the increased number of daylight hours.

* In the wild, groundhogs live about six to eight years. Phil, however, is said to be given a magical drink every year which enables him to live seven more years. Having said that, members of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club claim Punxsutawney Phil is over 120 years old.

* Although Punxsutawney Phil is said to be the official Groundhog Day weather predictor, other groundhogs are found around the world. These include General Beauregard Lee, Peewee the Woodchuck, Wiarton Willie, Shubenacadie Sam, Stanten Island Chuck, and Dunkirk Dave.

* Each year tens of thousands of people make their way to Punxsutawney to learn first-hand whether winter will continue for six more weeks.

* In over 100 years of predicting the coming of spring, Phil has seen his shadow 96 times, seen no shadow 14 times, with 9 years where there was no record.

Is Punxsutawney Phil, or any of the other groundhogs around the world, accurate in predicting the arrival of spring? That’s up for debate. One thing is for sure, however, when it comes to Groundhog Day, these fun facts can make the day more enjoyable for all who celebrate.