For many, the highlight of those cold winter months is the excitement of Valentine’s Day in February.  While some see this as a greeting card holiday, I love the fun, creativity, excitement, and romance associated with this little holiday.  Valentine’s Day is always about the little things you can do to make those around you feel cherished and adored, and it doesn’t take a lot of money to make it happen.

For my Madeline it’s all about finding that sweet card to reach her special friend who happens to live in Cuba.  For Bradley it seems to be finding that perfect Georgia Bulldogs shirt for his girl.  For Audley, who already treats me with flowers and the like quite often, it’s about getting off from work early so we can enjoy a quite supper together.  And for me, Valentines day is treating my nieces and nephews with sweet notes containing a treat their parents can thank me for later (Sonic gift cards for ice cream, anyone?), surprise sweets for my own kiddos, and preparing a special meal for my love that we may turn into a carpet picnic or enjoy at an elegantly set table.

It’s all about the little things.

Speaking of sweet treats, my entire family is totally addicted to a particular snack mix that I make for a variety of holidays, but thought it would be fun to share in a Valentine’s theme.  That’s why I love making this mix as you can tailor it to fit whatever holiday you want from Christmas to Independence Day!

Cupid’s Crunch is also great in that you can make it fit your needs.  We have no allergies, so I love to make it a little sweet and salty using popcorn, pretzels, nuts, Kool-Aid mix (with the sugar already added) and candy.

You can use candy melts from any craft store and save yourself time coloring the candy, but I love the taste of Ghirardelli’s brand of white melting wafers.

In a VERY large bowl mix together one entire bag of melted white candy wafers with your popcorn and pretzels.  Once you have stirred it together, spread out on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Sprinkle your Kool-Aid on top of the sticky mix.

Next, add a few more pretzels, any candy, nuts or sprinkles you might want to combine.  This is where those colored candy melts come in handy if you desire; otherwise tint one bag of white candy two shades of pink.

You can use a plastic bag with a corner cut off for this step, but I add the melted candy to squeeze bottle and drizzle all over the snack mix just to make sure everything is all stuck together.

Let the mix stand about 20 minutes, then break it a part and put into seasonal baggies or a pretty bowl and share with your favorite Valentine!

Click here for the full printable recipe for Cupid’s Crunch .

FYI, if you pay a surprise visit to college and take an entire recipe to your daughters dorm room, both she and her roommate will polish off EVERY SINGLE BITE  in one evening.

Check back, I have a couple of more Valentine’s treats to share between now and next Wednesday as well as a fun give-away!