Making plans for tomorrow?

Do you have plans for Valentine's Day? 
Maybe a nice evening out, a quiet dinner at home or going out with friends?

Still enough time to make some red velvet whoopie cookies: {http://bluedreamsrevisited.blogspot.ca/2011/02/red-velvet-whoopie-pies.html}

Booze-Infused Holiday Goodies

Get your party on by whipping up sweets spiked with liquor.

These tipsy treats are the perfect things to bring to a holiday bash, and they also make a great, cheap DIY present—wrap them in a pretty tin, and give them to friends along with a bottle of the booze that’s in them. An even better gift? Include a copy of Lucy's fabulous book, The Boozy Baker: 75 Recipes for Spirited Sweets.

Dirty Girl Scout Cookies
Makes about 32 cookies

For the cookies:
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
32 Junior Mint candies

For the glaze:
1 1/4 to 1 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons Irish cream liqueur (like Bailey’s)
1 tablespoon coffee liqueur (such as Kahlua)
1 tablespoon crème de menthe (use white not green)

Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat mats.

In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and light brown sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, vanilla, and espresso powder. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and beat to combine.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually beat the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, stopping to scrape down the bowl as needed.

Drop the dough into rounded balls (about 3 tablespoons each) onto the cookie sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake until the cookies have flattened, about 15 minutes. (If you don’t have room on the baking sheets or in your oven to bake all the cookies at once, simply work in batches, refrigerating the extra dough.)

Cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once cookies have cooled, make the glaze. In a medium bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar with the liqueurs and stir with a whisk until smooth. Set the wire rack with the cookies on it over a row of paper towels. Using a spoon, drizzle about 1 teaspoon of glaze over each cookie, and gently press a Junior Mint into the center. Don’t worry if the glaze dribbles off the sides of the cookies a bit — it will firm up once it dries.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies with Orange Liqueur 
Makes about 32 cookies

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon orange liqueur, such as Grand Marnier
Finely grated zest of 1 large orange
11/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, beat the butter and both kinds of sugar together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla, orange liqueur, and orange zest and beat until combined.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beating to combine. Stir in the oatmeal and the chocolate chips.

Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until light golden in color and still somewhat soft in the center. Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the sheets, then remove them and cool completely on a wire rack.

Cacao - An ancient medicine validated by modern science Legendary cacao has a long history of medicinal use throughout Mesoamerica and South America. Today, science confirms chocolate has many favorable qualities that support health and psychological well-being. This magical bean offers great benefits when the cacao is high-quality, raw and organic. The native people of the Americas extolled the merits of cacao with oral histories, pottery, stonework, and colored documents that chronicled its use in rituals as well as in everyday life. The Mayan and Mexica religions believed cacao had divine origins. According to Mayan legend, after humans were created by the goddess Xmucane, the God Sovereign Plumed Serpent gave cacao to the Maya. When Europeans began exploring the New World, Columbus and his crew were the first to encounter cacao when they seized a canoe at Guanaja that was filled with strange 'almonds'. Eventually it was discovered the 'almonds' were actually cacao beans used as a source of currency in Mesoamerica. Chocolate is not only a food, but also a medicine. Preparations are well documented by the explorers who came in contact with cacao during their travels. Cacao medicinal properties were noted to alleviate fever, anemia, poor appetite, metal fatigue and poor breast milk production, as well as tuberculosis, gout, kidney stones and low virility. This delicious bean was famous for healing the nervous system and improving digestion and elimination. Jump to the modern day and numerous studies celebrate the many virtues of chocolate. Research confirms that chocolate helps to relieve emotional stress. Stress hormones and stress-related biochemical agents were reduced when volunteers, who rated themselves as highly stressed, consumed 1.4 ounces of dark chocolate per day for a period of two weeks. Another study found that cacao flavanols (CF) improve cognitive function. In a randomized, double-blind trial, 30 healthy adults consumed either 520 mg or 994 mg of a CF infused beverage. Both groups showed significant improvement in mental acuity, while a reduction in 'mental fatigue' was only found with the lower consumption of 520 mg. The researchers suspect the results may be related to the effects of CF ox blood flow. Cacao mass also contains potassium, phosphorus, copper, iron, zinc, and magnesium which contribute to cardiovascular health. Chocolate has the ability to trigger the release of dopamine and the endorphin phenylethylamine, both of which soothe the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome and depression. Due to its high valeric acid content, cacao has stress relieving properties despite the presence of the stimulants theobromine and caffeine. Yet not all chocolate is created equal. Organic, raw cacao reigns supreme with maximum nutrient content compared to other forms. Since raw chocolate is processed at low temperatures, it retains much more of its famed nutritional value than if it were roasted. As seen in David Wolfe's, "Naked Chocolate: The Astounding Truth About the World's Greatest Food", raw chocolate has many high-quality nutrients such as manganese, vitamin C, and omega 6 fatty acids. Raw cacao also contains powerful antioxidants along with a significant amount of chromium, which balances blood sugar levels. Additional benefits are found in neurotransmitter modulating agents that act as natural antidepressants. "They allow our neurotransmitters like serotonin to remain in our bloodstream longer that usual. This makes us younger," explains Wolfe. He believes that raw cacao is an excellent way to enhance health while calming the heart, amplifying sensuality and enriching one's love life. Live your bliss and savor the wisdom of the ancients. Invigorate modern vitality with the many extraordinary traits of raw cacao. Learn more:http://www.naturalnews.com/030603_cacao_medicine.html#ixzz172hwNmbz

Everybody wants to be happy, you too! (simple recipe)

21 Simple Ways to Be Happy,
Tips to Help You Find Happiness

If you are looking for happiness, you've come to the right place! Happiness is a state of being that only you can create. Happiness is a choice that you make. Using what I've learned as a life and wellness coach, this gallery will share with you the best tips on happiness that can help you to create happiness in your life! Get ready to smile, chant, eat dark chocolate and dream... big!  By Janice Taylor

Be Your Own BFF > Enjoy your own company. Embrace everything about you! Without a doubt, it’s the most important step towards. Smile, Giggle, Snigger, or Chuckle! > Smiling releases serotonin in the brain, which instantaneously gives your mood a lift. Warm Up Your Tootsies > Pull on your best pair of warm socks, wiggle your toes and enjoy a cozy kind of bliss. Sing Out Loud! > Shut the doors and the windows tight, put on your favorite song, and let your voice ring! Indulge in Dark Chocolate > Savor a small piece and watch your mood improve. Expect a Miracle > Believe that something wonderful will happen for you today. The universe is waiting to shower happy blessings on you. Meditate, Pray, and Chant > Research shows that people who are spiritual tend to be happier and healthier than those who are not. Laugh at Your Shortcomings > We all make mistakes; none of us is perfect. Forgive your imperfections, accept your faults, and laugh. Sleep, Baby, Sleep. 7 or 8 hours each night should increase your energy and decrease moodiness.Count Your Blessings Daily > Gratitude, the emotion of thankfulness, is one of the key ingredients for living a happy life. Make gratitude a habit and happiness will be yours. Wake Up Early! > Start the day off on a happy foot, with a happy thought. The morning hours are full ofspiritual energy and prana (life force). Let the Sun Shine In > 20 minutes of sunlight per day improves mood and wards of Seasonal Affection Disorder (SAD). Create a Positive Affirmation > Think it, read it, say it, sing it! "My happiness brings me more happiness." Say "Good Job!" > Give yourself permission to pat yourself on the back. Recognize your accomplishments and positive qualities. Catch Happiness from Others > Remembering that happiness is contagious, surround yourself with happy, positive people who share your values, goals, and dreams. Grow a Garden >  Watching plants grow and thrive under your care is thrilling! Pencil in 'Quiet' Time > Each and every day sit awhile, without television, without magazines, without the Internet. Just be! Look to the Future > Set goals and then make plans to succeed and take action. Pursuing something we value always makes us happy. Accept What You Cannot Change > Don't waste your precious time, energy, or thoughts on something that is beyond your control. Let it go. Take a Cat Nap > A 10-minute nap is all it takes to rejuvenate your spirit and get the happiness to flow. Love Everything > Love who you are. Love what you are doing. Love the person you're with. Love your friends and your enemies, too. Love! Love! Love!

....or how Julia Roberts would say: EAT PRAY LOVE!