Valentine's Day Family Night

Last night, our church 789 group (7th, 8th and 9th graders) offered free baby-sitting for the church. They've been doing it for years and they won't accept any money. It's very sweet. This year was very organized and seemed much less chaotic than it has other years.

So, we celebrated Valentine's Day Friday night with three other couples and one single from our Small Group. We ate dinner at Posados and then talked and laughed until about 9. The babysitting was from 6-10pm.

Then, tonight, we had a Family Night celebrating Valentine's Day. Slade was gone all morning because he had to take his mom to the airport in Dallas. So, while he was gone, the boys and I worked on a Valentine's Day surprise for him--Oreo Truffles. Slade loves them and I figured they'd be easy enough for us to all do together.

The main ingredient--Oreos, crushed or chopped in food processor.


Next, cream cheese


Rolling the truffle centers into balls.


I tried to dip the balls into melted chocolate chips, but it was so thick! So, I called Josie, who made delicious buckeyes last year and she told me how much wax to melt into the chocolate. That made all the difference!


I was going to do pink and white sprinkles, but the white chocolate hardened too quickly. Oh, well.


The finished truffles. I was so, so pleased with how they turned out! The top right ones had crushed Oreos on top, but the crumbles didn't stick, so they're not as pretty.


The boys helping put the truffles in small muffin wrappers.


Randall "helping" by eating the extra chocolate.


The final result. They fit perfectly into this glass dish I just bought on a whim at Wal-Mart. Two layers of Oreo goodness!


Russell ready to take the gift out to Slade. We made Slade stay out of the kitchen all afternoon!


The boys then got to open their Valentine's Day surprises.


Russ working hard to get the lid off.


Randall very excited about his mini craft set.


They both got mini scissors, a mini stapler and a small tape dispenser with tape.


And big balls of gum. Both boys love "sugar gum" as they call it, because they rarely get anything other than sugar-free gum.


As soon as they had checked out the candy and such, they grabbed their staplers and started stapling everything in sight.


No, I didn't cut myself making mashed potatoes... This is the red food coloring I added to make red potatoes.


The dough was supposed to make a heart as it cooked, but it... didn't... Oh, well.


The table set for our dinner. Pork ribs, red mashed potatoes, red heart-shaped (sorta) rolls, corn and red juice.


After dinner, we all wrote on these index cards what we loved about each other. It was sweet to hear what the boys said (after a bit of prompting...)


It was a fun way to celebrate Valentine's Day. And, now I must go eat (yet another) Oreo truffle. And, you must, too. So, follow the recipe below and make them yourself!

Oreo Truffles
1 pkg Oreo cookies
8 oz cream cheese, softened
16 oz semi-sweet baker's chocolate or chocolate chips, melted

Crush Oreo cookies in plastic bag (using rolling pin) or in food processor. In mixer, combine crushed Oreos and softened cream cheese until a thick mixture is formed.

Roll into balls, about 1 inch in diameter. I chilled them, but I don't think it was necessary.

I used gulf wax (about 1/4 of a bar) in the chocolate chips to thin it. Then, using a toothpick, dip Oreo balls into melted chocolate and place on waxed paper. Chill about 1 hour.

You can reserve some of the crushed Oreos and sprinkle over the balls before chilling, if you want. I melted white chocolate chips and drizzled them over the chilled Oreos.


Put in cute Valentine-y mini muffin cups that you bought the year before for about a quarter and pat yourself on the back for thinking ahead and not even knowing you were doing it. Then eat an Oreo truffle and enjoy God's gift of chocolate. Then eat another one.