the day which must not be named

You might think that I'd get more excited about Valentine's Day since I now actually have a downright delightful dude with whom to celebrate it, but that doesn't seem to be the case. I still think it's pretty silly.

That won't stop me from giving you some ideas for Valentine's Day treats, though, because as far as I'm concerned, the sugar flooding the market in early February is the best part of all the hoopla.

These meringues are easy and really quite sinless, as sweets go. All modesty aside, I'm pretty impressed by my creativity in making these. :)

FUDGE. With red hots, cinnamon imperials, or whatever you might call them. Rich, interesting, unique, and color-appropriate, these will heat up your love life or, at the very least, your tongue. As an alternative, you could use cherry-flavored fruit chews like these and celebrate National Cherry Month while you're at it!

If you have a broken and bleeding heart this Valentine's Day, sangria cobbler a la mode might be the best choice for you...with some more sangria and extra ice cream on the side.

The whoopie pie craze may well be over, but that would just make them more special. I think red velvet cookies with pink filling would be adorable.

Another fad that seems to have gone the way of the dodo is cupcakes, but they're still delicious. Strawberry cheesecake cupcakes or cherry pie cupcakes both take two desserts and blend them seamlessly into a cakelet of deliciousness.

A more luxurious option is raspberry swirl cheesecake, because nothing says love quite like a blend of cream cheese, sugar, and eggs on top of smashed graham crackers.

Finally, I've given you plenty of time to plan ahead for this amazing trifle. Remember, it gets better and better after each day in the fridge, so you can make it and forget about it and focus on important things like mood-lighting and music.

I feel compelled to say that this post is all in fun. If you get excited about Valentine's Day, good for you; please don't be offended. Enjoy it, both for yourself and for those seemingly heartless, hollow gals like me. :)