Love Bird Tea

I have always found Valentine’s Day to be kind of a weird holiday (full disclosure, its also my birthday.) Recently I have shifted my thinking about it somewhat by diving into nature and winter birds and the start of nest making season. In fact, there is scholarship that suggests that this holiday initially came about way back when because it is when birds would pair off and start building nests. it’s one of those important signs that spring will eventually be here– the birds know!

After making a variety of bird feeders, nesting material holders and other treats for winter birds we decided that we needed some treats too! What better way to celebrate lovebirds and Valentine’s Day then with these easy and delicious lovebird toasts! We drank hot chocolate with some homemade strawberry hibiscus heart marshmallows to make things extra special and read poems about birds.

Some great books to check out:

• Winter Bird by Kate Banks
• Snow Birds by Kristen Hall
• Bird Count by Susan Edwards Richmond

Love Bird Toast

The birds are made from watermelon radishes which look boring on the outside but are bright pink when you cut into them! If you can’t find watermelon radishes, look for something else roughly the size of a large radish, a pickled beet would work as would a smallish tomato. The blue butterfly pea flowers add beautiful color to the cream cheese, but aren’t strictly necessary.

ingredients:

• cream cheese (softened to room temp)
• blue butterfly pea flower powder
• toast
• watermelon radish
• cucumber
• carrot
• red pepper
• whole peppercorns
• portobello mushroom (optional)
• heart cookie cutters

Method:

First mix a little blue butterfly pea powder into your cream cheese until you have a nice blue color. Spread some blue cream cheese on your toast.

Slice the watermelon radish thinly and cut out a few heart shapes. Cut the heart in half to make the birds bodies.

Thinly slice some cucumbers and cut out smaller hearts for the wings.

Cut some carrots into matchsticks and use them to make the beaks and legs. A peppercorn makes a perfect eye! (Or a black sesame seed!)

Break the mushroom to look like a branch and put it under the birds feet. (This is optional– my kids wanted nothing to do with it– but it looked nice)

Slice the red pepper to get some pieces that are flat-ish and cut some more small hearts from it. Place one above your love birds and wherever else you’d like.

Enjoy!