In addition to my love of celebrations, I also love to have simple conversations with my boys. That seems easy enough but as kids get older it gets increasingly more difficult to have heart-to-hearts on a regular basis! But fortunately, in my house, there’s a pretty simple solution…food! It’s true that the best conversations happen around the dinner table…so why not the snack table as well! It’s now paczki time, and if you’re not familiar to this Lenten season sweet treat…you should discover it–soon! Pronounced pawnch-ki, or punch-key, they’re similar to a jelly or custard filled doughnuts and are only served up until the first day of Lent then vanish until next year. So when we see them in the bakeries and grocery stores for the first time…it’s pretty exciting! I decided to create a Valentine table filled with goodies for a family treat and an opportunity to savor some sugary favorites and open the door to some good conversation! And since “conversation” was the intended goal, I used plenty of those sweet little candies to inspire the theme! Let me share some easy ways to create something special that just might get the conversations flowing!
be mine xoxo let’s chat…
a table of goodness inspired by conversation heart touches…
on a damp and chilly day i can’t think of anything better to serve with paczkis than some hot cocoa! some gel-cling conversation hearts were a really easy way to dress up my mugs and pitcher! they’re good for much more than sticking on windows!
and simple snack cakes are the easiest treat to pop out if you need something extra! i just topped them with a candy convo heart for a little more holiday fun!
these cute stir sticks for the cocoa look darling embellished with some over-sized heart marshmallows…
it’s really hard to force the stir stick through the mallow without creating a gooey, sticky mess all over the ends! let me share a super easy way to do this…simply cut the marshmallow heart in half, lay the stick on top on one half with the sticky side up, and sandwich the stir stick between the two halves! press them together slightly so that they are firm around the stick and to reshape if necessary…that’s it!
they make a really cute and yummy addition to the hot chocolate…and these multi-colored hearts mimic the convo hearts on the mugs! if you wanted to take it a step further, you could even write on the marshmallows with an icing pen! might be a fun kids-in-the-kitchen craft!?
i also included a candy dish (that actually has a conversation quote in the bottom) filled with traditional conversation hearts AND these new Hershey’s Kiss conversation chocolates! YUM!
but the main attraction for my family was the paczkis! i dressed them up with some valentine cupcake toppers and waited for the boys to get home and see their unexpected surprise!
these sweet treats started some sweet conversations!
hope you found some inspiration today! and if you’ve never tried a paczki before…don’t wait too long or they’ll be gone!
most of the party supplies & snack items used can be found at Target stores. find paczkis at local bakeries & grocers
check out the craftyblogstalker for some create-link-inpsire party fun!