January was a long month, but February has been brutal with snow and cold. I guess that’s why Valentine’s Day is in February, to have a little bright spot before spring gets here. Thanks to whoever decided to include chocolate with Valentine’s Day, it was probably a candy maker no doubt, but I adore chocolate. I hide it from myself so I have a little stash when the urge strikes. I have chocolate hidden in the freezer, in my sock drawer, or anywhere else I can think of. A little chocolate once in a while is fabulous. 

That said, I am including a strawberry recipe and a shrimp recipe instead of something chocolate since this column will not come out until after Valentine’s Day. 

Dream nice thoughts, like chocolate and spring.

Strawberry Crumb Cake Muffins

Muffins:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

6 tablespoons sour cream

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/2 cups strawberries, chopped

Crumb topping: 

6 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup all purpose flour

Vanilla glaze:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon milk

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a muffin tin with liners. In a bowl, mix flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the buttermilk, oil and eggs. Mix until batter is just combined. It will be thick. Add in sour cream and vanilla. Mix until combined. Add in strawberries and mix. Fill muffin cups about 2/3 of the way full. Set aside. In a separate bowl, mix crumb topping ingredients. Generously sprinkle crumbs into each cup, pressing the crumbs down lightly into the batter. Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. While muffins

Shrimp Pad Thai

8 ounces rice noodles

1/4 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons fish sauce

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup fresh bean sprouts

3/4 cup sliced green onions

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 tablespoons chopped dry-roasted peanuts

Place noodles in a large bowl. Add hot water to cover; let stand 12 minutes or until tender, drain. Combine ketchup, sugar, fish sauce and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp; sauté 2 minutes or until shrimp are done. Remove shrimp from pan; keep warm. Heat 4 teaspoons oil in the same pan over medium-high heat. Add eggs; cook 30 seconds or until soft-scrambled, stirring constantly. Add sprouts, green onions and garlic; cook 1 minute. Add noodles, ketchup mixture and shrimp; cook 3 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with peanuts and serve. This recipe was found on the website www.myrecipes.com.