Cookies make good snack for Valentine’s Day

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I’m not a big fan of the sentimental aspect of Valentine’s Day because it nauseates me, but I do adore the color pink and the excessive use of glitter and girly-ness associated with this holiday and will use any excuse to bring more of those things into my life. Therefore, I wholeheartedly love Valentine’s. (Pun intended.)
The recent re-release of “Beauty and the Beast,” my favorite Disney movie of all time, and the princess-themed birthday party we threw for my 3-year-old niece last month have also helped me tune into my inner prissiness.
So I put up a sparkly Valentine wreath on my door. Then, the other day, I bought a pink candle that smells like hyacinths, and it was the best $10 I’ve ever spent. I had some extra felt sheets leftover from the penguin stocking holders I made for Christmas, so I just made a Pinterest-inspired banner of hearts to string along my bookshelves. I put my grandmother’s pink depression glass platter on my dining room table on display, and I bought a new pink lip gloss the other day at CVS. I’ve been listening to a lot of Taylor Swift.
And finally, one of the greatest advantages to being a college teacher is that my students appreciate nothing more than free food and make the perfect taste-testers for anything I feel like baking. So I took endless pleasure in picking out the cheesiest little cards available, and I scored the cutest little cellophane bags covered with hearts in which to give everyone their own serving of homemade strawberry cookies.
I had never madae these before, but I had so much fun with them. Pretty much anything pink makes me happy, so when these came out of the oven neon pink and delicious, I was immediately in a good mood. And since none of my students can’t turn down a complimentary cookie, I think everyone was able to enjoy my fixation with all things frilly.

Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies

1 strawberry cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup coconut

Mix eggs and vegetable oil until well combined. Stir in cake mix and coconut; drop by teaspoons onto greased cookie sheet. Cook for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Kate Salter is a lecturer at Mississippi State University. Email her at kbsalter@gmail.com [2].