Written By

Renee Dalton

Date

Jan 9, 2023

Category

Kid Friendly Valentine’s Dinner

One of my favorite ways to celebrate the holidays is to plan a holiday themed meal. I made this Valentine’s dinner for everyone in my family but had my grandchildren in mind when I planned, the menu. This Kid Friendly Valentine’s Dinner is perfect for kids of all ages.

Valentine's Day tomato soup and grilled cheese.

Valentine’s Day is a holiday I love to celebrate with my whole family, my sweetheart, children, and grandchildren.  Sitting down and sharing a meal together is one way to make memories that will last forever. Keep it simple, that is one thing I have learned over the years. Make it so everyone can get involved it makes it extra special. Never think everything is going to be perfect and go just as you have planned, it never does with family and that is okay! I have planned this super simple and delicious menu for you, so you can check one thing off your list. Sometimes deciding what to have has been the hardest part.

KID FRIENDLY VALENTINE’S DINNER MENU

Valentine's Day tomato soup and grilled cheese.

I’m sharing with you three simple recipes Heart Shaped Grilled Cheese, Homemade Tomato Soup and Strawberry “Cupid” Floats. This will be the perfect Kid Friendly Valentine’s Dinner for your family. If you have any kid friendly recipes that you make for Valentine’s Day, I would love for you to leave them in the comments! I’m always looking for new ideas.

Heart Shaped Grilled Cheese

Valentine's Day tomato soup and grilled cheese.

This is a simple grill cheese sandwich but when cut into a heart shape it gives it a whole new feeling. Make the grill cheese sandwiches but let your children or grandchildren cut them into the heart shape, have different shapes and sizes to make it extra fun. It’s a great way to let them be involved and it makes them feel special and loved. Also, when you let them help, they seem to eat better which is important to the moms and grandmas!

Tools

Ingredients

ingredients for grilled cheese sandwich

  • Bread: thicker sliced bread works best for grilled cheese sandwiches; my favorite is Grandma Sycamores or Texas Toast.
  • Butter: you can use salted or unsalted butter. I prefer unsalted because there is plenty of sodium in the cheese.
  • Cheese: the most common cheese used is mild cheddar, but you can use any cheese you like. I use Colby Jack because that is what my family likes.

How to make Grilled Cheese

  1. Butter the bread- using a sandwich spreader, spread 1/2 tablespoon butter on one side of each slice of bread.
  2. Add Cheese- stack 3(.5oz) slices of cheese on one of the slices of bread, cover with the other piece of bread
  3. Cook the Grilled Cheese- start with a cold skillet or pan, add the sandwich butter side down. Turn the skillet or pan on medium/low heat, this gives the cheese time to melt to perfection before the bread gets to brown. When the bread is golden brown flip over and continue cooking till the other side is golden brown.
  4. Cut into hearts- place grilled cheese on a cutting board and cut with cookie or biscuit cutters.

See how I made it HERE

Heart Shapped Grilled Cheese

Learn how to make the best and cutest heart shaped grilled cheese sandwich ever! They have a crispy buttery exterior, a gooey cheesy inside, and cute into a heart shape takes it to the next level!
Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 28 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 4
Calories 499 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 8 slices thick sandwich bread
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 12 slices Colby Jack cheese

Instructions
 

  • using a sandwich spreader, spread 1/2 tablespoon butter on one side of each slice of bread.
  • Stack 3(.5oz) slices of cheese on one of the slices of bread, cover with the other piece of bread
  • Start with a cold skillet or pan, add the sandwich butter side down. Turn the skillet or pan on medium/low heat, this gives the cheese time to melt to perfection before the bread gets to brown. When the bread is golden brown flip over and continue cooking till the other side is golden brown.
  • Place grilled cheese on a cutting board and cut with cookie or biscuit cutters.

Homemade Tomato Soup

Making Homemade Tomato Soup is quick, simple, and incredibly delicious! Only 4 simple ingredients and you have a Tomato Soup everyone will love. It is the perfect complement to the Grilled Cheese. One other thing I love about it is that you control what goes in it.

Valentine's Day tomato soup and grilled cheese.

Tools

  • Since this soup is tomato-based it is important to use a non-reactive pot. Avoid aluminum, cast iron, and copper pots which are made of metals that can react with tomatoes and make the soup taste metallic. Non-reactive pots that work well are stainless steel, enamel-coated cast iron, ceramic, and glass. I really like the 5 1/2 Qt enamel coated Dutch oven pot.
  • blender or emersion blender, click on the links to see my favorites.
  • liquid measuring cups, Pyrex is my favorite.
  • measuring spoons, I have a set of measuring spoons I absolutely love, I want everyone to have a set. They start with 2 tablespoons and go down to 1/8 of a teaspoon, they make measuring so much easier!

Ingredients

  • Butter: I like to use unsalted butter to sauté the onions, it helps me to be able to control the salt in the soup.
  • Yellow onion: dice one yellow onion, it may seem like a lot, but it disappears into the soup adding a balance of sweetness.
  • Whole tomatoes: 28oz can of whole tomatoes with juice, I like San Marzano tomatoes,
  • Chicken broth: again, I like to use the low sodium so I can control the salt.
  • Salt and Pepper: add salt and pepper to taste, start with 1/2 teaspoon of each and go from there.
  • Sugar: it’s just 1 1/2 teaspoons, but necessary to combat the tomato acidity.
  • Basil: for garnish.

How to make the Tomato Soup

  1. Heat pot over medium heat: melt butter and sauté onions till softened (5 minutes).
  2. Make Tomato Soup base: using a blender combined sautéed onions, whole tomatoes, and chicken broth, blend until smooth. You can also add everything to the pot and use an emersion blender.
  3. Cook: bring soup to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer, partially cover and continue cooking for 10 minutes. Taste one more time to see if you need any more seasoning.
  4. Serve: ladle into bowls and garnish with basil, fresh or dried.

See how to make it HERE

Homemade Tomato Soup

This is our go to tomato soup recipe. It is so comforting and always satisfying! It's also quick and easy and will be on your table in no time.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Soup
Cuisine American
Servings 4
Calories 348 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 yellow onion finely chopped
  • 28 ounce can San Marzano whole tomatoes
  • 1½ cups unsalted chicken broth
  • ½ tsp salt or to taste
  • ½ tsp pepper or to taste
  • 1½ tsp granulated sugar

Instructions
 

  • Heat pot over medium heat: melt butter and sauté onions till softened (5 minutes).
  • Make Tomato Soup base: using a blender combined sautéed onions, whole tomatoes, and chicken broth, blend until smooth. You can also add everything to the pot and use an emersion blender.
  • Cook: bring soup to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer, partially cover and continue cooking for 10 minutes. Taste one more time to see if you need any more seasoning.
  • Serve: ladle into bowls and garnish with basil, fresh or dried.

Strawberry “Cupid” Float

This refreshing Strawberry Float is a delicious drink for any party, special occasion, or just because you want one. I think this is the perfect drink/treat to complement our Kid Friendly Valentine’s Dinner. The kids and adults will love it! My favorite part about this drink is the straw is a Red Vine Licorice, I LOVE it.

Tools

Ingredients

  • your favorite Vanilla ice cream
  • strawberry soda, I like Fanta
  • whip topping, I like Ready Whip
  • Red Vine Licorice

How to make the Strawberry “Cupid” Float

  1. In a 20-ounce glass add a scoop vanilla ice cream
  2. Pour strawberry soda over ice cream.
  3. Top with as much whip topping as you want!
  4. Using a paring knife cut off one of the ends of the licorice, I like to let whoever is drinking the float bite the other end off.

See how to make it HERE

Strawberry "Cupid" Float

This refreshing Strawberry Float is a delicious drink for any party, special occasion, or just because you want one. I think this is the perfect drink/treat to complement a Valentine's Dinner. Both kids and adults will love it! My favorite part about this drink is the straw is a Red Vine Licorice, I LOVE it.
Prep Time 2 minutes
Total Time 2 minutes
Course Drinks
Cuisine American
Servings 1
Calories 140 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup scoop vanilla ice cream
  • 1 cup strawberry soda I like Fanta
  • 2 tbsp whip topping I like Ready Whip
  • 1 piece Red Vine licorice

Instructions
 

  • In a 20-ounce glass add a scoop vanilla ice cream
  • Pour strawberry soda over ice cream.
  • Top with as much whip topping as you want!
  • Using a paring knife cut off one of the ends of the licorice, I like to let whoever is drinking the float bite the other end off.

LET’S HAVE A PARTY!

I wanted to share with you the decorations for our Kid Friendly Valentine’s Dinner. We had such a great time, and the grandkids loved everything about it. Simple decorations and simple dinner make for the best party ever! Everything I used to decorate I had or bought at Dollar Tree or Walmart. If you have any questions about the decorations, please leave a comment and I will answer any question you have.

You can watch an explanation of the decorations HERE

This is Renee “Doing what I Love”

Renee Dalton

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