In ten days, heart shaped candies and chocolates and red roses will start flying off store shelves… and… in eleven days, I will be scouring those shelves for the discounted sales on the leftovers! Yup, sales fascinate me – almost as much as some of the theories behind Valentine’s Day itself.
One of the theories I have come across suggests that it was the actions of a Roman priest, named St. Valentine, that lead to any significance being associated with February 14.
As this theory goes… there was a Roman emperor called Claudias who, figuring that unmarried soldiers fought better than married soldiers, prohibited the marriage of young people! Along came St. Valentine, who was an advocate of marriage and who, (inspite of the prohibition by Cladias), began secretly marrying those people wishing to do so. St. Valentine was eventually caught and imprisoned. And, while he was imprisoned and awaiting his sentence, he started having a visitor. A young lady. Who, turned out to be the daughter of “Asterius”, who was one of the men who was to judge him. The theory goes on to say that, St. Valentine prayed with and healed the young lady of her blindness which led to Asterius himself reinstating his loyalty to Christianity. However, it doesn’t end there – this particular theory further goes on to say that St. Valentine was sentenced to torture and ultimately death – and, the last note St. Valentine sent to Asterius’ daughter was signed with these three words “from your Valentine”.
Now there are other theories and stories – but, this is one of my favorites. When my daughter was in elementary school, it was customary to have little Valentine’s day cards for every one of her classmates. Even though each child took turns going around and placing a Valentine’s day card/chocolate in other’s “mail boxes” while in plain site of each other, my daughter never wanted to sign her name on the cards she gave out, instead she would simply scribble “from your Valentine” on the back!
While I wait for those discounted candies to go on sale, my daughter and I will be chowing on some Beet Crust Dessert Pizza! The beet pizza base isn’t too different from my past beet pizzas – but it does have one teaspoon cane sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla in it.
I baked the base first and let it come to room temperature before topping it with whipped coconut cream, chocolate and peanut butter chips and melted chocolate and melted peanut butter. This dessert beet pizza is quite popular at our home and we have also topped it with whipped cream instead of the whipped coconut. One time, my daughter even insisted we top it with frozen yogurt and homemade hard-shell -and seeing she had a healthy dose of veggies in her dessert, I couldn’t argue!
Today, I am guest posting for a fellow Atlanta blogger – Lindsey over at American Heritage Cooking as she perfects her already ah-mazing baking and decorating skills at the International Culinary School in NYC!
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Ingredients
- For the Beet Crust:
- 1 cup roasted and pureed beets (I roasted 2 beets at 400 for 45 minutes)
- 3/4 cup almond meal
- 1/3 cup brown flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon cane sugar
- Toppings:
- Chocolate chips (1 1/2 cups)
- Peanut butter chips (1 1/2 cups)
Instructions
- For the base: Preheat oven to 375, Mix all ingredients together and bake 25-28 mins
- Let cool
- Then top with coconut cream or whipped cream and 1/2 cup chocolate chips and 1/2 cup peanut butter chips. Melt the remaining cup of chocolate chips and drizzle over the pizza- repeat with the peanut butter chips.
It’s tea time over here and I wish I could grab one simply off from the screen! They look amazing!
Thanks so much Angie!
Definitely heading over to get this recipe! This is a gorgeous pizza! The beets give such a great color.
Thanks so much Ashley!
You and your beets…how come we are still friends Shashi? Like seriously…
And just for the record: I hate St. Valentine’s Day
😉
Oh quit being a Valentine’s scrooge, Mike! 😉
Dude … if memory serves me well – didn’t you have a “beet juice” recipe on your blog last year??? 😉
Yeah, we always buy the discounted candies, too. Of course we also buy them before Valentine’s Day! 🙂 This looks like a terrific pizza — going to read the recipe right now . . .
Haha – I need to find me a store that sells those candies discounted before Valentines Day too! Thnks so much KR!
I love everything you do with beets!
Thanks so much Melanie!
Interesting about the origin (possible origin?) of Valentine’s Day.
We are pretty much past the whole school celebrations and I’m not really sad.
Oh my gosh, Kim – those 20+ Valentine’s day cards and the decorated tissue “mail box” used to keep us up past my bedtime during my daughters elementary school years!
Gorgeous, Shashi! You are the queen of beets!!
Thanks so much Marissa!
This is such a genius idea! And so perfect for V-day! That color of the crust is insanely gorgeous!
Thanks Chris!
Wow, this is the prettiest pizza that I have seen…love the dessert version and yes, perfect for Valentine’s day…
Thanks for the idea…hope you are enjoying your week Shashi 🙂
Thanks so much Juliana! Hope you are enjoying your weekend 🙂
I totally love the after holiday sales too and the story behind St. Valentine 🙂 And this pizza is gorgeous! You are seriously the queen of beets! I’m loving the sound of all those toppings too! Hopping over to grab the recipe!
Thanks so much Kelly – I hope y’all are having a wonderful weekend!
I heard that story about St. Valentine, and I’m definitely a fan 🙂 Also.. I’m not even kidding that I was thinking about dessert pizza this morning. I can’t even remember the last time I had one, which means I probably need one in my life -stat-.
Happy Wednesday, lovely lady!
I am convinced that dessert pizza makes these chilly winter mornings more bearable! 😉
Thanks lovely lady – hope you are having a great weekend!
I used to love giving and exchanging all the little valentine cards in elementary school!! So much fun 🙂
This pizza has me drooling! Heading over to check it out!
Thanks Ashley!
This is gorgeous! Love the beets in that crust — so perfect for Valentine’s! I am definitely waiting for the discount candy too… Lol
Thanks Ashley!!!
oh i just love a good story and colorful food! wow, you need to change your blog need to Beets with Love! haha. i’d eat it all! <3
Haha – Thanks so much Lindsay! :Beets with Love” – does have a nice ring to it…I didn’t realize how much beets my daughter and I actually ate till I started blogging about them!
Now that’s not a story with a happy ending! I didn’t know that story of St Valentine but it’s a good one. I think your beet dessert pizza is very pretty and totally fitting for Valentine’s Day xx
Charlie – every story I have heard about St. Valentine was tragic! Yikes! Btw – thanks so much! xx
As a Roman history buff, I have to applaud your references here! I, too, was just reading up on our buddy Valentine the other day. What a crazy character! Almost as crazy as this beet crust pizza. I can only imagine how much fun you had making this pizza. It looks like a mess. A crazy, awesome, delicious mess!
There are so many different stories bout Mr.V – but I think the mystery is part of the allure 🙂 Yup-this pizza was fun to make-even more fun to eat! Thanks so much David!
Goodness, that Valentine theory gave me goosebumps!!!!!!!!! So heartbreaking yet so beautiful! <3 Loving this dessert pizza! So healthy and so delicious all at once! Heading over for the recipe straight away! 😀
Thanks so much Samina!
This looks AMAZING!! I am absolutely loving all of your beety goodness!
Thanks so much Sonali
Like David said, Valentine was something else but this pizza crust is something special. 🙂
Thanks so much Maureen!
I am officially going to call you the “Beet Queen”. I remember reading a booked titled the same thing in college, but you are truly the master of beet cuisine. This looks amazing!
Haha – why thank you so much Ramona! I am honored!
Yummm this looks so pretty and delicious!
Thanks so much Renee!
What an absolutely lovely blog! I’ve just started my own blog so I am very new to it all, but I have certainly been inspired by yours. Thank you for the inspiration, and the recipes – I will definitely be trying some! 🙂 http://www.nithisclickncook.com