By Sharon Miller Cindrich

Valentine's Day is the perfect time to show your family how much you care, but you don't need expensive gifts or exotic plans to make special memories this year. In fact, some of the simplest touches can actually be the sweetest. Whether you want to give your kids a holiday surprise, want a fast-yet-fabulous dessert idea, or need to set the mood for a date night at home, we've got some quick and simple ideas to make your Valentine's Day extra special.

Tickled Pink
Valentine's Day is about showing your true colors—in this case red, white and pink. With a few drops of red food coloring, even the most mundane menu can look pretty perky. Start your Valentine's Day off with a cleverly colored breakfast buffet featuring morning mainstays with cupid's touch.

• Pretty in Pink Pancakes: Add a few drops to pancake batter and try pouring them in a heart shape. Substitute usual maple syrup with whipped cream and red sprinkles or strawberry-flavored syrup.
• Positively Pink Milk: A few drops of red food coloring added to kids' milk glasses or the cream for your spouse's coffee will tickle them all pink.
• Cheesy Valentine Bagel: Add a pink punch to ordinary cream cheese with a few drops of red food coloring and spread on your favorite bagel.
• A Valentine's Day Toast: Use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut regular bread slices into heart shapes. Pop in the toaster and spread with raspberry jam or butter and red decorator's sugar.

And don't forget those foods that are naturally pretty in pink (or red), like pink grapefruit juice, berry yogurt, strawberries and cherries.

No-Bake Chubby Cherub Cake
If you're short on time, but big on sentiment, this is the perfect dessert solution. Using a store-bought pound cake, some pink cherry icing and a few sprinkles, this cake takes just minutes to put together. Whether you're serving up dessert at a party or at the end of a family dinner, this cute confection is "just desserts" for all your Valentines:

1. Use a store-bought pound cake (or bake one of your own in a loaf pan according to your recipe and cool completely).
2. Cut a triangle-shaped slice out of the center of the cake, and set it aside (or gobble it up yourself).
3. Close the triangle gap between cake halves by sliding the remaining halves together to form a heart shape.
4. Use one can of pink cherry icing or tint a can of white icing pink with a few drops of red food coloring. Generously ice the top and sides of the heart-shaped cake. Decorate to your liking with extra icing or sprinkles, and enjoy!

Set the Mood
Want to add a little atmosphere? No need to load up on expensive store-bought decorations. Decorating for Valentine's Day can be as simple as a few paper heart cut-outs hung in the windows or a couple of strands of white holidays lights strung around the stair banister. Add a little romance and cheerfulness to your Valentine's Day celebration with these easy ideas:

• Red and White Valentine's Table Setting: Gather your favorite red and white checkered picnic table cloth, your ordinary white napkins, a few red and white votive candles and plain white dinner dishes to create a totally Valentine's Day table setting. Cut small square confetti out of red and pink construction paper to scatter on plates, tie napkins and stemware with leftover red holiday ribbon and make heart-shaped place cards using red and pink markers.
• A Little "Light" Decorating: Reuse those white holiday lights to create a warm and cozy Valentine's glow in your dining room, family room or entrance way. String lights in house plants, along window sills or doorways to add a festive glow to your Valentine's Day.
  

Sharon Cindrich is a mother of two and the author of E-Parenting (Random House, 2007) and A Smart Girl's Guide to the Internet (American Girl Publishing, 2009). Her new book, A Smart Girl's Guide to Style, debuts in 2010. Learn more at www.PluggedInParent.com.