LOVE POTION

Recipes for romance have been around nearly as long as romance has. One old tradition suggests that swallowing a four-leaf clover while thinking of your beloved will make him reciprocate your love, while another says that swallowing the heart of a white dove as you rest your hand on your lover's shoulder will ensure his eternal fidelity. The following easy-to-concoct brew is light on the witchcraft and strange ingredients, heavy on the red color and tart taste.

1/2 cup frozen strawberries, slightly thawed
1/2 cup frozen raspberries, slightly thawed
1 cup white grape juice (or apple juice)
Maraschino cherries, for garnish

Place the first three ingredients in a blender and mix on High until you have a uniform color. To make the potion thicker, add more fruit; to make it thinner, add more juice. Garnish extravagantly with cherries and sip, sigh, swoon. Serves 2.

PAINTED HEARTS

With this edible paint recipe, you can turn an old stapleheart-shaped cookiesinto valentine canvases. Mix up your favorite sugar cookie recipe, cut out the heart shapes, then add some color before popping the hearts in the oven. For each color of paint, you'll need:

1 egg yolk
1 tsp. water
Food coloring

In a small cup, mix the egg yolk and water, then add drops of food coloring until you've reached the desired shade. Using a small, clean paintbrush, paint onto unbaked sugar cookies and bake according to your usual directions.