What to do with leftover Valentine candy!

Valentine Candy Bark 

16 oz. (1 lb)  Semisweet chocolate chips
2 c. chopped Valentine candy or any kind

1. Line a small rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside. Make sure it is the right size for your freezer.
2. In a heatproof bowl over simmer water melt the chocolate chips until completely liquid. Pour onto the aluminum foil lined pan and spread with a spatula until 1/8″ thick.
3. Scatter on the chopped candies and nuts. Place pan in the freezer until chocolate is completely solid. Break into bite-size pieces and serve.

Want to save yourself and kids from eating them? Deliver them! Put the Valentine's Bark in cellophane bags (or Ziplocs work just fine, too!) wrap a ribbon around the top and take some to the teachers, the babysitter, the coaches, the bus driver, neighbors, etc!

More Edible Ideas

• Baking Bites has instructions on how to melt chopped up chocolate. If you have extra individually wrapped plain milk or dark chocolates (like Hersey Kisses or Dove hearts), you can melt them and make chocolate-covered strawberries, bananas or pretzels.
• Sweetly Serendipity has a recipe for Candy Bar Brownies. Any candy bars can be chopped up and put into these from-scratch brownies.
• Bake at 350 makes Conversation Heart Candy Bark with those leftover “you rock” and other hearts.

Non-Edible Ideas

• GeekDad has a microwave experiment that allows you to measure the speed of light with chocolate that has melted in the microwave. Educational.
• Grab the Basics says to think ahead to St. Patrick’s Day to use up your leftover conversation candy hearts. They suggest spray painting them all green and then using them to create shamrock decorations.
• eHow suggests that you shellac those conversation hearts and use them as decorations in ornamental vases, much like you would marbles.

Sources:
http://www.mnn.com/food/healthy-eating/blogs/ideas-for-leftover-valentines-day-candy http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen/2012/02/15/leftover-valentine-candy-bark/