On more than one occasion, I’ve woken up on my birthday and had the following conversation with my sons…
“Hey guys, guess what! It’s my birthday today!”
“Is it? Happy birthday Mum! Should we go out for breakfast?”
Apart from Christmas and Chinese New Year, which are big family occasions, other so-called “special” days aren’t really a big deal at our place. I’ve often thought there were two reasons for that – firstly, we spend enormous amounts of time together as a family, so we don’t need a reason to get together. And secondly, we don’t have any daughters.
This year however, Big Boy has a gorgeous girlfriend, and I thought it might be nice to bake her some heart shaped rolls for Hallmark Day.
Let me explain: Pete has a very dim view of what he calls the “Hallmark Holidays” – Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. So when our friends at Youeni referred to the 14th February as “Hallmark Day”, we instantly adopted the term.
I thought sweet bread was appropriate for the occasion, so I made a batch of our Pain Viennois dough. Once it had bulk proved, I rolled off four 60g (2oz) balls and shaped them into hearts, following these instructions…
The remaining dough was rolled out and spread with hazelnut praline and choc chips, then rolled up and sliced into scrolls…
After a second rise, these were brushed with a little milk and then baked (with the hearts) in a preheated 200C fan oven for 15 minutes until golden brown…
The scrolls weren’t overly gooey, but they were delicious – my darling husband ate one when no-one was looking, and then walked into the room with incriminating chocolate smeared all over his face…
Do you celebrate special days at your place?
As I said, I’m sure that if we’d had daughters, things would have been different here. But on the odd occasion when I’ve made a comment (in jest), the gentle reply has always been, “Every day is Mother’s Day. When have we ever not done what you wanted?”
I can never think of a single example, so I really can’t complain! ♥
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Me me me I am your honorary guy, daughter, whatever. Crawls across floor, buns, now, hungry, early, been up half the night… we celebrate randomly, today is Mother in law’s 88th and we are going to attempt birthday tea in care home, wish us luck, maybe I should make your buns, beautiful and inspired xx
Happy 88th to Brian’s mum! Hope the celebration goes well.. xx
damn typing with one finger on ipad without glasses and no breakfast, sorry about all the typos….
Oh don’t worry, I fixed those.. :)
Hallmark day is a pretty good name for it Celia. I’m always torn on Valentine’s Day. Part of me hates the thought of spending money (or Will spending money) on something just because we’re told to. On the other hand, I do like the idea of making an extra special effort one day a year although it really should be random not ordered.
If it was mandated that I had to eat these on a certain day of the year I’d be more than happy to bow to pressure.
Claire, you and Will are still newlyweds! I think it’s lovely if you get to have a romantic night out! :)
I don’t have a daughter either, but my son also has a lovely new girlfriend. I doubt that he will do anything for Valentine’s Day, but you never know…they are in New York and it is big business there.
I would like one of those buns.
Oooh Deb, your son STILL has a lovely new girlfriend! That’s good news! :) Come over, and I’ll bake you some buns.. :)
Love the idea of Hallmark Days!!!! and for the rest of the post – one word –
..Yummy..
Thanks Craig! It was so much fun to catch up the other night! xx
My kids call days like tomorrows marketing opportunity “Hallmark Holidays” too. We’ve never indulged in Feb 14th, but I do encourage a little extra attention on Mothers & Fathers day. I think it is good for them to think about us occasionally.
Amanda, truly, my boys are pretty good to me all of the time. Although I had to laugh last night – we were talking about this post, and they could remember each other’s birthdays, but they couldn’t remember mine! :)
Ever since my kids were little, we’ve had a tradition in our household of treats not gifts for Hallmark days (love that name). So for Mother’s Day every year, my son and partner prune my climbing rose and tie it up to its trellis. It’s a difficult job, cos the rose is all thorny and has flailing limbs, and they both profess to hate roses. But I love it so they do it. For Father’s Day we all go fishing, even though some of us really don’t see the fun in bait and waiting. It really is the thought that counts. Those heart shaped buns are so cute, I think they’re a perfect Valentine’s Day treat.
Linda, that’s how those days should be spent! On Mother’s Day and my birthday, I’m allowed to play in the kitchen all I want, and the dishwasher gets magically stacked time after time. :)
I think you’d have fun making the buns! They work really well in sourdough too – it has to be quite a stiff dough though, so that they keep their shape.
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2010/09/13/bread-hearts/
just awesome Celia
Thanks Linda! :)
Those look so lovely, Celia. We celebrate holidays but not so much Valentine’s Day. I think it truly is an American thing that’s trying to gain momentum here like Halloween. We do celebrate Mothers Day and Fathers Day though xx
Thanks Charlie! We noticed there are lots more restaurants offering “Valentine’s Day specials” this year, so you may well be right!
I met my husband on Valentine’s day, 54 years ago, and we have been married nearly 53 years! So we always call it our anniversary, silly romantics that we are, but I never get a card, but he sometimes brings me flowers or we go out to celebrate.
Jeannette, that is really romantic! Happy anniversary! :)
What lovely love hearts! I bet girlfriend loves your word family as much as she loves your son!
Our family makes a big deal out of Mothers Day and Fathers Day, but we’re very sceptical about Valentines Day. When we had a florist shop we were more than happy to separate people from their money, but it’s nicer to show love in unexpected ways without being told to :)
See, Becca, you have GIRLS. I think if we had girls, birthdays and Mother’s Day would be a big deal here. :) And we love Big Boy’s girl, she’s just wonderful! xx
Hallmark Day. Perfect! We rarely celebrate and we have daughters so I can’t blame it on that. I think we just like doing our own thing. As I say to my children as another Mother’s Day passes without notice, I want them to be nice to me every day, not just once a year.
Anne, that’s so nice – I think we’ve both very lucky to have children who are good to us all the time! :)
[…] Read Celia’s thoughts on Hallmark Days. I totally agree with […]
My daughter seems to have gotten my husband into the swing of the Hallmark Days. We usually have some nice food, that I cook, because we all like my cooking better. Wish I’d remembered those heart buns when I baked today although I think they’d be a bit heavy made of Cape Seed dough.
Liz, good on your daughter! If you’re going to celebrate, I think spending time eating with family is the perfect way to do it! :) The heart shape comes originally from Frieda, and I’ve found they work well in sourdough too!
http://www.friedalovesbread.com/2010/02/puffy-heart-dinner-rolls.html
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2010/09/13/bread-hearts/
What a wonderful use for your praline.
I always think of you when I’m in chefs warehouse………..all those treats you’ve introduced me to!
Elaine, it’s a dangerous place to go with money, isn’t it? :)
Yum yum yum! Great use for the hazelnut praline although I still think eating it all with a spoon was a reasonable option. No celebration here tomorrow although I have used it as an excuse to make mini cheesecakes for dessert.
Jo, you are absolutely right, and I must confess I did eat a bit with a spoon as I was making the scrolls.. :)
Your baking skills never cease to amaze me Celia – these look amazing! Thanks for sharing your lovely story.
Thanks Rachel! These are actually easy to make compared to sourdough – the sweet dough is quick rising and quite manageable. :)
Love the term ‘Hallmark Day’. I really am not as contrary a person as I may sound on the page, but I have never believed in days when I am ‘told’ I have to feel a certain way and celebrate. Usually with half the world :( ! The best, funnest, most memorable days in my life have almost always arrived delightfully unexpectedly and left the longest impressions . . .
Eha, I think you’ve nailed it – that’s what Pete finds annoying too. And I can’t complain because as I said, they all make me feel loved every day – we don’t need a special occasion! :)
Lovely Celia! I’m glad you found another use for that praline instead of eating it with a spoon!! Not that there’s anything wrong with that… ;) Your rolls look fab! Can’t wait to try!
Emilie, now that you’ve mastered this dough, you can do all sorts of things with it! :)
Poor Pete, thinking he got away with swiping a bun!
I agree it’s a bit of a marketing ploy and it’s important to work on your relationship every single day rather than once a year, but it *is* a good excuse/justification to buy a nice box of chocolates. ;)
(This year from Iain Burnett!)
Ha! Can’t argue with that – it IS a good excuse to buy some nice choccies! And yes, poor Pete, he was trying to look innocent… :)
We don’t celebrate Mother’s Day, although Phil sometimes give me a gift on the day because he says I am the best stepmom in the universe… (sweet of him), and we don’t celebrate Father’s Day as all boys are gone. V-day we usually do something nice together, but don’t exchange gifts, particularly if money is tight, which it is right now :-)
Sally, you and Phil have such a wonderful relationship! :) xx
Hi Celia, great looking buns.
I love all these Hallmark days because I love presents and any excuse will do. Maus gets me Mother’s Day presents on behalf of the doggies and I used to get a Valentine’s Day present, but I don’t any more:(
Glenda, you get Mother’s Day gifts from the dogs? Girlfriend, you are just too funny! :) xx
love your idea of hallmark days! you are always adorable!
at my hellenic place my family and i had always celebrated xmas, new year, easter, bitrhdays and not the so-called “special days” that call for plain consumerism.
today Feb13 and not Feb14 (v-day) our orthodox christian church commemorates the united lovable couple of Priscilla and Aquila, as patrons of love (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priscilla_and_Aquila)
anyway..i believe that love lives inside us every day and grows and extends and flows all over the world..
my loving and thankful greetings reach to you!
pls share a laugh with me at Sesame Street Cookie Monster, Amor http://youtu.be/MBSMdDWljj4
:) :) gina
Gina, thank you! I love Cookie Monster! :)
forgot! today i baked for my job colleagues at work this sweet treat: chocolate truffle heart cake (gluten-free) and it was a smash!! :) gina
Sounds great Gina! :)
I made some wonderful handmade Valentine’s for my grandsons and sent them off- DRAGONS! for the 4 yo and happy jungle animals for the 2yo- I have a valentine I made for my husband 10 years ago that I have recycled every year( he really hasn’t noticed yet that it is the same card!) and that always makes him feel like he should do/get me something. And sometimes he does buy me a card or flowers. I have tea with my sister and niece and that is always very cheering- on every holiday- and tomorrow on V-day I’m going to bake up something sweet for my knitting group. So I kind of celebrate- but only because I like to bake and eat and this is the perfect opportunity. I may make your hearts, Celia- they are so pretty!
Heidi, I do so love the way you celebrate – with handmade gifts and spending time with friends and family, and baking! Maybe if all special days were celebrated like that, folks would be less cynical about them! :)
My Peder refuses to recognise anything that Hallmark celebrates, well except for Christmas and Easter and our birthdays. Valentine’s Day is completely off his radar, which is okay by me, because our anniversary is the 16th, and I do expect him to at least blink for that occasion. And your buns are beautiful!
Misky, thank you! Your Peder and my Peter could probably have a great discussion on the topic! :) Happy Anniversary for the 16th!
Thanks so much, Celia. 33 years. It’s gone so quickly. Too quickly.
That’s wonderful, Misky! And look at the beautiful life and family you have! It must have been a glorious 33 years so far! :)
Absolutely, totally glorious, Celia. :)
A marketing ploy indeed. Restaurants hike up their prices for the ‘special’ day and run ads advising people to ‘book early’.
I read somewhere that Valentines Day is for amateurs and wise people eat out another day to make the pennies count!
We no longer exchange cards because it always comes out that one of us remembered to get one and the other didn’t – causing guilt trips which neither of us like!
Pat, the one-sided Valentine’s Day card is something straight out of a Charlie Brown comic, isn’t it? We’ve never exchanged cards – we barely do for any occasion – although I do buy them for my folks on MD and FD. :)
love your heart buns celia..i’ve pinned them because they look so pretty..x j
Jane, thank you! They’re very easy to make – lots of fun too! :)
You are so thoughtful, I am sure Big Boy girl friend is thrilled. Those heart shaped buns are so original.
Locust Grove where I volunteer have a party for all the volunteers on Feb 14, it is volunteers recognition day and we have a blast.
Now that’s a wonderful way to spend Valentine’s Day, Norma! It’s good that they look after their volunteers! :)
Now I am awake and just wanted to say….I don’t think of Saint Valentine’s Day as a Hallmark Day, because people sent handmade cards long before Hallmark commercialized it. . When I was a little girl we used to make our own and send them to everyone we knew to cheer them up. It originates in Europe not America http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine's_Day
There you go. :)
I’ve never been one much for celebrating Valentine’s Day either, Celia. It is definitely a Hallmark holiday, if ever there was one! These sweet bread rolls and praline-chocolate rolls look so very good! I’m surprised your DH stopped after stealing one. I would have had to go in for seconds. :)
John, it wasn’t a case of stopping after one, it was a case of getting caught.. :)
I have always called them hallmark holidays, and much prefer a spontaneous bunch of flowers, rather than one ordered by Mr Hallmark.
I’m happy with little random things the boys do to help me out on a daily basis – they rarely offer to do things, but they will always, without fail, do things I ask them to do cheerfully and without whinging. Can’t ask more from teenage boys! :)
Happy Hallmark day – love the name. I do like the idea of creating a celebration in the kitchen with everyone pitching in – although I could foresee that one of us might need to buy a ‘Sorry’ card after because certain of us have certain ideas about how certain things should turn out – I’m always certain about my ideas before the end result:)
Jan, for me, there should be a command chain in my kitchen, preferably with Pete or I at the top of it. It doesn’t matter really who’s in charge, so long as it’s clear.. :D
Nice buns ;) I’m about the wander down to the newsagent and buy the G.O. a $5 lottery ticket, and becaase I don’t like lotto/lottery etc but the G.O. does, it’s more of a gesture than it appears. As for what the G.O. will do…he knows I don’t like to chuck money at it… so we’ll see :)
Flatterer. :) I hope GO wins! :)
We celebrate everything we can! :P Hey if there’s a day for it, then there’s a food for it! ;)
Yep, that’s true! :)
We have Women’s day here in August which Dave can’t understand as he thinks every day is Women’s day ;)
Hehehe…Pete thinks the same way, Tandy! :)
The heart shape bread look perfect for ‘the Hallmark’ day :)
Thanks Tes! Hope you’ve all been well! :)
Your rolls look gorgeous Celia. I wanted to ask u something. I am making bread stuffed with Halumi cheese///which I always make… but lately the dough has been looking strange…. in terms of I may have over worked it (knead in a kitchen aid);(… I have left it in a cold oven to rest and rise. Can I salvage the situation you think? Also… with the finger push/touch thing… how far should it return back once its been pushed?
I’m not sure about the finger test thing – sorry – I tend to judge more by the look of the dough than anything else. I think the thinking is that when it’s bulk proved, it will hold the indent of your finger when you press lightly on the dough.
Interestingly, my friend Craig who is a very experienced baker was saying recently that doughs which are machine kneaded can end up being oxidised from being beaten heavily, which tends to bleach the dough – perhaps that’s why your bread is looking a bit different?
Hi Celia. another Q. can I leave the dough to rise for longer than it should … as cant be on time for it.?
That depends on the yeast you’re using. If it’s regular bakers’ yeast that you’re using, it might lose its kick if you overprove it.
a couple of suggestions if that is ok… if you use less yeast than your recipe states then it will simply take longer to rise, I often use less yeast than it says for that reason – that might help extend the times, that or put the dough in the fridge to ‘retard’ it. Yeast stays active even down to 4 C which is the temp of my fridge.
I think the term “Hallmark Days” very fitting! We don’t do anything on those days. It just passes like any other day. I think the scrolls and hearts are a lovely idea. Not just for Hallmark Days!
Manuela, the hearts are great fun to make! I think you’d enjoy them! :)
This bread looks picture perfect Celia and so deliciously sweet! I sit in the middle on V day. We don’t get caught up in the commercial red rose hype but this year my husband gave me a lovely vegetable gardening book which was a thoughtful surprise. It was a cliche but I gave him chocolates…which he is sharing of course :)
Jane darling, you have DAUGHTERS! :D
I have to agree with Lorraine all special days are underpinned by food and that cant be bad. I do have a dim view of V-day though especially because I have a son……so much is expected of boys on Valentines day and thats not fair.
Tania, that is a bit tough on Skater – our boys just seem to ignore it. :)