Valentine's day is nearly here, and Alanna has already given you Ten Ways to Say "I Love You" with Chocolate, which might be all some people need for this holiday. However, after 30 years of teaching elementary school, I realize how much kids love Valentine's Day, and I figure it would be fun to make heart-shaped cookies or cornbread with the kids all weekend long, so you still have plenty of time to try some of these recipes for heart-shaped goodies.

You'll find plenty of cookie recipes at the blog of master cookie baker Anna of Cookie Madness, but for moms who aren't master bakers, you might like the version of Lazy Mom's Cut-Out Sugar Cookies that Anna featured last Valentine's Day. (Lazy Mom's Cut-Out Cookies from Cookie Madness are pictured above.)

Kayotic Kitchen has wonderful step-by-step photos with directions for her heart-shaped Peanut Cookies, including a charming photo of her son's hands helping with the cookies. (Peanut Cookies from Kayotic Kitchen are pictured above.)

Another take on the classic Valentine's Sugar Cookies is the Hungry Heart Cookies at Erin Cooks. Erin says she's been making these cookies for five years, and they've even helped her get some points at work when she needed them. (Hungry Heart Cookies from Erin Cooks are pictured above.)

Valentine's Cookies don't have to be sugar cookies covered with frosting, so if your kids have more adult tastes, I bet the Chocolate-Cinnamon Heart Cookies from Cafe Johnsonia will be a big hit. (Chocolate-Cinnamon Heart Cookies from Cafe Johnsonia are pictured above.)

Finally, if cookies really are not your thing, you can't go wrong with the Heart Shaped Sweet Cornbread from Homesick Texan. Lisa got this recipe from a New York City restaurant called Dovetail, and her version looks great. (Sweet cornbread from Homesick Texan is pictured above.)

(Every Thursday night on BlogHer, we spotlight five recipes with a common theme for a feature called Weekend Menu Planning, hoping one of them might make it onto the menu at your house. You can find previous recipes shared by clicking the tag Weekend Menu Planning.)

Are you making heart-shaped cookies for Valentine's Day? If you have a good recipe, please share a link or your recipe in the comments.

Kalyn Denny shares her passion for low-glycemic cooking at Kalyn's Kitchen, and for Valentine's Day this year she made Flourless and (almost) Sugar Free Cookies with Peanut Butter and Chocolate.