I don't mean to brag, but I just got back from Florida where it was in the 70s, and my boyfriend and I could sit at a bar by the pool, drinking mojitos and citrusy beers. Now we totally aspire to be like senior citizen snowbirds every winter. But in the meantime, we're back up north where it's rainy and cold, and spring seems so ... far ... away. Ick.

One way to cope: Baking up something that will take us back to that poolside bar. Like, how 'bout pineapple-upside down muffins?! I'm sure you'd agree that getting just a taste of a tropical vacation would be a welcome reprieve from winter weather, eh?

Thanks to the cupcake revolution in recent years, there are plenty of tasty cupcakes out there to choose from. But these Butterfinger cupcakes deserve a category of their own. Maybe one titled -- mostly insanely delicious treats you will ever ingest. They're that good.

The recipe is from Steph at Plain Chicken. She re-created the recipe after tasting something similar at Disney World. They are simply amazing. Filled with fudge, topped with frosting, then dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with candy crumbs, they will not disappoint. Just look at that picture, and tell me you can't wait to whip up a batch yourself. They're a sweet ending to a Valentine's Day meal, or any meal, anytime.

Looking for something sweet for the sweeties in your life as Valentine's Day approaches? Look no further than these delicious and lovely vanilla bean and cherry swirled icebox cookies.

From Shugary Sweets, they combine two doughs -- one a vanilla, sugar-cookie-like dough, and the other with a subtle touch of cherry flavor. Rolled together, they're both pretty and delicious. As she noted on her blog, next time she would perhaps add a hint of red food coloring to make the colors pop just a little more, and I agree they can use just a slight boost from it. It's also a great recipe to double, as you can keep the dough in the freezer, then just slice and bake for fresh, warm cookies anytime.

Flourless Chocolate Quinoa Cake, OMG!If you love someone who is gluten-free, the best thing you can do for her this Valentine's Day is to whip up a fantastic gluten-free dessert. After all, if you wine and dine a gluten-free person outside the home, the likelihood of dessert is slim to none. And she needs some dessert!!! Trust me on this. Just be sure to skip the box of chocolates for your gluten-free date (hidden gluten, everywhere!) unless you're 100% sure every ingredient is gluten-free.

Luckily removing flour doesn't mean you're stuck with a sub par cake, cookie, or other delight. There are a lot of people out there making sure those of us gf folks don't go hungry during the holidays. So many, in fact, that you could eat gluten-free for every meal if you were so inclined.

Here are five fantastic gluten-free treats for your gluten-free sweet on Valentine's Day.

I have an issue with conversation hearts, those adorable little pastel Valentine's Day candies with the adorable little sayings printed on them. My issue is this: They are, as I said, adorable. But they taste like ... like ... well, like nothing. But worse than nothing. More like a dusty stale old candy that you found in the bottom of your grandmother's pocketbook as a kid. Was it a mint at some point in the distant past? Hard to say. Blech.

But even though I haven't eaten a conversation heart since I was 6 years old, I still buy the icky little guys every Valentine's Day. Too cute to pass up, just ... kind of a waste.

That's why I'm seriously psyched to have found this recipe for Conversation Heart Cookies! They're just as charming as the candies but, seeing as how they're sugar cookies and all, taste WAY better. Plus they're fun to make.

We're getting ready for the showdown between the New England Patriots and New York Giants by cooking up some crowd pleasing football party foods in our Super Bowl Recipe Challenge. Each day we'll be pitting two delicious recipes against each other and declaring one a winner. Join us today as we make Guinness cake.

We've already tested recipes for onion dip, spinach dip, quesadillas, guacamole, chili, and burgers and saved the best for last: dessert. Here's a question: Is there any better combination for Super Bowl Sunday than Guinness beer and cake? Answer: Not a chance.

In search of the best Guinness cake to serve on Sunday, I test-drove two recipes: Nigella Lawson's Guinness Gingerbread and Smitten Kitchen's Chocolate Stout Cake. Any guesses as to which one turned out better?

There is a cake that has become famous (infamous) on baking blogs and all over the Internet. It's called the "Rainbow cake." It's six layers of rainbow goodness, with each layer representing one color in the rainbow. Roy G Biv would be so excited. Should you ever want to invite him to dinner, be sure to serve this cake.

I have long seen it and wanted to make it since it first appeared on blogger Whisk Kid's blog in 2009. Then she made it with Martha Stewart and the cake exploded on the Internet. It seems like everyone and their mother were talking about it.

I have been wanting to make it for at least two years, but have never had the occasion to do so. Though my husband and I always bake and build cakes from scratch for our children's birthdays, we also usually have very specific requests from our kids. This year we didn't.

The following is a sponsored post from Pillsbury.

"OH MAH GAH," I yell.

"What??" my daughters yell back, from down the hall.

"I THINK I JUST FOUND A RECIPE THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO SCREW UP," I holler.

They rush in, looking skeptical.

"What IS it?" asks Ms. Finicky.

"A breakfast food. An ADORABLE breakfast food. Like, it's the KITTEN of breakfast foods. A whole litter of ADORABLE BREAKFAST KITTENS."

"Uh, I don't think we'd eat kittens."