It's still cold in much of the nation and with Valentine's Day being tomorrow we sort of have chocolate on the brain. So when we ran across this
Ode to Hot Chocolate by Lisa Yockelson, we were simply mesmerized. Ms. Yockelson has pretty high standards for hot chocolate: no Swiss Miss in a packet for her. She prefers one made with ganache -- you know, the emulsion of cream and chocolate.
Liquid chocolate: Really, that is what good hot chocolate should be at its essence. While the drink is defined by the quality of the chocolate, its dairy enrichment, vanilla flavoring and spark of salt conspire to make it all that it is -- which is quite wonderful.
The most engaging and, well, the sexiest of all hot chocolates is made by creating a lush chocolate base that gets whipped into a saucepan of hot milk, resulting in a lightly thickened potion. It qualifies as dessert. The basis for my hot chocolate is dark chocolate cream, an emulsion of chocolate and heavy cream known as a ganache.
*****
Once this suave chocolate ganache is at hand (it can be used after its 30-minute rest or refrigerated for longer keeping), it is combined with the heated ingredients to turn it flowing. The magic of the drink is in the careful mingling of the elements: The milk-and-sugar base should be cooked only until bubbles appear at the edges of the pan; after the ganache is added, the mixture should be heated just to drinking temperature. At either stage, allowing the liquid to come to a more vigorous boil will diminish the drink's gleaming texture.
*****
If I'm in a playful mood, I treat the finished drink, one portion at a time, to an animated frothing with a steamer nozzle. That turns the already delicious mixture into the softest, creamiest potion ever.
Stop, Lisa, you're killing us! Enterprising chefs will want to go see her hot chocolate recipe and copy it before it goes into the paid archives. Or you could just buy her book which (not surprisingly) is titled
ChocolateChocolate.
The Today Show highlights some interesting green gift ideas in this video (a short ad plays first). Fair trade chocolate sounds like a great gift to us. As do the roses. We also like roses, lingerie and wine. Fine, we'll take one of each.
Married couple Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher write the weekly wine column called "Tastings" for The Wall Street Journal. Both were very serious journalists who at first wondered if covering wine was 'serious' enough (she covered race relations and he was the WSJ's Page One editor). But their love of wine -- and each other -- made them a success. They have written bestselling books on wine. In this video, they give some great tips for trying a sweet wine for Valentine's Day. They know wine and romance, and their picks are always worth listening to.
The Vermont Teddy Bear Company comes up with unique Valentine's Day bears each year. You might recall Vermont's Crazy For You bear that was banned a few years ago. The Crazy For You bear was wearing a straight jacket. This year some of the company's new bears include Prince Charming and Huggable Hunk - both pictured on the right. There are dozens of other Valentine-themed bears available from the Vermont Teddy Bear Company here on the their website.
The Build-A-Bear Workshop also has some Valentine's Day themed bears and stuffed animals. A couple of this year's holiday-themed stuffed toys include Hearts Fur You Puppy (pictured on the right) and Bearemy dressed as a Knight In Shining Armor. You can also visit one of their stores (usually located in a mall) and build one of the bears yourself. There you can add a customized voice message to your bear.
Once again, the killjoys in Saudi Arabia have banned
anything even remotely to do with Valentine's Day. That includes roses and anything red, pink, frilly or heart-shaped. Really.
Saudi Arabia's religious police have banned red roses ahead of Valentine's Day, forcing couples in the conservative Muslim nation to think of new ways to show their love.
The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has ordered florists and gift shop owners in the capital Riyadh to remove any items colored scarlet, which is widely seen as symbolizing love, newspapers said.
"They visited us last night," the Saudi Gazette quoted an unidentified florist as saying.
It is not unusual for the Saudi vice squad to clamp down ahead of Valentine's Day, which it sees as encouraging relations between men and women outside of wedlock, the newspaper said.
We hear that the women of Saudi Arabia are not in the least bit pleased by this absurd stance and that they simply order from the Internet if they want lingerie, high-end chocolates and other things that might be considered too "Western" by the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. Good for them.
Ali Larter of Heroes hangs out in a room made entirely of Godiva chocolate. She seems quite happy to be there, and why shouldn't she? She says the smell of chocolate is overwhelming and it appears that her willpower is hanging by a mere thread. Godiva pulled out all the stops to make sure that we remember that they have lots of fabulous Valentine's Day chocolate available for purchase. (As if we could ever forget!) The room is at New York's Bryant Park Hotel. One lucky shopper who buys Godiva chocolates will win a two-night stay in the room, featuring a chocolate chandelier, candles and a guaranteed spike in your blood sugar.
What people buy for their loved ones on Valentine's Day doesn't change much from year to year. Greeting cards, candy, gift cards, flowers and jewelry are still the most common gifts. That's
a True Love Heart Box full of delicious chocolates from Godiva pictures on the right. According to the National Retail Federation's 2008 Valentine's Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch, the average consumer plans to spend $122.98 on Valentine's Day, similar to last year's $119.67. Total spending on Valentine's Day is expected to reach $17.02 billion.
Traditional gifts, such as candy, flowers and jewelry will see a slight decrease in popularity this year with more consumers preferring gifts of experience and gift cards. Almost half (48.2%) of all consumers plan to celebrate Valentine's Day with a special night out, compared to 45.3 percent last year, and 12.3 percent will give a gift card, compared to 11.3 percent last year. Greeting cards still remain the most popular choice, though the number of people planning to purchase one is down from last year (56.8% vs. 62.8% last year). Nearly 48.0 percent of consumers will buy candy, 35.9 will buy flowers and 11.8 percent will buy clothing.
Six out of ten consumers plan on celebrating this year, and of those celebrating, the majority plan on spending the most on their significant other or spouse ($79.99). The survey also found that consumers plan to spend slightly more on friends ($5.75 vs. $4.93 in 2007), children's classmates and teachers ($4.05 vs. $3.35) and co-workers ($3.02 vs. $2.40) than they did last year.
Many beloved pets are going to receive some attention this Valentine's Day. 17.2 percent of those surveyed also plan to spend on their pets this Valentine's Day. Spending on pets for the holiday is estimated to reach $367 million. Just make sure you give your pet something healthy and not chocolate which is dangerous for pets.
Men are traditionally the big spenders on Valentine's Day and they will outspend women $163.37 to $84.72 this year according to the study. Adults aged 25-34 plan on spending the most this year with the average person planning to shell out $160.37. Young adults will be the second biggest spenders, with the average 18-24 year old expected to spend $145.59, followed by 45-54 year olds ($117.91), 35-44 year olds ($116.35) and 55-64 year olds ($110.97).
You can find some last-minute online greeting card shopping resources here on ShoppersShop.com. You find Valentine's Day cards at your local retailer and online at Greeting Card Search.
Just in time for Valentine's day, Microsoft has released the
80 GB Red Zune which is customizable with a new collection of artwork. The wireless digital media player competes with the iPod. The themes for the new version of the Zune are "love and sharing" which is certainly appropriate for Valentine's Day.
The company is offering an exclusive collection of 20 new laser-engraved designs for a limited time (through February 14th).
Buyers can also
purchase special Valentine's Day playlists that can be shared Zune to Zune or via the Zune Social online music community.
"Zune gives consumers a dynamic canvas that is brought to life by the music, pictures, videos and podcasts they fill it with," said Scott Erickson, senior director of product management for Zune at Microsoft. "Zune Originals makes it easy to design a customized player, while wireless sharing and the Zune Social online music community give people new ways to connect."
The new Valentine's Day series features artwork from four new artist collectives -- Colorblok, Friends With You, PSYOP and Studio Play Pretend. With each new graphic, a buyer can also add up to three lines of text for a personal message. If you don't choose a graphic, you get five lines of text. Microsoft is offering gift wrap and free shipping.
Some of the Valentine's Day playlists include "Hip Hop Valentine," "80s Love," "Broken Love," and "Talk to Me, Barry": love jams from Barry White featuring spoken introductions.
It's a cute idea for a Valentine's Day gift.
The 80 GB Zune retails for around $249) and is available at ZuneOriginaals.net.
If you still haven't gotten your Valentine a gift, you still have time to send him a phone message from Britney Spears in which she reads a special fantasy to him by email or on his cell phone. It's all part of a promotion for Britney's new fragrance, Midnight Fantasy. We had a great time trying out all the messages. Check it out on our sister site, Pleasant Morning Buzz.
Just in time for Valentine's Day, MAC cosmetics has created an entire like of makeup and accessories in connection with Mattel and its iconic Barbie doll. The collection hits makeup counters today and will go worldwide on March 1st. MAC has also created a limited edition Barbie doll, which is avaialable only at MAC stores, t-shirts and other accessories that all bear the iconic Barbie in a ponytail silhouette.
"Many women's first experiences with fashion and beauty were playing with Barbie. Today this fantasy continues with Barbie Loves MAC, a color collection that allows women to rediscover their inner girl," said Richard Dickson, senior vice president of Marketing, Media and Entertainment, Worldwide, Mattel. "Barbie is about aspiration and inspiring girls to explore a world of possibilities, and now today's woman can do that in beauty with the Barbie Loves MAC collection."
"MAC and Barbie have always been at the forefront of style and beauty, and by combining our creative expertise, we have created a collection that is uniquely fresh with inspired colors that are bold, modern and glamorous," said James Gager, senior vice president and creative director, MAC. "Barbie Loves MAC is a beautiful – and fun – palette of makeup that works for women of all ages and all races."
The Barbie Loves MAC Colour Collection includes the following products:
Lipstick: Modern Ms.; Sweet & Single; Style It Up; Real Doll; Rocking Chick (Suggested Retail Price $14)
Beauty Powder: Pearl Sunshine; Pearl Blossom (Suggested Retail Price $20)
Nail Lacquer: Steamy; Toast of the Town (Suggested Retail Price $10)
Brushes: 182 Brush (Suggested Retail Price $45)
Mini-Barbie Loves MAC: A black nylon/wool fabric Mini MAC case with pink stitching detail on the outside and matching pink lining on the inside. A small pink-on-black vinyl medallion on the outside showcases the classic Barbie ponytail silhouette logo (Suggested Retail Price $15)
MAC Barbie® doll. Barbie doll's eyes are inspired by Aquadisiac, Carbon and Taupe Eye Shadows with Smolder Eye Kohl and Coal Black Pro Lash Mascara. Cheeks feature the look of Buff Powder Blush. Lips are luscious with colors inspired by Spice Lip Liner and Honeylove Lipstick. Available exclusively at MAC stores worldwide, the doll retails for $35 in the U.S.
It's a cute idea and we love the fun colors for spring. The collection is available at MacCosmetics.com. But alas! The Barbie doll, t-shirts and Mini-Barbie Loves MAC are already sold out online. Which is extremely annoying, if you ask us. They knew the demand would be high: we really hope they're not doing this just to make it seem more "exclusive." Because we hate when companies do that and you have to pay some scalper a huge price on Ebay to get the item. You could always try your local MAC store to find the doll.
Whew. We're getting quite grumpy just thinking about that -- time for some more Valentine's chocolate to soothe our frazzled nerves.
Radar Online has compiled a
horrifying list of the Worst Valentine's Day gifts ever. They're tacky. They're terrible. Some of them are quite naughty. Our favorite is the 1-pound, anatomically correct, solid milk chocolate heart which retails for $15.95 and would make a perfect Valentine's Day gift for that heart surgeon who saved your life after performing a triple bypass on you. Although he'd probably then lecture you about avoiding animal fat and milk chocolate, so as not to need his services in the future.
But wait -- it gets worse. There's always the heart-shaped hoe:
WHO YOU CALLING A HOE? Let your Valentine feel the earth move! Described as a "very special tool," this touching hoe ($32.50, with 5-foot handle) will help your beloved pull weeds, edge borders, break up sod, and break up with you. After all, you gave him/her a hoe! The implications could hardly be clearer.
Still, the heart-shaped hoe is an excellent option for the passive aggressive.
See the list in its ghastly entirety here. But for the love of Aphrodite, please don't purchase any of these items! Although we have to admit that the heart-shaped egg poacher elicited some oohs, aaahs and protestations of cuteness from a staffer who shall remain nameless.
Love is in bloom at Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn. The Park in Bloomflower show has transformd The Park at Mall of America into a lover's lane between Feb. 9-19. The show features more than 3,000 spring flowering plants, 15,000 cut flowers and includes a 15-foot tall topiary entrance to welcome all guests.
Photo courtesy: Bob Cole Photography, Mall of America.
What does the color of the roses you get for Valentine's Day say about the intentions of the sender? Here is the complicated Rosetta Stone of rose colors:
Red -- The red rose tells your valentine without a doubt, "I love you." A vibrant and dramatic color, it stands for romance and passion. It's the perfect choice for your true love, the love of a lifetime or someone you want to get the message it's time to "get serious."
White -- Tells your angel of a valentine that they're simply "heavenly," and is a great color for the romantic in your life! White roses also stand for innocence, which makes it a perfect color choice for dads to give daughters.
Red & White Together -- By themselves these red and white roses are gorgeous, but together, they symbolize unity. What a great surprise for the newlywed valentine, loving partner or to send to your parents to say "Thanks for being such a great symbol of love through the years!"
Pink -- Send deep pink roses and you're telling that someone special you appreciate their sense of grace, style and their gentle nature. Send them light pink roses and you're saying "I really admire you!" This rose color is just the right pick to send to someone you want to become your special valentine and sign the card, "Love, your secret admirer."
Yellow -- Could there be any other color but bright, sunny yellow to symbolize friendship, affection and joy? Send your best friend a bunch of these stunning blooms with a card that says, "You'll be my best friend forever!"
It's get more complicated: Coral means passion, Dark Burgundy means he thinks you're gorgeous and shy and Violet roses mean it was love at first site.
But before you get out your secret decoder ring and study that Valentine's bouquet, consider this: in all our years of observing the male of the species we have yet to meet one who was aware of the fact that the color of the roses had any kind of meaning at all. So, remember: if a clueless man gives you yellow, it may mean true love and violet may mean that the roses are really for your male roomate. You just never know. Unless he's a florist, of course.
If it's a bit gloomy outside where you are today, we have just the thing to brighten your day -- and your cheeks. We love Clinique's new Fresh Bloom Allover Colour limited-edition compacts. The all over color comes in four color combinations: Peony (pink tones), Posy (nude tones), Almond Blossom (tawny tones), and Plum Poppy (violet tones) which can be used as blush and as an all-over powder. The powder is pressed into a pretty floral motif, which recalls the company's original logo created in 1968.
Each compact retails for $29.50 at
Clinique.com or at your favorite Clinique counter and would make a lovely Valentine's Day gift for your mom or a friend who could use a pick me up.
Zazzle has created some custom stamps with valid U.S. Postage for Valentine's Day that include a kiss print from celebrities. The photograph on right shows kiss prints from Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel and Rachel Bilson. Other celebrities with Zazzle kiss stamps include Kristen Bell, Jeri Ryan, Jenna Elfman, Amy Smart, Leah Remini, Tina Majorino, Annabeth Gish, Loretta Swit and Persia White. There is also a special paw print from Benji, the movie-star dog. Proceeds will benefit The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).
You can make your own personal kiss stamp -- something Zazzle calls PecksOnPostage. This stamp could be used on an envelope for a unique Valentine's Day card gift. You can also use your own photograph or clip art for your stamp. Zazzle also provides images from Walt Disney, Warner Brothers' Looney Tunes, Lucasfilm's Star Wars, Marvel Comics and Neopets. Historical images from the Library of Congress, the California State Library, the Boston Public Library, and the Hoover Institution are also available.
Sienna Miller is the face of Godiva's annual Valentine's Day promotion. This year the promotion is really tempting. This Valentine's Day, Godiva will select one lucky Grand Prize winner to receive a $1,000,000 diamond shopping spree from Hearts On Fire - The World's Most Perfectly Cut Diamond - plus a year of Godiva chocolate.
Actress Sienna Miller wore the Hearts On Fire diamond jewelry at Golden Globes this year.
"Godiva is dedicated to and inspired by romance. Valentine's Day is a time for Godiva to shine, and this year we have partnered with Hearts On Fire to bring the ultimate extravagance in decadent chocolate and exquisite diamonds," said Gene Dunkin, Godiva President of North America.
"Hearts On Fire diamonds communicate the very best in life, love and personal relationships. We are thrilled to be a part of the biggest Valentine's Day promotion at Godiva, and present a once in a lifetime experience for one lucky winner - a shopping spree for $1,000,000 worth of Hearts On Fire diamond jewelry."
For the first time, the Valentine's Day contest will be online.
Consumers may enter online using a participation code, located on the Godiva website (Godiva.com/heartsonfire), at Godiva boutiques and at over 600 authorized Hearts On Fire retailers in the U.S. and Canada. A total of three finalists will be chosen on and around Valentine's Day. All finalists will enjoy an "extravagant prize"; 1 Grand Prize Winner will be selected to receive a $1,000,000 diamond shopping spree from Hearts On Fire, while the 2 remaining Finalists will both receive $50,000 of Hearts On Fire diamond jewelry, The Grand Prize Winner will be selected at a star-studded event in New York City in early March. Along with the precious diamonds, all three winners will also receive a year's supply of decadent Godiva chocolates.
There is also an instant-win sweepstakes inside specially marked Valentine's Day boxes. Winning certificates from Godiva and Hearts On Fire can be found in 100 boxes of Godiva's Valentine's Day collection, retailed at $23 and above. Winners will also be awarded a $1,000 gift certificate for Hearts On Fire diamond jewelry and a year's supply of Godiva chocolate.
And if all that doesn't get you to the Godiva store tout de suite frantically searching for diamonds among the chocolate boxes, we don't know what to do with you.
Vermont Teddy Bear always has a creative selection of cute bear gifts for Valentine's Day. Pictured on the right are some of this year's bears including Cupid Bear, Monster Love Bear, Bear Naked and Love Bandit. Vermont Teddy Bear has a few dozen other Valentine's Day teddy bears as well including Heart Racer Bear, Regular Guy Bear, Gangster of Love, Love Me Tender (an Elvis Bear) and Blue Without You Bear.
There is no Crazy For You teddy bear this year -- but that's because the controversial bear from 2005 was a one-off product. The bears range in price from $59.95 to $99.95. You can see the complete selection of bears here.
In case you didn't get them for Valentine's Day, why not pick up these darling sterling silver cable and 18-karat yellow gold linked heart earrings from David Yurman? Yurman now has his own storefront at NeimanMarcus.com, because his creations continue to sell very well. These have post backs and retail for an eminently reasonable $225.00.
Men will spend more on Valentine's Day this year on average according to the National Retail Federation (NRF) 2006 Valentine's Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey. The study found that the average consumer will spend $100.89 on Valentine's Day, up slightly from $97.27 last year. That's on average so it doesn't mean every man will spend more this year. As usual men will outspend women. The average male is spending $135.67 -- about double the $68.64 that the average female will spend. And fewer men are buying flowers this year (52.3 % vs. 57.8% in 2005) but more will be purchasing jewelry (22.4% vs. 18.1% in 2005).
The most popular gifts are cards with 62% of consumers planning to purchase at least one Valetine's Day Card. The next most popular gifts are
candy (47.1%), dining out (42.1%), flowers (32.9%), jewelry (14.6%) and gift cards/gift certificates (10.9%).
Hallmark tracked down the most popular Valentine's Day card (pictured above on the right) this year and they found that one particular card was selling the best in almost every city.
The card's face is a deep red foil, with "For the One I Love" across the top in black script, a large picture of a red rose in the center, and a thick black ribbon cutting through the middle. Inside, it simply states: "Each time I see you, hold you, think of you, here's what I do ... I fall deeply, madly, happily in love with you. Happy Valentine's Day."
The card's designer, Marcia Meulengracht, said she was not at all surprised the card sold five times better than the average Valentine -- so well it's being offered for a second year.
"I cut to the chase -- what I would want to give and what I would want to receive," Meulengracht said. "A guy wants to say he still loves her. A gal wants to know he still does. She wants to get goose bumps. He wants to think he'll get lucky."
For those still scrambling to come up with a last minute gift idea there are lots of articles on the Internet offering last minute gift advice. Some helpful articles can be found here, here, here, here, here and here. About.com's Marriage Guide also has a list of last minute gift ideas ending with flowers: "When in doubt, send flowers or a blooming plant like an orchid."
It's still cold in much of the nation and with Valentine's Day being tomorrow we sort of have chocolate on the brain. So when we ran across this
The Vermont Teddy Bear Company comes up with unique Valentine's Day bears each year. You might recall Vermont's 
The 
What people buy for their loved ones on Valentine's Day doesn't change much from year to year. Greeting cards, candy, gift cards, flowers and jewelry are still the most common gifts. That's
a 
Just in time for Valentine's day, Microsoft has released the
80 GB Red Zune which is customizable with a new collection of artwork. The wireless digital media player competes with the iPod. The themes for the new version of the Zune are "love and sharing" which is certainly appropriate for Valentine's Day.
If you still haven't gotten your Valentine a gift, you still have time to send him a phone message from Britney Spears in which she reads a special fantasy to him by email or on his cell phone. It's all part of a promotion for Britney's new fragrance, Midnight Fantasy. We had a great time trying out all the messages. Check it out on our sister site, 
Just in time for Valentine's Day, MAC cosmetics has created an entire like of makeup and accessories in connection with Mattel and its iconic Barbie doll. The collection hits makeup counters today and will go worldwide on March 1st. MAC has also created a limited edition Barbie doll, which is avaialable only at MAC stores, t-shirts and other accessories that all bear the iconic Barbie in a ponytail silhouette.
Radar Online has compiled a
What does the color of the roses you get for Valentine's Day say about the intentions of the sender? Here is the complicated 
If it's a bit gloomy outside where you are today, we have just the thing to brighten your day -- and your cheeks. We love Clinique's new Fresh Bloom Allover Colour limited-edition compacts. The all over color comes in four color combinations: Peony (pink tones), Posy (nude tones), Almond Blossom (tawny tones), and Plum Poppy (violet tones) which can be used as blush and as an all-over powder. The powder is pressed into a pretty floral motif, which recalls the company's original logo created in 1968.
Sienna Miller is the face of Godiva's annual Valentine's Day promotion. This year the promotion is really tempting. This Valentine's Day, Godiva will select one lucky Grand Prize winner to receive a $1,000,000 diamond shopping spree from Hearts On Fire - The World's Most Perfectly Cut Diamond - plus a year of Godiva chocolate.
Actress Sienna Miller wore the Hearts On Fire diamond jewelry at Golden Globes this year.
Vermont Teddy Bear always has a creative selection of cute bear gifts for Valentine's Day. Pictured on the right are some of this year's bears including Cupid Bear, Monster Love Bear, Bear Naked and Love Bandit. Vermont Teddy Bear has a few dozen other Valentine's Day teddy bears as well including Heart Racer Bear, Regular Guy Bear, Gangster of Love, Love Me Tender (an Elvis Bear) and Blue Without You Bear.
In case you didn't get them for Valentine's Day, why not pick up these darling sterling silver cable and 18-karat yellow gold linked heart 
Men will spend more on Valentine's Day this year on average according to the National Retail Federation (NRF) 2006 Valentine's Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey. The study found that the average consumer will spend $100.89 on Valentine's Day, up slightly from $97.27 last year. That's on average so it doesn't mean every man will spend more this year. As usual men will outspend women. The average male is spending $135.67 -- about double the $68.64 that the average female will spend. And fewer men are buying flowers this year (52.3 % vs. 57.8% in 2005) but more will be purchasing jewelry (22.4% vs. 18.1% in 2005).
