A VALENTINE to Say, "I love you!".
Dear Sweet Valentine, How do I say, "I love you!"? Say it in the word's I speak to you everyday. Say it in the way I greet you. Say it in the way we part at the end of the day and then "Good Morning!". Valentine's a perfect day to say, "I love you!".
And many of us love the "I love you!" with a taste of Chocolate. The Spanish explorers discovered chocolatl in Central America and mixed it up with the word cacahuatl, the name of a drink made from cacao. The French when speaking about a particularly toned man may say he has "tablettes de chocolat", translated "his chocolate bar's" or referring to his six-pack. Talk about eye-candy! Much less are we to mention all the Chocoholic's, a gratifying addiction to the smooth, velvety substance. A fun reference to chocolate is also found in British Rhyming Slang. 'I should cocoa' meaning ' I should say so' was first coined in 1936. We could go and visit a "Chocolate-houses' which came into fashion in the late 17th. Century. This was a place for people to buy chocolate as a beverage but such a place is no longer in common usage but gives us an idea how important chocolate is in our society much like today's tea and coffee houses.
Amour by Stephanie Tonini, art photographer
Amour DEux by Stephanie Tonini, art photographer
Amour TroiS by Stephanie Tonini, art photographer
There are a number of chocolate-related word compounds that have come into use. 'Chocolate-boxy' was first used as an adjective to describe the stereotypical romantic pictures found on chocolate boxes of the Victorian Era, and has been shortened to 'Chocolate-Box', which means to describe something in a conventional or idealised way'. The Oxford English Corpus tells us that the top four words used with 'chocolate' are 'cake', 'bar', 'chip', and 'cookie', while the most frequent modifying adjectives are 'hot', 'dark', 'white', 'milk', 'rich', and 'delicious'.
Chocolate Boxed by Stephanie Tonini, art photographer
Chocolate, whether solid or melted, baked or drizzled has been the gift of choice for centuries delightfully handed to his fair maiden with a fragrant red rose.
And one of my favorite way's to serve it, chocolate, on a Valentine's Day or Evening party is with Strawberries.
Chocolate Dipped Strawberries
1 pint Fresh Strawberries, large to extra-large.
2 cups Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate melting wafers.
In double boiler, over low heat, melt chocolate wafers till nice and glossy.
Dip strawberries into melted chocolate and place on waxed paper to dry and firm chocolate.
Tips: To keep berries from having condensation and chocolate melting, start with room temperature berries. Place in refridgerator in a single layer. Being sure to allow berries to dry before placing in fridge. I also enjoy getting creative with white chocolate and personalizing decoration! Serve with some fabulous Champagne!
Happy Valentines Day!