Creme Filled Chocolates Day is February 14th - Along with Valentine's Day quite naturally!

So Valentine’s Day is February 14th, as last night as I thought about writing today’s post, I was inspired by what I heard on the television today – yes Chef Maven does watch TV on occasion…

Maybe you are single, or currently do not have a love in your life to dote with fresh flowers and chocolates upon – 1) THAT’S OK and 2) Try something new this Valentine’s Day holiday…and what praytell do I mean?

Alternative Ideas for Valentine’s Day

1) Give flowers to someone who could really use the cheering up – say in the hospital, an old-aged home, your neighbor who might be going through some tough times – and if you want to do it anonymously – all the better! The flowers do NOT have to be roses, in fact choose those that you like such as tulips (my fave) or daisies which last a good amount of time.

2) Try taking the day or evening for just yourself! – Indulge in buying yourself flowers (of your choice), take a spa day with yourself indulging in bubbles – and when was the last time you took a bath with more bubbles than water? Not since you were a kid – get to it! Light candles, put on some mood music and soak in the tub – and don’t forget to do your nails if you like – you get the idea here folks! Take this night to remember your body is your temple.

3) Gather some friends and make it a movie night at your place with fancy popcorn, like my rosemary popcorn (click to see recipe) or topped with your favorite flavorings, then order pizza in or from your favorite local restaurant having everyone chip in to keep costs down. – Or heck make it a game night with twister or some other fun game like charades, yes charades! – when was the last time you played that?!?

Here are just some suggestions, but hopefully they will give you some ideas to make this Valentine’s Day one to remember! – And a happy memory at that!

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So February 14th is also creme-filled chocolates day, huh?
Well not necessarily always my favorite though it depends upon by which company making them. I have my favorites, but won’t mentioned them here, instead let’s  see what else happened on this day in history for Valentine’s Day February 14th…

–Valentine’s Day. One of the busiest days of the year for restaurants.
–National Cream Filled Chocolates Day
–Bulgaria: Trifon Zarezan (Vinegrowers or Viticulturists’ Day). This is a very ancient holiday rite; Bulgarians prune the vines and sprinkle them with wine for a good harvest.

1779 Captain James Cook died. British explorer who charted and named many Pacific Islands, including the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii).

1803 Moses Coats patented an apple parer.

1833 Gottlieb Sigismund Kirchhof died. He discovered glucose, developed a method for refining vegetable oil, and experimented with brewing and fermentation.

1838 Margaret E. Knight was born. An American inventor, she invented an improved paper bag machine to make bags with flat bottoms.

1886 California oranges were first shipped East by rail.

1903 The U.S. Department of Commerce and Labor was established.

2003 Dolly the sheep died. Dolly was the first animal cloned from an adult animal. (Born July 5, 1996) (anyone for some mutton? Just kidding!)

Above facts courtesy of foodreference.com

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Well, I will be getting together with some friends, doing the home movie thing, bringing fresh flowers to someone in need, and well – my valentine’s cards are all ready in the mail!

Chow Ciao for Now ~Chef Maven