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Love is In the Air
Find great date ideas, gifts, dining and romantic inspiration in our special Valentine’s Day section. It’s your guide to planning the perfect Valentine’s Day and beyond!
Valentine’s Day WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14TH
Roses are red, Violets are blue, And we sure do appreciate Fine readers like you!
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Valentine’s Day WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14TH
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Valentine’s Day WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14TH
The various types of chocolate
among the masses. Dutch chemist Coenraad Johannes van Houten invented the cocoa press, which could turn extrude cocoa butter, Valentine’s Day is a popular time to paving the way for the modern age indulge in sweets. In fact, according of chocolate as a confectionary to Nielsen, more than 58 million ingredient and gift. pounds of chocolate candy will be sold during the week of Valentine’s Choosing the right type of Day. chocolate may require gaining an understanding of various chocolateChocolate wasn’t always the sugarrelated terms. sweetened dessert people consume today. The history of chocolate • Cocoa powder: This is the dates back to 1900 BC, when unsweetened raw form of cocoa Aztecs believed the cacao seeds made from partially defatted were the gift of Quetzalcoatl, the chocolate liquor. Dutch-processed god of wisdom. Chocolate was (alkalized) cocoa powder is milder made into fermented beverages, and less acidic than natural cocoa and the cacao beans also were used powder. as a form of currency because they held so much value. • Unsweetened chocolate: “Bitter” or “baking chocolate” are other According to the History Channel, names attributed to unsweetened some ancient civilizations chocolate. It is best used in baking considered chocolate to be a when it can be combined with sugar mood enhancer and aphrodisiac. and other ingredients. It is also the Chocolate was believed to have base ingredient of most forms of mystical properties and was revered chocolate, with the exception of so much that it was reserved for white chocolate. rulers, warriors and priests. It was not until centuries later that edible chocolate became popular
and lecithin is considered dark chocolate. No milk solids are added in. The higher the percentage on the wrapper, the more bitter the chocolate.
• Ganache: Ganache is a whipped filling, glaze, icing, or sauce that is used in various desserts. It is made by heating cream and pouring over chocolate of any kind. When cooled, it is malleable but not runny, • Bittersweet and semi-sweet: which is why ganache is often used These chocolates are milder than in making candies or fillings. dark chocolate, but not as sweet as milk chocolate. Many chocolate • Truffle: A chocolate truffle is manufacturers derive their own made from a ball of ganache rolled formulations for these types of in cocoa powder. Truffles can be chocolate, varying the amount of made from any variety of chocolate. cocoa solids they include. Chocolate is a favorite on • Couverture chocolate: An Valentine’s Day, making it a perfect expensive chocolate, this is gift or dessert. coveted by professional bakers
• Milk chocolate: In addition to dark chocolate ingredients, milk chocolate also contains dry milk solids or condensed milk. It is sweet and has a mild chocolate taste.
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or confectioners. It contains a high percent of cocoa butter and chocolate liquor, which helps it to melt evenly. It is ideal for tempering and can coat candies smoothly.
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Valentine’s Day WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14TH
How chocolate became tied to Valentine’s Day Heart-shaped boxes filled with decadent treats are coveted gifts on Valentine’s Day. Chocolate lovers typically have a favorite type of chocolate, whether it’s creamy filled truffles or chocolate pieces with fruit or nut fillings. The tradition of gifting chocolate is anything but new. Chocolate and other sweet treats have been offered for centuries as prized gifts. Even ancient Aztecs and Mayans celebrated chocolate and saw it as a hot commodity. Drinks made of cacao beans would be given as presents to people of high status. Chocolate also would be offered to the gods as a token of appreciation. Cacao beans were even used as a form of currency at one point.
across Europe. Chocolate houses cropped up in London, and the French elite often indulged in chocolate. Chocolate’s popularity continued to grow, but the dessert was not linked to Valentine’s Day until nearly 200 years later. In the mid-1800s, an enterprising individual named Richard Cadbury was looking for a way to make chocolate even more popular than it already was. He sought out a method to make drinking chocolate more palatable and created “eating chocolates.” These chocolates were packaged in decorative boxes. Eventually, Cadbury saw the benefit of putting images of cupids and roses on the boxes. Cadbury even designed chocolate boxes in the shape of hearts that could be saved as mementos. These chocolates soon became intertwined with Valentine’s Day celebrations.
On the other side of the Atlantic, During the 17th century, chocolate Milton Hershey dabbled in consumption grew considerably
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commercializing chocolate as well. Hershey began as a caramel maker, but experimented with covering the caramels in chocolate in 1894. Hershey would go on to develop one of the most successful brands of chocolate in the United States, which included the famous Hershey bar. In 1907, Hershey launched production of tear-drop shaped “kisses.” (The chocolates were given their unusual name because of the “smooching” noise made by the chocolate when being manufactured.) The kisses became wildly popular and made for affordable chocolate gifts on Valentine’s Day.
shaped boxes or other decorative Valentine’s gifts.
Many other chocolate manufacturers soon began packaging their chocolates in special boxes for Valentine’s Day. Russell Stover and Whitmans are two such manufacturers who have long specialized in heart-
Chocolate has long been tied to Valentine’s Day gifting. Whether one believes that chocolate symbolizes heightened status, acts as an aphrodisiac or is just a special treat, chocolates will likely always be associated with the day of love.
Traditionally, men have gifted women with boxes of chocolate for Valentine’s Day. However, that role is reversed in other areas of the world. For example, in Japan, women give gifts — namely chocolates — to the men in their lives to express love, courtesy or social obligation. This tradition first began in 1936 when confectioner Morozoff Ltd. ran the first ever Valentine’s Day ad in Japan through a local English newspaper. By the 1950s, other Japanese confectioners were following suit.
Valentine’s Day
Roses & Mixed Bouquets Plush • Balloons • Chocolates
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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14TH
What various flowers can represent
Understanding the meanings behind various flowers can help Valentine’s Day celebrants more accurately express their feelings Flowers are popular come toward the special people in Valentine’s Day, as various blooms their lives. Read on to learn more can signify love and affection. about what certain blooms may Roses are one of the most popular symbolize. flowers to gift on Valentine’s Day. • Amaryllis: This flower Some gift-givers may want to symbolizes splendid beauty and deviate from the standard bouquet can be given to indicate worth of roses and offer flowers that are beyond beauty. more in tune with their recipients’ preferences. • Aster: The popular aster symbolizes wisdom and devotion. Flowers have long been used to • Bird of Paradise: The interesting convey certain feelings in many shape and rarity of these blooms cultures. Folklore, poetry and symbolizes joyfulness and mythologies have played a role magnificence. It can be an exciting in defining the various meanings associated with certain blooms.
flower, and one that evokes feelings of anticipation.
white daisy. This can be the perfect pick for new, young love.
• Black-eyed Susan: These vibrant blooms represent justice and can be ideal for the person who works in the legal profession.
• Freesia: Those wanting to evoke passionate feelings can choose freesia, which is also said to mean “joy.”
• Carnation: A less expensive alternative to roses, carnations represent pride and beauty. Furthermore, the colors of carnations represent different meanings. Red symbolizes love, while pink is for a mother’s love and white represents innocence and pure love.
• Hydrangea: Hydrangeas symbolize heartfelt emotions and can be used to express gratitude for being understood. This may be the perfect “making amends” flower. • Lilac: Couples seeking tranquility and passion can turn to lilacs. The calming lavender hues also can be a welcome change in floral arrangements.
• Daisy: Innocence and purity are the meanings behind the yellow and Article continued on next page.
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Valentine’s Day WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14TH
• Rose: Of course, no Valentine’s flower roundup would be complete without roses. Roses represent love and passion, and, like carnations, their colors symbolize different things. Red roses represent desire, pink roses suggest happiness and white roses symbolize worthiness. Avoid yellow roses, which suggest fading love.
• Zinnia: thoughts of can make a arrangement comrade.
Zinnias symbolize distant friends and thoughtful friendship to send to a faraway
Flowers are part of many Valentine’s Day celebrations. By learning the meanings behind different flowers, men and women can make their feelings better known.
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Valentine’s Day WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14TH
How to make cut flowers last longer
stem after it is initially cut. This can reduce the flower’s uptake of water. To alleviate this, cut the stems once the flowers are home. A 45-degree What would Valentine’s Day be angle allows for the absorption of without a beautiful bouquet of the most water. You can recut them flowers? In addition to chocolate, at each water change as well. cards and dining out, flowers — particularly roses — are among Clean vases of bacteria the most popular gifts. According Be sure that vases or other vessels to a survey by the National Retail you use to hold flowers are Federation, 58 percent of American completely clean. Bacteria can men and 16 percent of American cause the flowers to decompose women were projected to buy prematurely. Use a diluted bleachflowers for Valentine’s Day 2017, and-water solution to clean vases spending a total of $1.9 billion. thoroughly between uses. Similar spending is predicted for in 2018. Watch flower placement Sunlight and heat may dry out the Flowers of all shapes, sizes, colors, blooms. Prolong the life of flowers and aromas can make popular gifts by placing them in the darkest, this February. Prolonging the life coolest area of the home. of beautiful blooms is a priority for those who want their Valentine’s Treat the water Day arrangements to endure for as To preserve flowers, do your best long as possible. Florists and other to reduce bacteria, provide a food experts differ with regard to the source for the flowers and manage best methods of preserving flowers. the pH so that the uptake of water Here are some ideas to try. will continue to be strong. Sugar can be an adequate food source. Trim stems before immersing in water Gardenista, a floral arrangement The natural emollients and sap in and gardening resource, tested a the stems of flowers may cause a variety of methods for preserving film to form over the bottom of the
flowers and found much of the same results across the board. These included vinegar and sugar, conventional flower food, bleach, aspirin, and a penny. The bleach, aspirin, copper penny, and vinegar work as antibacterial agents. The sugar and the plant food help nourish the blooms. In the trials, most of the blooms remained strong for three to four days. Purchase immature blooms Although many desire an arrangement of all opened flowers, bouquets that have some closed buds or those that are just beginning to peek out will likely last longer than bouquets that have already bloomed. The flowers will continue to open and wilting flowers can
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Keeping Valentine’s Day flowers looking fresh and vibrant takes a few steps. By being diligent, that floral arrangement can last for several days.
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Valentine’s Day WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14TH
Unique ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day
out of couples’ comfort zones. Here are some novel ideas for couple’s looking to set their celebrations apart.
Valentine’s Day is an opportunity for couples to celebrate their • Paint and sip: Couples can love for each other, whether their take part in a growing trend this relationship is relatively new or has Valentine’s Day. At paint-and-sip endured through many years. events, people are guided stepby-step through the process of The National Retail Federation painting their own masterpieces. estimates that Americans are Breaks are provided through the expected to spend close to $20 evening to indulge in beverages and billion on Valentine’s Day this year. snacks of choice. Couples can bring While chocolates and champagne along a bottle or two of wine and are high on the list of mosta platter of cheeses, chocolates or purchased items for February 14th, other Valentine’s Day fare. Those couples should not feel beholden interested can inquire at their to tradition on Valentine’s Day. nearest paint and sip location, such This year may be the perfect time as Pinot’s Palette, for Valentine’s to try something new, even if it’s Day specials.
• Activity night: Couples who are naturally competitive or devoted sports fans can enjoy the evening by engaging in some healthy competition. Some restaurants host trivia nights, or couples can head to the nearest arcade and battle it out. Panic and escape rooms are cropping up in towns across the country. These employ 60-minute real-life experiences in which participants must solve clues to escape the room. This can be a great bonding experience for fun-loving couples.
may want to enroll in classes that provide expert instruction from area chefs or culinary instructors. Cooking classes can be an ideal way to spend time together learning skills that can be put to use again and again.
• Chef lessons: Although some couples may dine out on Valentine’s Day, men and women who like to dabble in culinary arts can prepare their own meals from the comforts of their own kitchens. Others
Valentine’s Day might be a time for romance, but couples should not hesitate to buck tradition and spend the day together engaging in activities that accommodate their interests.
Steal a “pizza” their heart! Relax at the bar, play Keno and try our seasonal draft beers: Sam Adams Cold Snap, Sam Adams IPA Yuengling, Coors Light & Angry Orchard.
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Webster, MA
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• Adventures: Couples who like to push the envelope can explore the possibilities of thrill-seeking activities. Some may include bungee-jumping, hot-air balloon rides, taking laps at the racetrack, or hitting the ski slopes.