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Make Valentine’s a “Love Day” BY GRACIE MOLL ‘19
While February 14th marks a day filled with thousands of roses, heart shaped chocolates and life-sized teddy bears for some, for many it remains the most overrated holiday of the entire year. Unfortunately, not everyone likes the mushy lovey-dovey stuff, let alone an entire day of the year dedicated to it. As well, many people believe the holiday has become less about love and relationships and more about consumerism. After all, it is the one day florists await all year long. Relationship expert, Dr. Jessica O’Reilly speculates that millennials lack of long-term relationship commitments may be playing a role in the modern hate for the holiday. “I believe that small gestures spread out over the course of your relationship are more important than grand gestures mandated by a commercially based holiday,” O’Reilly said. “I also worry that the pressure to be romantic on a very specific day causes more distress than pleasure for some
couples” said O’Reilly. Although hopeless romantics may argue that the holiday’s true meaning accounts for the cheesy tendencies it brings with it, for those who remain indifferent about the holiday, relationship therapist Nicole McCance may have the perfect solution. McCance says “I call [Valentine’s Day] ‘Love Day’. What if you were just to celebrate relationships in general? It could be your romantic relationship, but it could also be the relationships you have with your family and friends. Celebrate the love. I think if we remove that romantic pressure then it’s just celebrating this wonderful thing called love.” Just as she suggests, those who hate the romantic pressure to create a grand gesture should focus on what the day should really be about, love. And if you are one of many celebrating the day without someone, there are many other ways to spread the love. For some fun, creative ideas…keep reading to the right!
19 Things to Do on Valentine’s Day If You Are Single 1. Babysit for a couple that never gets a night out. 2. Go on a shopping spree. 3. Do a Secret Santa-like Valentine exchange with your friends. 4. Have a spa day. 5. Throw a Galantine’s Day party. 6. Take the day to unplug from all social media. 7. Take a yoga, spin or Pilates class. 8. Buy all your favorite desserts and treat yourself! 9. Go to an art museum. 10. Spend time with your family. 11. Watch a horror movie. 12. Write a letter to a friend who lives far away. 13. Give your pets some love. 14. Binge watch your favorite TV show. 15. Don a facemask, paint your nails and take a bath. 16. Gift your parents with something to commemorate their relationship. 17. Make a playlist. 18. Spend the day at a retirement home with those who may feel lonely. 19. Surround yourself with others who are also single and love you!
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Courtesy of Richele Refuerzo ‘20
Novel Recipes Bring a Sparkle to Valentine’s Day BY GRACE RISINGER ‘20
Valentine’s Day: a holiday adored by couples and sweet tooths alike. Valentine’s Day means one of two things: the day is either centered around eating as many chocolate truffles and candy hearts as possible, or expressing true love. Either way, eating the same old, store bought treats can get boring, especially if love is in the picture. Whether treating yourself or a loved one, these recipes are sure to say sayonara to the store-bought. Bringing a fresh take on the chocolate-covered strawberry and on “Conversation Hearts”, your taste-buds should expect a visit from Cupid’s arrow. It is no secret that chocolate-covered strawberries are typically gifted as a romantic gesture. If you feel awkward heading to your local Central Market to purchase the delicious strawberries for yourself, no need to worry. Closetcooking hears you and provides the perfect solution for your holiday-induced craving. If you thought it was impossible to love chocolate-covered strawberries any further, think again. Closetcooking’s chocolatecovered strawberry brownie recipe manages to make the seemingly perfect dessert even more mouth-watering. The brownies are made from an actual
chocolate base, creating a fudge-like texture. This is done by melting semi-sweet chocolate bars over the stovetop in a sauce pan. Do not let melting chocolate scare you away from this recipe; the recipe is actually very simple to make and follow, even for more inexperienced bakers. The brownies are made from scratch, using the melted chocolate as the deliciously-rich base. The batter combines eggs and sugar with the melted chocolate, followed by a sifted flour mixture. As the brownies bake, it is very important that you wash and chop the strawberries. The strawberries will be placed on top of the brownies once they cool. After the strawberries are placed in a desired format, you will be melting chocolate once again, this time to be poured over the strawberry-topped brownies. Once the melted chocolate is poured, allow the brownies to cool until the chocolate is set before you serve. Slice all the brownies before you place the strawberries and pour the melted chocolate, as the brownies are very difficult to slice once they are refrigerated. Use this recipe to bring a cult-classic Valentine’s Day delicacy to your very-
own home: https://www.closetcooking. com/chocolate-cover-strawberry-brownies/. If chocolate is not your thing, there are still plenty of treats to eat that are as sweet as you are! A classic alternative is the infamous candy heart, otherwise known as “Conversation Hearts”. However, after one handful, the flavors can get a bit dull. If you are longing for a flavor update, a wonderful rendition to the timeless candy heart is The Baker Chick’s ombre raspberry lemon sugar cookie recipe. These heart-shaped cookies are guaranteed to win over every heart in your family! The cookie dough is made with fresh lemon zest and juice, which makes all the difference in the world when it comes to strong, scrumptious flavoring. To mix the sugar and lemon zest, you will use your hands, working the zest and releasing its oils in the process. This unique method might make your hands a little sticky, but it is completely worth it after taking your first cookie bite! As for the frosting, crushed, freezedried raspberries are used to create the perfectly pink ombre effect. Crushing the freeze-dried raspberries is extremely easy, although it may sound challenging
to beginners. Simply place the desired amount of raspberries into a plastic bag and work a rolling pin over the bag until powdery. To create the ombre effect, you will sprinkle bits of the powder into the icing until you reach the desired color. I recommend using a measuring spoon, as the powder can become messy quickly. The raspberry powder creates such a beautiful color-wheel, which only completes the light, lemon cookies. This recipe not only brings a freshness to the candy heart through lush lemons and tart raspberry, but it will also leave you choruses of “Be Mine!”: http://www.thebakerchick. com/2017/02/ombre-raspberry-lemonsugar-cookies/ The best way to spend Valentine’s Day is with a full heart and a full stomach. These recipes are the perfect way to showcase your love for family and friends, as nothing makes the heart grow fonder than rich, chocolatecovered strawberry fudge brownies or heart-shaped raspberry lemon sugar cookies. Looks like Cupid is going to need a few more arrows this year!