It's no secret that what was once inexplicable about the seductive power of chocolate can now be explained with science. In fact, there are a lot of foods we call "aphrodisiacs" that have a real, studied, tested, and documented chemical basis for amor. They're good for your general health, contain compounds that stimulate hormone production, or simulate chemicals that have effects on the brain.

However, there are some aphrodisiac foods that have no scientific basis whatsoever. None! And yet people still use them to woo a lover. Like men and women who pout their lips, put on a red dress, coyly look out of the corner of their eye and lightly touch the other's forearm, these foods have seductive powers based mostly on what they look like and how they feel in your hands, mouth, and throat. Sure, love is about those deep, warm, inner things, but there's something to be said about seduction through visual and sensual stimulation.

Here's a list of nine foods that have the "Look of Love."

Another food that relies on shape and texture, the phallic banana has long been considered an aphrodisiac. It definitely helps that bananas also have a luxurious, smooth texture.

However, there might be some romantic chemistry involved with bananas. Bananas are rich in potassium and vitamin B, which are two components for sex-hormone production. Studies have also shown that the naturally occurring enzyme bromelain enhances male performance.

While bananas might not make it onto the Valentine's Day dinner table for two, they're a good thing to include for Breakfast in Bed the -- ahem -- next morning. Banana-stuffed French Toast or Banana Pancakes are a natural choice.

Even before finding out that avocado has been known as an aphrodisiac, I could always be seduced by an avocado. The way the ripe, creamy flesh of the fruit feels in the mouth probably has a lot to do with it.

The visual appeal of avocados applies to both men and women. The gentle curves of the avocado are similar to the curve of a woman's body, though I'm not sure how many women would want to be "avocado-shaped." Our word "avocado" comes from the ancient Aztec word "ahuacatl," which translates to "testicle tree." The ancient Aztecs thought the avocado, which hangs in pairs on the tree, resembled male testicles.

Thank God we call it an avocado, otherwise I would have been serving a Lobster, Mango and Testicle Fruit Tower.

In the 19th century, bridegrooms were served asparagus in three courses because the vegetable was thought to have aphrodisiac powers. Whatever the reason for the effect, it certainly isn't whatever naturally occurring compound it is in asparagus that gives many of us that little fragrance problem in the bathroom after we eat asparagus. However, given it's shape, asparagus is a highly suggestive food, especially because we often serve them whole. Asparagus contains folic acid and vitamin B which are, for women, important not only for a healthy heart, but also for having healthy babies. OoooOOOoooh, so that's what it is -- preparation for making babies!

Valentine's Day is just around the corner. It seems like every baking site is posting about heart shaped cake pans, or some other heart shaped dessert maker. And I appreciate that to no end. I have no problem admitting the level of my baking geeky-ness. But have you spent any time thinking about how you are going to present your dessert?

I stumbled across this beautiful cake stand at the Sur La Table website.
This is a perfect presentation for your special dessert. You can keep up the theme, build an atmosphere and sustain the mood. Another plus to this cake stand is that it is very reasonably priced at $14.95.

I don't know about you, but I can't resist a red, heart embossed cake stand. It'll be the perfect platform for the special dessert in store for my baby later this week.

Okay, so giving a box of chocolates to your sweetheart on Valentine's Day is just about a requirement. If they don't get that big heart shaped box, there had better be a very good reason. If you're looking for a good reason not to give those chocolates, here is a great one.

There may be insect bits and or hairs in that chocolate. A CBS station in Dallas, TX tested boxes of the treats from several different candy companies. Among the brands chosen to be tested were Godiva, Russell Stover, and Whitman's. All brands tested had some kind of foreign object in them.

The good news is that all bits of icky stuff are ground up so finely that you'd never even know it was there. Apparently the FDA has regulations about this kind of thing. The FDA has limits on the amount of fragments that can be present in any sample. According to one company's spokesman, "It's really impossible to exclude hair, bugs and fibers from chocolate or any other natural food product."

I say, what I don't know won't hurt me. People ingest all kinds of weird/bad things all the time. Our stomachs and digestive systems were designed to deal with oddities, to a certain extent. I know I'm looking forward to my heart shaped box of chocolates!

The decorator in me really comes out during big holidays like the one coming up next week. I know it's just a made up holiday, promoted by greeting card companies to drum up sales, or whatever. But Valentine's Day is so pretty! And, as pink is my favorite color, I am happy to see its unabashed over use for this holiday.

But I digress. If you plan on making some sweet treats for your sweetie, it might be cool to add a few colorful finishing touches. Perhaps some heart shaped delectable for dessert would be fun. If you're way too busy to go out and find these things, you may consider ordering online, and I have just the place. Try Shop Bakers Nook. It has an astounding variety of Valentines themed goodies. They carry every kind of heart shaped pan and cookie cutter you can imagine. The site also has carries a huge selection of finishing products, such as sprinkles and stencils and picks.

I was quite impressed by the amount and variety of inventory Shop Bakers Nook carries. Not all of it is treasure, but plenty of the items available are completely worth it. It's at least worth a look as you get ready to spoil your sweetheart this Valentine's Day.

Valentine's Day is just around the corner. We all want to do something special for that special someone on this holiday. Why not create an edible heart and blog about it?

Going on right now is a blog event celebrating Valentine's Day and you can join in. All you have to do is make some kind of heart shaped food. It can be sweet or savory, as long as it's in the shape of a heart. Then take a picture of your creation and post it on your blog. You can get more information and full instructions at this link. I'm not sure if they are taking entries from those of you without blogs, but it wouldn't hurt to email an inquiry.

Make a post about your heart shaped food and submit to the event host by February 15. They'll do a round up and we'll all have some great new ideas to try out for next year.

[Via IsMyBlogBurning]

Since we have been focusing on Valentine's Day for the past week or so, I asked a few friends and family members what their favorite treat of the season was. I was surprised to find out that almost everyone had a different answer. Those that are chocoholics didn't even hesitate - give them a box of chocolates and they have never been happier. Cookies were also a very popular answer. Some claimed that they love the conversation hearts, though they wouldn't think to buy them at any other time of the year. A number of people said they just liked anything that happened to be red, pink, or heart-shaped, even if it wasn't food. I think the best answer I received was: "Anything that just seems romantic, regardless of what it is. We need to have this holiday more than once a year."

My favorite treat by far are the little cinnamon candy hearts. I stock up in February and have them lying around in bowls for months afterwards. I like them so much in fact that I've tried crushing them up in icing to go on top of brownies (very good) and tossed a dozen or so into a cup of hot coffee in an attempt to give it a cinnamon flavor (not so good).

What is your favorite treat of the season?

It can be very difficult watching your calorie and fat consumption during Valentine's Day simply because everything looks and tastes so delicious. Having dessert (or at the very least, chocolates) is pretty much a given, so save yourself some calories on the appetizer or main course so that you are able to indulge with a little less guilt. Over the next few days I'll be writing up some menu ideas that work well simply because you won't slip into that food-induced sleepy coma, because really...who wants that on Valentine's night? In the meantime, here are a few tips to get you started on your menu planning:

• If you want to serve pasta, make it as an appetizer and fill small bowls or plates rather than serving a full portion. If you are serving dessert later, try to avoid heavy cream or cheese sauces and stick to lighter, tomato-based options like marinara instead.

• You can rarely go wrong with salad as a starter, and soup works well too as long as it doesn't have a heavy cream base. I'd also avoid thick and hearty soups like minestrone.

• Choose menu items that you can prepare mostly in advance. You don't want to be stuck in the kitchen the whole night, especially between courses.

• Prepare a small fruit and cheese plate in advance, place it in the fridge, and have it available for a midnight snack. Chances are good you might be hungry later on.
  

The people at Jones Soda sent me a Valentine's Day special "Love Potion #6" pack with two bottles of Jones soda, romantic CD, lip balm and coupon book.

Nicole didn't much like the Thanksgiving pack. With flavors like "turkey and gravy" and "corn on the cob," who would? The love potion was far better. Though it was sweetened with high fructose corn syrup (usually, I won't touch the stuff), it wasn't quite as super-cloyingly-sweet as most mainstream sodas. The flavor was really delicious and I can best describe it as "pink." I tasted notes of bubblegum, rose (just a hint) and strawberry. In fact, it tastes exactly like it looks, sweet, pink, and silly. If they reformulate it and lose the high fructose, I will beg for this to become a regular flavor. I love the taste of pink! Who wouldn't?

[Photo and lingerie Sarah Gilbert]

What is the most romantic place you've ever eaten? My number one romantic food memory was sans sweetheart, in a centuries-old hunting lodge in Varese, Italy. It was my friend Aliza's wedding reception, and my dinner companions were an assortment of PhDs, older couples and the other single women who'd travelled to Italy for the occasion. Naked, Rubenesque women frolicked on the ceilings and the warm summer air wafted through the great halls. We ate fried sage leaves and gnocchi with a gorgonzola cream sauce and veal and two desserts and afterward danced with shy Italian men in the ancient stone courtyard. Everything smelled of honeysuckle and everyone drank good, good wine and thought of nothing but love.

Over the next week, each of our writers will be counting down their favorite places to combine love and food, whether it be a mountaintop and homemade trail mix or a restaurant that only serves tasting menus. Maybe it will inspire your plans for this Valentine's Day with your sweetheart, or maybe it will inspire you to find Mr. or Ms. Good Enough To Take There. What are your most romantic places?

When I was reading Nicole's post about the unhealthiest recipe (Snickers pie with puff pastry, a couple handfuls of Snickers Bars, mascarpone cheese) I started thinking, first, my husband would love this! and secondly, oh, what am I thinking? That would surely be a simultaneously loving, yet destructive Valentine's gift. It's the very spirit of the phrase, "the kiss of death."

I realized that so many of the foods that seem perfect for Valentine's dinner consumption are terrible for the ticker. Flourless chocolate cake. Steak tenderloin with red wine jus. Lobster, shrimp, oysters, floating in butter. Endless boxes of chocolate truffles. Martinis and champagne and chardonnay, oh my.

Is our nation so self-destructive that we would simultaneously celebrate our love and lessen its longevity by creating meals seemingly designed to chip away at our lover's heart? Or I am just reading way too much into this?

All week we'll be bringing you stories of how to win the heart of someone you long for with nothing more than a few comestibles and a way with a whisk, a chef's knife, or a hot cooktop. Everyone knows the way to anyone's heart is through the stomach. We'll show you the best, the craftiest, the sweetiest, saltiest, and spiciest ways. You can send the wedding invitations here.

My gravy has won the heart of many a man. But nothing, to my husband, says love more than this image here: me, whisking away, creating creamy salty poultrified deliciousness. Even Saveur agrees.

Always, I bring him the first taste, on my spoon procured just for the purpose. Sometimes I'll surprise him, when he thinks I'm making some mundane meal, a gratin or a soup, I'll get out the chicken stock base, I'll make a roux, and create bubbly magic. It never fails to make him fall in love with me all over again. Like Saturday night; he came home from a 12-hour day doing Army Reserve duties and I made him pork chops with gravy.

Have you seen Target's new dollar store competition: the dollar section? I sure have, and I know as well as anyone that it's impossible to pass up the siren song of cute kitchenware for $1. Especially when it's heart-shaped.

Sarah Gim raved over heart-shaped measuring spoons just now, so I knew it was time to contribute my find: these pink-and-white heart-shaped ice cube trays I saw at a recent visit to Target. This wasn't the only $1 kitchenware I saw... I'll introduce you to the cutest red heart measuring cups in a later post (my three-year-old is cooking with them in style).