"heartshaped" news and stories

I spotted these Heart-Shaped Peppermint Patties yesterday over at Erin Cooks and so was delighted to see them show up in our Flickr pool. What a delicious and fun thing to make as a special treat for you Valentine this year, especially if you have someone in your life who's a big mint chocolate fan (these wouldn't fly with my fiance, as he's an avowed mint hater).

Check out Erin's recipe (adapted from More Top Secret Recipes)and technique here.

Thanks Erin!

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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!

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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.

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