How To Satisfy Cupid's Sweet Tooth
BOSTON (CBS) - Flowers and candy are a mainstay for Valentine's Day. Americans eat on average 12 pounds of chocolate a year which is only half what the Swiss eat. And if it is the dark chocolate you are doing something healthy for yourself.
My idea of the perfect Valentine is a big Reese's peanut butter heart and a card. I am a really cheap valentine!
Chocolate is big business. There was over $15 billion in retail sales of chocolate candy in the U.S. last year. And over $1.5 billion of that is spent this week.
Over 50% of women will give chocolate for a Valentine's Day gift. So if your sweetie has a sweet tooth, how about making something from scratch. It does take time but can be rewarding and fun.
Think outside the box here (you know which box!) and bake some gourmet brownies or a chocolate cake. You can now buy Ghirardelli chocolate, sitting right next to the Hershey chocolate, in the grocery store. Both Ghirardelli and Hershey have great recipes on their websites.
A homemade candy that impresses is Ghirardelli's chocolate peanut butter bars. All you do is melt chocolate and peanut butter to create your own candy. Another good easy candy recipe is for fudge and it is on the back of the Marshmallow Fluff jar.
If you want to impress your date or guests try the Ghirardelli soft center cakes. They did not take much time and everyone at my house thought they were great.
If the kitchen is not where you want to be, consider one of those heart shaped boxes of candy. 36 million will be sold this Valentine's day. Not very original but will do in a pinch and you can buy them at the drugstore, grocery store, and the discount store!
I thought I should include some of the fancy candies in my research; Lindt, Godiva and Ghirardelli (hey someone had to do it) and indeed the more money you spend the creamier the product. I like buying the Lindt chocolate for a special occasion because they are produced in Stratham, New Hampshire.
A bag of chocolate kisses works well also; find something nice to put them in, like a basket or a vase. It doesn't have to be big or fancy. When packing lunches on Valentine's Day stick a few kisses in each lunch, maybe with a note or a card.
