Chocoholics Guide to Valentine’s Day

by Madelyn Miller, The TravelLady

Celebrate the Season of Love with the Ultimate Chocolate Delight from Lindt

I confess to being addicted to Lindor balls. It happened on a trip to Switzerland. Swiss chocolate everywhere, and I found Lindt chocolates became my benchmark. One mouthful and as they melt, I am reminded of the Swiss Alps, the friendly people and more.

This Valentine’s Day, there’s no sweeter way to say “I love you,” than with premium chocolate from Lindt. From sparkly crystal tins filled with smooth-melting Lindor Truffles to traditional heart-shaped boxed chocolate collections, Lindt’s Master Chocolatiers have created a wide variety of indulgent options sure to melt the hearts of loved ones young and old.

Valentine’s Day Lindor Truffles Bags

Lindt’s iconic Lindor Truffle is available in special Valentine’s Day packaging in bags of milk, assorted, and limited-edition milk with a decadent white chocolate center. Fill your candy dish and share the ultimate chocolate delight with loved ones. $3.99-$6.49

NEW! Lindor Truffles Velvet Gift Heart

Delight your special someone with the look of luxury. The perfect premium gift, Lindt’s new Velvet Gift Heart features the ultimate smooth-melting milk Lindor Truffles enclosed by a soft and luxurious velvet heart box finished with a gold satin bow.$14.99

NEW! Lindor Truffles Mini Gift Hearts

Surprise a friend with new Lindor Mini Gift Hearts, filled with premium milk and assorted Lindor Truffles. These delicious gifts are sure to bring the Valentine’s Day spirit to any friendship. $4.99

Lindor Crystal Heart Tin

A sure way to add a little glamour to the night, the Crystal Heart Tin features glittering crystals on the outside and delicious Lindor Truffles, available in milk and extra-dark, on the inside.$9.99

Lindor Token Heart Tin

Don’t forget to recognize loving friends this Valentine’s Day with Lindt’s Lindor Token Heart Tin, filled with Lindt’s signature milk Lindor Truffles. Even something small can mean something big as long as it comes from the heart.$3.99

Lindor Truffles Amour & Passion Heart Boxes

Satisfy a loved one’s sweet tooth with one of these Lindor Truffles gift hearts. The Amour Heart features beautifully-crafted, heart-shaped milk Lindor Truffles with a smooth, chocolate filling. The Passion Heart Box features an assortment of milk, dark and white chocolate Lindor Truffles. $8.99

Lindt Gourmet Truffles Heart

This platinum heart is filled with luxurious, double-dipped gourmet truffles with smooth-melting centers. The Lindt Gourmet Truffles Heart features six flavors of truffles including milk, dark, white, vanilla, hazelnut and orange. $9.99

Chocolate Bark

Barkolate!!™. The name is a combination of the word bark and chocolate.

Donna Moore, the self-appointed President and Queen, make barks “because I do not want to add wax to my chocolates. I use fresh ingredients in my chocolates – no oils, flavorings, etc.”

Choc Sooey ™ Barkolate is made with Pancetta in a 62% gourmet bittersweet chocolate, Cherry Bomb Barkolate has maraschino cherries marinated in raspberry liquor and blackberry brandy in a 62% gourmet bittersweet chocolate & Raspberry Almond White Barkolate. This delectable flavor has raspberries marinated in almond liquor with toasted almond slices.

10% of the company’s net profits go to animal related charitable organizations.

Donna Moore, President & Queen
Chateau E.I.E.I.O., Inc.
220 Spring Lane
Winter Park, Florida 32789
Phone: 407.644.1627
Cell Phone: 407.492.7374
Fascimile: 407.339.3434
website:  http://www.chateaueieio.com  

Dylan’s Chocolate

Could it be that this chocolate is naturally infused with style because it was created by Ralph Lauren’s daughter. Good taste just runs in the family

Dylan’s Candy Bar’s New Strawberry and Champagne “It” Bar is putting a new twist on the classic chocolate cover strawberry dessert this Valentine’s Day. The bar is available at all Dylan’s Candy Bar stores and online at www.dylanscandybar.com.  The retail price is $5.00.

Dylan’s Candy Bar Dirt Balls are the perfect way to satisfy your dirt ball craving this Valentine’s Day without going for those dirt balls guys. After all it’s a new year and 2009 was filled with so many dirt balls- Bernie Madoff, David Letterman, Eliot Spitzer and Chris Brown just to name a few. Dylan’s Candy Bar Dirt Balls are cookies dipped in white chocolate and then rolled in coco powder. Please see the attached image. Dirt Balls are available at all Dylan’s Candy Bar stores and online at www.dylanscandybar.com.  The retail price is $16.00.

Vosges Aphrodisiac Truffles

I am embarrassed to say I ate the whole box of Vosges Aphrodisiac Truffles all by myself. I did have some offers to share but I was mesmerized by the sensual packaging and delighted by the unique flavor combinations. Eating a whole box of yummy truffles all by yourself is one of the joys of being single

*Sweet Coquette Collection - Contains 16 assorted aphrodisiac truffles (flavors ranging from the sweet & traditional, i.e. champagne & roses to the exotic & sexy, i.e. Kumamoto oyster or Absinthe!). Each handmade box pays homage to the original Victorian hearts and is restored with luxurious fabrics – pink, satin pleating, French netting and a black, leather rose.

*Aphrodisiac Heartbox– A collection of spicy chocolates, packaged in the Vosges signature purple hatbox, tucked in a bed of bright red feathers. Collection contains ½ lb Red Fire Toffee + Red Fire Tortilla Chips + Red Fire Bar + Oaxaca Bar

*Gatsby Collection – truffles inspired by the romance of the Great Gatsby. The Gatsby Truffle contains rich dark chocolate + bubbly brut Champagne, topped with a red rose petal; Daisy truffle pairs white chocolate + pink rosé Champagne + rose water, with a pink rose petal atop. The box arrives dressed in a prim pin-up girl wrap with secret love notes tucked inside, and includes both Gatsby and Daisy truffles.

www.vosgeschocolate.com

Chocolate Pretzels will show your Valentine love in knots

Founded in 1921 as "Hanover Home Brand Potato Chips" when William and Salie Utz began making potato chips out of their home in Hanover, Pennsylvania, with an initial investment of $300. The hand-operated equipment used at the time produced approximately 50 pounds of potato chips per hour.

After Salie cooked the chips, Bill delivered them to local grocery stores and farmers' markets in the Hanover and Baltimore, Maryland, areas.

Success soon allowed the Utzes to move operations to a small cement building the family’s backyard. In 1938, production was boosted with the purchase of an automatic fryer capable of producing 300 pounds of chips per hour.

Today, privately owned and family-oriented Utz Quality Foods manufactures several product lines in the snack food category, including an assorted variety of potato chips (BBQ, Salt & Pepper, Red Hot, Salt & Vinegar, Sour Cream & Onion, Grandma and Kettle Classics), pretzels, tortilla & corn chips, cheese curls, onion rings, popcorn and a specialty Natural and Organic line. Utz is known for their potato chips and also offers chocolate covered potato chips (good for him or her!).

To ensure freshness, the Utz Quality Foods’ distribution area is limited to Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina and West VirginiaChocolate Covered Pretzels are a relatively new Utz product and they're packaged in a very nice gold box to give the appearance of a slightly more high end product.

www.utzsnacks.com  

Chocolate Bounty

Harkening days gone by, Explorer’s Bounty’s artisan panned dark chocolate ingredients are organically grown using sustainable farming practices, the way they used to be. The company also employs fair trade practices by partnering with non-profit organizations throughout the world in an effort to promote a higher quality of life and sustain the earth’s resources.

As you browse the Explorer’s Bounty inventory, you will find an exotic selection of rich coffee and taste-tempting, hand-crafted dark chocolate concoctions to choose from. Discerning coffee drinkers will savor such choices as Expedition El Dorado from Columbia, Expedition Blue Nile from Ethiopia, Expedition Inca from Peru, Expedition Silk Road and Expedition Adventure from Sumatra, and Expedition Grano de Oro from Costa Rica. Current chocolate options include chocolate covered macadamia nuts, chocolate covered cashew nuts, chocolate covered cocoa beans and chocolate covered espresso beans. The latter option provides the perfect combination of chocolate and premium coffee.

www.explorersbounty.com  

Dove Chocolate with a heartfelt Message

Drugstore Valentine’s are cutely nostalgic, but turn up the heat this Valentine’s Day with crafty, creative tips from Martha Stewart tucked right under the wrapper of your Dove Chocolate. Enjoy a Happy Valentine’s Day with a little help from Dove and Martha!

Each delicious Dove chocolate comes with an “insider” tip from Martha Stewart

Special edition bags of Dark Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, Almond, Caramel and new Peppermint Bark DOVE® PROMISES® Chocolate will feature 200 unique holiday messages and tips from Martha Stewart under the wrapper. In addition, DOVE® Brand Silky Smooth Chocolate Hearts in Dark Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, Milk Chocolate with Almonds, Dark Chocolate with Almonds and Caramel will feature 100 unique Valentine’s Day messages from Martha Stewart.

Martha Stewart Valentine Promises

Milk Chocolate

Add rosewater to a Valentine dessert for a light, floral flavor

Make ginger-laced, heart-shaped sugar cookies for Valentine’s Day

A dozen roses can camouflage flaws in a less-than-stellar vase

When cut lengthwise, Calimyrna figs look like little hearts

Use flower frog to build an arrangement

For wrapping, iron paper hearts between sheets of wax paper

Put a few drops of rose-scented essential oil in your humidifier

For a quick whipped cream topping, use a chilled bowl and whisk

To start a romantic fire, crisscross kindling on top of newspaper

Use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to make cutouts in piecrust

Scatter petals on your Valentine’s Day dinner table

Create a heart using two pats of your own ink-stained finger

Use a heart-shaped craft punch to create Valentine cards

Use the cut end of a head of radicchio to form a rose stamp

For a Valentine card, photocopy a rose between sheets of acetate

Wrap a floral bouquet in a classic love poem

Rewrap a store-bought chocolate bar in a love note

Florist tip: Ask them to leave out the filler and baby’s breath

Pipe pancake batter into heart shapes for a sweet breakfast

Set pillar candles atop overturned glasses for a centerpiece

Draw a lavender-scented bath for your Valentine

Dark Chocolate

X and O cookie cutters make “hugs and kisses” sugar cookies

Acknowledge cupid on V-day with toast cut into hearts and arrows

Nest a vase of flowers into a larger vase filled with candy hearts

Replace tea bag tags with red paper hearts

To keep flowers fresh, clean the vase with a bleach solution

Gift wrap a chocolate bar with pink craft paper and doilies

Swirl in raspberry jam to make a perfect Valentine cheesecake

Arrange bud vases in the shape of a heart and fill with roses

Draw a heart in the foam of your sweetheart’s cappuccino

Spend Valentine’s Day with friends and throw a dessert party

Surprise a loved one with pink bed linens on Valentine’s Day

Use tiny store-bought seashells to form blossoms

Try making a Valentine’s arrangement with a floral-foam heart form

Store Valentine chocolate in a cool, dry spot out of the sun

Glue silk petals on a jar to create a vase

To prep roses, cut stems underwater at a 45-degree angle

Keeping a bouquet in a cool area will help the flowers last

Rose colors send a message: red = love, yellow = friendship

Use ribbon to embellish a box of chocolates

Hide love notes underneath each chocolate in a sampler

Gather friends for a Valentine’s Day movie party

Caramel

Use a cookie cutter to make heart-shaped croutons

To extend the life of your roses, add sugar and a bit of bleach

Use unexpected vessels display your Valentine’s Day flowers

Ice cream frozen on a sheet pan can be cut into hearts

Customize the cover of a journal for your Valentine

Package a favorite novel with a heart-shaped bookmark

Create a meal using all your Valentine’s favorite foods

Inscribe paper hearts, then overlap to form blossoms

Give a packet of daisy seeds instead of a bouquet

Venus, the Roman goddess of love, favored ruby-hued roses

Valentine dessert: meringue, whipped cream and strawberries

The mere sight of red can cause a person’s pulse to quicken

Soak your diamond ring in warm water and mild liquid detergent

Re-create your wedding bouquet on Valentine’s Day

Modern arrangement: white roses, wild grasses and bamboo

Make a Valentine bouquet: crêpe paper, craft stems and floral tape

Add sparkle to your Valentine dessert: top it with a sparkler

Make it a Valentine tradition to look through your wedding album

Wear the same perfume from your wedding – scent memory is strong

For a unique Valentine gift, have a star named after your loved one

Frame a reading from your wedding as a Valentine gift

Milk Almond

Compile a book with “dinner for two” recipes to share

Make a playlist of songs from your wedding

Dress your Valentine table in the colors from your wedding

To make a Valentine’s Day date memorable, create a special toast

For ease of conversation, keep a Valentine centerpiece under 8”

Make sugared flowers with egg wash and superfine sugar

Use small tart tins to hold votive candles or tea lights

Wake him on Valentine’s Day with oatmeal topped with a berry heart

Hand-tie a bouquet with a ribbon for an inexpensive flourish

For your kids, top tomato soup with heart-shaped croutons

Dry strawberries thoroughly before dipping into melted chocolate

Insert a toothpick into the base of a tiny rose for a garnish

A wreath form cut like a heart is a V-day decoration in the making

Float rose blossoms in a glass bowl for a centerpiece

Serve sugar cubes on a rose petal

Garnish sweets with crystallized, organically grown flowers

Dry your Valentine roses and make a sachet or potpourri

Pipe messages with melted chocolate and a plastic bag with a hole

Cut a slit in a pink felt heart and slip over a shirt button

Make a bracelet using cross knots, a symbol of everlasting unity

A keepsake box with relationship mementos is a touching gift

Dark Almond

Try a Valentine chocolate tasting – end with the richest flavors

Use a blow-dryer to put hearts cut from sheet wax on a candle

Surprise your Valentine with fresh-squeezed juice

“Hide” your sweetheart’s gift in an obvious spot

Hide earrings in a box of chocolates

Post a romantic note on the mirror in her bathroom

Pin diamond earrings through a rose petal

Use a spray bottle of glue and water to apply glitter to a rose

To get roses to open quickly, fill the vase with warm water

Revive wilted roses overnight in a sink of cool water

For a more fragrant bouquet, choose Grand Prix roses from Ecuador

Removing thorns from a rose may shorten the bloom life

A queen of hearts playing card is a Valentine in the making

Serve drinks made with honey to sweeten your marriage

Serve chocolate fondue with fresh or dried fruits

To truly taste chocolate, put it on your tongue and let it melt

Pair dark chocolate with aged gouda

Dark-roast Sumatran coffee and dark chocolate are a great pair

Darjeeling tea goes well with both dark and milk chocolate

Try fresh cherries dipped in melted white chocolate

Fill apothecary jars with pink candies for a Valentine treat

Godiva: Give Love, Give Back

This Valentine’s Day, Godiva is encouraging consumers to open their hearts to their loved ones as well as those in need. Godiva celebrates the joy of sharing love and giving back with a special limited edition gift box and sweepstakes, inspired by Godiva’s partnership with the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF).

The Limited Edition True Love Gold Heart Assortment ($26) is a luxurious gift set created specially to honor Godiva’s partnership with EJAF. The perfect way to remind loved ones just how “wonderful life is while they’re in the world,” this heart shaped box is filled with delectable ganaches, velvety caramels and scrumptious pralinés in milk, dark and white chocolate. Signed with “Give Love, Give Back,” this new offering is the ultimate way to show just how much you care.

Additionally, all those who purchase Godiva’s Valentine's Day heart boxes valued $26 or more, including the Limited Edition True Love Gold Heart Assortment, will have the chance to win the ultimate giving experience. The Grand Prize winner of the 2010 Valentine’s Day Sweepstakes will win a lavish, all expenses paid trip to New York City in the fall of 2010, where he or she will receive the red carpet treatment at EJAF’s annual star-studded gala. At the gala, the winner will have the rare experience of presenting Sir Elton John, Founder and Chairman of EJAF, with a $200,000 check on behalf of Godiva. Godiva will also give the winner $20,000 to donate to the charity of their choosing.

www.godiva.com

Hershey Bars are a little Sweeter this year

The new year is beginning just a little sweeter with new packaging containing a special “Thank You” message in celebration of the 100 years of support for Milton Hershey School on every standard and king-size Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar and Milk Chocolate Bar with Almonds. The back of each bar currently on shelves states, “Every Hershey’s product you’ve enjoyed has helped support children in need through Milton Hershey School. Thank You for making a difference!”

These special bars are in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Milton Hershey School.

www.thehersheylegacy.com  

Madelyn Miller is a travel and food writer who looks forward to the Kona Chocolate Festival the way some people look forward to Xmas. Read her stories on

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