Monday, February 3, 2020

Valentine’s Day Recipe All-Stars

oysters with prosecco mignonette

Chocolate body paint and rose petals are for amateurs. We all know that the way to someone’s heart is via the belly. If these dishes look familiar, it’s because they’re the all-stars of precoital dining, the greatest hits that will never disappear from Valentine’s Day menus (even if you secretly want them to). So if you really want to impress your date, don’t go rogue and try to be creative; make these dishes, because they taste good and you want to eat them.

Related Reading: The Most Delicious Valentine’s Day Gifts for Food Lovers

Crab Cakes with Quick Aioli

easy crab cakes with aioli and lemon

Chowhound

Nothing says “I love you” like a crisp, freshly pan-fried crab cake, just like this recipe—perfect for making ahead and heating at the last minute—says you’re the perfect unflustered spouse or potential partner. Our quick aioli, made with store-bought mayo, extends the narrative. Get our Crab Cakes with Quick Aioli recipe.

Oysters with Prosecco Mignonette

oysters with prosecco mignonette

Chowhound

Valentine’s Day just wouldn’t be Valentine’s Day without something bubbly. The mignonette sauce for these highly seductive oysters on the half shell calls for a splash of Prosecco, Champagne, or whatever else is tickling your nose in the glass. Get our Oysters with Prosecco Mignonette recipe.

Easy Cheese Fondue

cheese fondue recipe

Chowhound

Maybe it’s the luxurious texture, the richness, or the possibility that your forks will accidentally touch mid-dip: Whatever it is, fondue is sexy. This recipe will have you and your Valentine twirling in no time. Get our Easy Cheese Fondue recipe.

Cuisinart Cast Iron Fondue Set, $49.95 at Walmart

A classic 13-piece set in a classic shade, which happens to be perfect for the occasion.
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Basic Steamed Lobster

Basic Steamed Lobster recipe

Chowhound

Lobster is a luxury food that actually tastes luxurious, and the act of eating one in the shell—cracking claws, picking out the flesh—is, like love, not something that takes well to hurrying. Get our Basic Steamed Lobster recipe.

Related Reading: The Best Places to Order Seafood Online in 2020

Warm Lobster Salad

Warm Lobster Salad recipe

Chowhound

If your baby isn’t into getting his or her fingers all lobster-y from a whole steamed specimen, this salad is an elegant, no-bib solution. Get our Warm Lobster Salad recipe.

Shaved Black Truffles Over Fresh Pasta

Fresh Black Truffle Pasta recipe

Chowhound

The aroma of fresh black truffles is deep and enchanting, and this beautifully simple pasta lets those truffles shine. You’ll also impress your Valentine with how much you dropped on dinner, and/or how frugal you are not to be paying restaurant prices. Get our Shaved Black Truffles Over Fresh Pasta recipe.

Alma Gourmet Fresh Italian Winter Black Truffles, 1 ounce for $79 on Amazon

You truly can buy just about anything on Amazon.
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Related Reading: Luxury Food Gifts for the Valentine with Expensive Taste

Pepper-Crusted Filet Mignon with Béarnaise Sauce

Pepper-Crusted Filet Mignon with Bearnaise Sauce recipe

Chowhound

Beef filet looks and tastes fancy, but it’s the simplest thing to make. Here, a black pepper crust gives it personality, and the béarnaise gives it glamour. Get our Pepper-Crusted Filet Mignon with Béarnaise Sauce recipe.

ButcherBox Surf and Turf, $129+

Feel the love in the form of two free filet mignons plus two pounds of salmon when you sign up through Feb. 16 or while supplies last.
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Red Velvet Cake

red velvet cake recipe

Chowhound

Everything about “red” and “velvet” signals Valentine’s romance, and there’s nothing about baking a chocolate cake for your sweetie that doesn’t score you points! Get our Red Velvet Cake recipe.

Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries

homemade chocolate dipped strawberries

Chowhound

Compared to sour, underripe, store-bought ones, DIY dipped berries are a revelation: better fruit, better chocolate, more seduction. Get our Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries recipe.

Chocolate Fondue

easy chocolate fondue recipe

Chowhound

If you want to make things more interactive, break out the fondue pot for dessert. Feel free to get creative with what you dip in your fondue too. Get our Chocolate Fondue recipe.

Chocolate Lava Cake (with Raspberry Coulis)

individual molten chocolate lava cakes recipe

Chowhound

The ultimate Valentine’s dessert: opulent, rich, and—in its own small way—grand. After this, you’ll want to stack the plates in the sink and take it to the couch. Get our Chocolate Lava Cake recipe (and our Raspberry Coulis recipe to top it off).

Get more romantic recipes, tips, and tricks at our Valentine’s Day headquarters, including great Valentine’s Day gift ideas to inspire adoration.

Related Video: Pucker Up for a Valentine’s Day Cocktail with Kombucha

This post was originally published in 2011 and has been updated with new images, links, and text.



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Salmon Patties

How to make salmon patties with cooked salmon, bread, green onion, dill, bell pepper, egg, lemon, and paprika. These easy salmon cakes make a perfect midweek meal.

Continue reading "Salmon Patties" »



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Swoon-Worthy Pink & Red Kitchen Gifts for Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is replete with plenty of bouquets of roses and heart-shaped boxes filled with truffles. But if you and yours are simply jaded by Valentine’s Day tropes—yet still want to buy a gift—there are other ways to show affection without adhering to the overdone. How about a bright kitchen appliance to add to the collection, in shades of red and pink?

Related Reading: The Best Valentine’s Day Gifts For Him on Amazon

Luckily, there are a host of brands and companies who love to ramp up colors, rather than sticking to the traditional shades of blacks, grays, and whites. Check out our selection of pink and red kitchen-themed gifts that are perfect for Valentine’s Day.

Sticky Toffee Cotton Terry Kitchen Dishcloth, 8-Pack for $13.99 on Amazon

Amazon

Dish towels are a great way to brighten up the kitchen. And while they’re certainly not glamorous, they’re a bona fide necessity for any home cook. Buy Now

Five Two Essential Knives, $49-$139 at Food52

Food52

Food52’s own line of knives comes in a variety of colors, but for Valentine’s Day there’s nothing better than the rhubarb: a dusty pink color. Buy the full set of three, complete with a chef’s knife, serrated knife, and paring knife—or just add one to the collection. Buy Now

Ilana Matte Dinner Plates, Set of 4 for $56 at Anthropologie

Upgrade those boring white dishes with this set of matte pink dinner plates from Anthropologie. The rose-colored plates are complete with concentric circles and painted brown on the rim. Bowls and mugs can be purchased to round out the collection. Buy Now

The Dutchess, $145 at Great Jones

Great Jones

The darling of direct-to-consumer kitchenware, Great Jones has succeeded in producing a Dutch oven that’s just as cute as it is functional. The enameled cast-iron oven can move from the stove to the oven, prepped to sear and braise just about anything. And in a light pink (aptly called macaron), the Dutchess is sure to stand out in any kitchen. Buy Now

SMEG 2-Slice Toaster, $159.99 at Bed, Bath & Beyond

Bed, Bath & Beyond

Make toasting cool again with this vintage-style toaster, painted pink. Six browning levels and three presets (reheat, defrost, and bagel) mean you can toast bread, bagels, pop tarts, and waffles to your heart’s delight.Buy Now

KitchenAid 11-Cup Food Processor, $169.99 at Bed, Bath & Beyond

Bed, Bath & Beyond

With the KitchenAid food processor, you can slice, chop, and blend nonstop. The machine comes with five slicers, plus a 3-cup mini bowl for when you’re working with only a small amount of food. Buy Now

SMEG Espresso Machine, $459.99 at Bloomingdales

Bloomingdales

Nothing brings back the nostalgia of the ‘50s like the products from SMEG. This retro espresso machine, in glorious red, makes whipping up a mug of espresso easy with its sleek body and trimmed down process—putting the art of espresso first, rather than excess gadgets.Buy Now

KitchenAid Artisan 5-Quart Stand Mixer, $299.99 at Bed, Bath & Beyond

Bed, Bath & Beyond

Save 20 percent when purchasing this KitchenAid stand mixer. The mixer, in guava glaze, makes it easier to complete all your baking necessities—from creaming butter and sugar to mixing pizza dough—with a flat beater, dough hook, wire whisk, and pouring shield.Buy Now

Caraway Cookware Set, $395 at Caraway Home

Caraway Home

For the cook who only wants to use eco-friendly cookware, Caraway Home is here to save the day. The cookware line is non-toxic, complete with ceramic nonstick pots and pans. The set, in a luxurious shade of pink, includes a fry pan, 3-quart sauce pan with a lid, 6.5-quart Dutch oven with lid, four magnetic pan racks, and a canvas lid holder with hooks.  Buy Now



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Gimbap (Korean Seaweed Rice Rolls)

Gimbap (Korean Seaweed Rice Rolls)Get Recipe!


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The Powerful KitchenAid Pro 500 Is at the Lowest Price We’ve Seen All Year

If you missed your chances during holiday sales to snag a KitchenAid stand mixer but have your eye on the prized appliance, today is the day. Right now, Best Buy has the KitchenAid Professional 500 stand mixer—one of the band’s most powerful models—on sale for under $200 (you save $300) as one of its Deals of the Day.

With 450 watts of power and 10 speeds, the Pro 500 is strong enough to mix even the densest of mixtures. And KitchenAid stand mixers don’t just make a baker’s like easier. With countless attachments like a food grinder, pasta maker, and veggie spiralizer, this machine can really be your own personal sous chef.

We rarely see the price drop this low. By comparison, Amazon has the same model on sale but for $80 more and it retails for $350 or more if you buy through KitchenAid. Basically what we’re saying is if you’ve been wanting a KitchenAid stand mixer, you’d be wise to jump at this one-day sale.

Read more: The Best KitchenAid Attachments You Can Buy

KitchenAid Professional 500 Stand Mixer, $199.99 (originally $350) on Best Buy

KitchenAid

Choose black, silver, or classic empire red and Best Buy will ship your brand new KitchenAid stand mixer for free by Wednesday. Or order online and pick it up at your local brick-and-mortar store.Buy Now



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Spicy Carbonara Tteokbokki is the Korean-Italian Fusion You Deserve All Year

Growing up in Korea, I always loved eating tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) after school. There were many street food vendors lined up nearby, hawking delicious and cheap street food for hungry students like myself. For 50 cents, I was able to buy happiness in a cup of tteokbokki, and that’s all I looked forward to when I was a student in Korea: Plump and cylindrical rice cakes swimming in a pool of thick, tangy and gochujang-based red sauce, along with big chunks of fish cakes. For me, teokbokki has long served as one of those nostalgic foods that I ate so much while I was growing up in Korea, but disappeared from my repertoire when I moved to America.

Related Reading: Why Gochujang Is in Every Korean Pantry (and Belongs in Yours Too)

Recently, I started craving tteokbokki. Pictures and videos of steamy, ruby-red rice cakes have flooded my social media. I order tteokbokki whenever I see it on menus, but no version has hit a home run for me. It could be my terrible spice tolerance, but I wanted to enjoy the sweet, spicy, and savory flavors without being so overwhelmed by the spice.

That’s how I discovered spicy “carbonara” tteokbokki, a fusion dish that combines creamy dairy with complex spicy-and-sweet sauce. The “carbonara” name comes from its creamy, milky sauce (even though there is neither egg yolk nor fatty bacon, which are essential ingredients in the Italian version). So, maybe it’s just more fitting to call this recipe creamy, gochujang rice cakes! Countless Korean moms have made the dish for their children who can’t tolerate spice well (just like me), and I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly the whole recipe comes together. In less than 30 minutes, with only one pan and a couple of stirs, you can enjoy one of Korea’s most beloved and addictive street foods with a luxurious, dairy twist.       

Rice Cakes

When you get rice cakes from the store, they most likely come dry in an air-tight package. Some recipes on the Internet will suggest soaking them in hot water before cooking so that they are rehydrated. But you don’t necessarily have to do that for this recipe. I rarely soak rice cakes in water before cooking because they will get soft and tender as they get cooked. You may want to break them apart, however, because they are often stuck together in a package. 

Instant Tteokbokki Rice Cake, Pack of 2 for $9.49

Buy Now

Fish Cake

Browsing Asian grocery stores, there are many different kinds of fish cakes stocked on the shelves—but it doesn’t matter which type you buy for this recipe. Some come in squared, lasagna-sheet shapes, and others come in a colorful pattern, or ball-shaped. It’s up to your preference, but different shapes of fish cake demand different handling and result in a variety of flavors. If you get sheet-shaped fish cakes, you can cut them in a bite-sized triangular shape. They will get plump and expand as they’re cooked, adding deeper flavors to the sauce, compared to ball-shaped ones.

Feel free to have fun and experiment with different types of fish cake. You can find everything from cheese-filled ones to corn-filled ones. Some of the common brands and shapes that you might find at Asian groceries are this square-shaped one, these assorted fish cakes that are mostly circular, assorted colorful Japanese fish cakes, and these plump, rectangular-shaped fish cakes. Depending on which fish cake you buy, be sure to cut into proper bite sizes. If they are circular, no need to cut them in half, but if they are too big, chop them all into big pieces so that they can absorb the delicious sauce. 

James Park

Dairy and Spice

You can swap heavy cream for whole milk if you want to have a less rich flavor. I don’t encourage using dairy-alternatives, such as almond milk or oat milk, since they will alter the overall taste.

As the only liquid for the recipe is milk and heavy cream, you can adjust the sauciness of the dish by adding water. The sauce will continue to thicken and develop flavors from the starch of rice cakes.

Gochujang, $6.15 on Amazon

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It’s also important to add both gochugaru, Korean red pepper powder, and gochujang, Korean red pepper paste. The heat and flavors come from gochugaru while the dish’s deep ruby-red color stems from gochujang.

Cheese

Go wild with cheese! It’s traditional to use American cheese, but for that Instagram-worthy cheese pull, you can add a sprinkle of mozzarella as well. 

Spicy Carbonara Tteokbokki Recipe

Garnish the dish with scallions and sesame seeds to add a pop of color. For an ultimate feast, serve it with dumplings or rice. Make it extra saucy so that you can dip dumplings, or even fried chicken tenders, into the sauce. Cooked noodles can also be added to the leftover sauce, but be sure to adjust the thickness with water if you want to have enough sauce since rice cakes tend to soak up a lot.

Spicy Carbonara Tteokbokki

View Recipe

Prep Time: 5 minutesCook Time: 20 minutesServes: 4
Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp of canola oil (or any vegetable oil)
  • 1 tbsp of garlic, chopped (around 3-4 bulbs of garlic)
  • 1 medium onion, sliced
  • 500g of rice cakes
  • 4 oz fish cake
  • 2.5 tbsp of soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp of gochugaru
  • 2 tbsp of gochujang
  • 1 cup of heavy cream
  • 1 cup of milk
  • ½ tbsp sugar
  • 1 cup of shredded cheese
  • 1 bunch of scallion, sesame seeds, boiled egg for garnish
Instructions
  1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add oil and fry chopped garlic until it’s brown and fragrant. Saute with sliced onion with garlic for 2-3 minutes, or until they are translucent.
  2. Add rice cakes to the skillet until all rice cakes are coated in oil and get crispy. Add fish cake and stir everything for another 5 minutes or so.
  3. Add soy sauce and stir everything again for a minute or so, then add gochugaru to the mixture, making sure that all rice cakes and fish cake are coated nicely. Saute everything for 2 minutes. Then, add gochujang to the skillet and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
  4. Mix heavy cream and milk and pour the liquid over the pan. Bring the heat to low and let all the ingredients get absorbed by the sauce. Keep stirring to avoid any rice cakes sticking out to the bottom for 10 minutes, or until the rice cakes are tender when poked.
  5. Right before finishing, add shredded cheese to the pan so that they all the melty and cheesy. Garnish the dish with chopped scallion, sesame seed, and boiled eggs for garnish.


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11 Ways to Use Up Leftover Chili

leftover chili nacho recipe

If you hosted a big game party, chances are you may have leftover chili. Luckily, we have great ideas for what to do with it besides simply reheating a bowl.

Anyone who has ever made a giant pot of homemade chili understands that it’s a double edged sword.

On one hand, it’s the meal that keeps on giving (and giving). On the other, dealing with all of those leftovers can be stressful (cue: Estelle Constanza’s famous leftover paella meltdown on “Seinfeld”). The trick to making the most of leftover chili is to think of it as less of a burden and more as a shortcut to some deliciously cozy meals. Here are some practical (and tasty) suggestions to get you out of your leftover slump.


1. Individual Frozen Chili Servings

easy crock pot chili recipe

Chowhound

Consider this a preemptive strike against chili overload. After your initial meal, grab some reusable food containers and portion out individual servings of chili to be eaten at a future date. One way to do it: scoop remaining chili into a muffin tin and freeze, then store the individual portions in Ziploc bags (this post by Crystal Cattle provides an easy how-to). That leftover chili makes the perfect bring-to-work lunch or emergency backup dinner when you just don’t know what to cook!

Souper Cubes Extra-Large Silicone Freezing Trays with Lids, 2 for $36.99 on Amazon

Freeze 8 1-cup portions with these trays.
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2. Cornbread Chili Pie


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Celebrate #PiDay the Southern way – With Cheddar Jalapeno Chili Pie! (Recipe in profile)

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Leftover chili is the perfect excuse to make Reese Witherspoon’s Cornbread and Chili Pie—a recipe that involves baking a layer of cornbread atop a savory meat and bean mixture. With leftover chili at your disposal, you can easily skip several steps. Just place your chili in a baking or casserole dish. Make the cornbread batter, pour it over the chili, and bake in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes until golden brown on top. Eat and enjoy.

Related Reading: The Best Celebrity Cookbooks

3. Chili Mac & Cheese

Tex Mex mac and cheese recipe

Chowhound

As far as dinners go, this one is ultra easy. Make your favorite mac and cheese recipe, warm up your leftover chili, and mix together. Eat as is, or finish the dish with your favorite chili and/or mac and cheese toppings (think: bacon bits, chopped green onions, diced avocado, and shredded cheese).

Related Reading: How to Make Canned Chili Taste Homemade

4. Cheesy Stuffed Peppers

vegetarian stuffed pepper recipe

Chowhound

When it comes to stuffed peppers, the most time consuming step is making the filling. Streamline the process with leftover chili. Follow this Cheesy Chili Stuffed Peppers recipe or simply scoop out your peppers, fill with chili, top with your favorite cheese (we’re partial to Monterey Jack) and bake for 20 minutes. Optional: top with sour cream, onions, and/or your favorite salsa.

5. Burritos


Whoever said “everything tastes better in a tortilla,” is 100 percent, totally right. Chili tends to thicken once left in the fridge overnight. Take advantage. Add some leftover rice and cheese for the perfect burrito filling. Eat them right away or freeze a few burritos for when the craving hits. Alternatively, make a batch of these chili cheese enchiladas.

6. Jalapeno Cornbread Chili Waffles


This recipe combines two of our favorite things—fresh out of the oven cornbread and waffles—with savory chili and a hit of spice. Make this Jalapeno Cornbread Waffle recipe from 12 Tomatoes and top with leftover chili and your favorite fixings. (Note: these cornbread waffles would also work nicely as a base for a twist on classic buttermilk fried chicken and waffles. No, you’re the one drooling.)

7. Picadillo

picadillo recipe

Chowhound

Picadillo—the quintessential Cuban dish of ground beef and beans—is made easy with a leftover chili base. Follow the seasoning in this recipe for Picadillo-Style chili or simply warm up your chili with added raisins and chopped green olives. Serve over rice or use it as a filling for these beef empanadas. Which brings us to our next suggestion…

8. Chili Empanadas

Picadillo Empanada recipe

Chowhound

Leftover chili makes the perfect filling for empanadas. Try this Chili Con Carne Empanada recipe which involves buttery pastry paired with a chili filling and a hint of chipotle seasoning. Eat them as a meal or serve them at a party—either way you’ll probably be coming back for seconds (and maybe even thirds).

9. Tex Mex Lasagna

leftover chili lasagna recipe

Chowhound

Kill two birds with one stone (leftover chili and that box of lasagna noodles that’s been kicking around the back shelf of the pantry forever) with some Tex Mex Lasagna. Follow this Chili Cheese Lasagna recipe or easily wing it: Take your favorite lasagna recipe and substitute the usual fillings for chili and Tex Mex inspired toppings (think: melted cheddar and/or Monterey  Jack, pickled jalapenos, green onions, salsa, and guacamole).

10. Shakshuka

Chowhound

The beauty of shakshuka—a warmly spiced vegetarian dish typically made with saucy tomatoes, peppers, onions, and eggs cracked right into the mix—is its simplicity. You don’t need a lot of ingredients to make it great. Similar to a frittata, it’s also a convenient way to use up leftovers—including chili. Sub in your leftovers with this easy Ground Turkey Chili Shakshuka recipe and enjoy.

11. Chili Cheese Nachos

leftover chili nacho recipe

Chowhound

Possibly the easiest option of all: Top tortilla chips with leftover chili and the fixings of your choice for chili nachos. Get our Chili Cheese Nacho recipe.

Related Video: How to Make Crock-Pot Beef Chili



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Why Do We Give Chocolate On Valentine’s Day?

Valentine’s Day is less than a month away, which means I should probably start thinking about what I’ll give my wife. Maybe some flowers; they’re pretty, just like her. Or that other classic, chocolate. But, wait, why chocolate? Why do we give chocolate on Valentine’s Day? Not to pull a “Good Will Hunting” here, but why not caramels? Or cookies? Or pie? Oh, I wish it were pie. Why do nearly 70 percent of people on Valentine’s Day gift chocolate to their significant other or secret crush? I need to get to the bottom of this, and get to the bottom of this I shall. To the internet!

Turns out, some pretty reputable establishments, like NPR, The History Channel, and The Smithsonian, have looked into this phenomenon too. What’s that they say? Great minds think alike? Yeah, something like that. Anyway, here’s what I learned.

Valentine’s Day is a feast day in the Catholic Church commemorating the lives of several martyrs named “Valentine.” It’s generally understood that none of these men were particularly linked to romantic love, despite an uncorroborated account that one of the Vals (my nickname, not theirs) married folks.

So, why is Valentine’s Day the day of loooooove (said in my best Barry White voice)? The consensus is that Geoffrey Chaucer, the writer of “The Canterbury Tales” (hey, I read that in high school!), linked Valentine’s Day with romantic love in his poem, “Parlement of Foules,” in 1382. In the poem, Chaucer describes St. Valentine’s Day as the time when birds choose their mates. Is that how bird mating works? I don’t think that’s accurate. Wait, it’s a poem. Metaphors. Got it. I guess other writers took notice, as more poems and songs sprang forth. Before long, life imitated art, and Valentine’s Day became a time of gifts for and gestures to your significant other. The thing is, those gifts weren’t chocolates for another 450 years or so.

Cocoa Power

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Despite the somewhat pervasive belief that chocolate was an aphrodisiac (science says it’s not), it wasn’t until the Victorian age, when sugar became less of an extravagance, that conditions were just right for chocolate to hit the scene as a Valentine’s Day staple. In addition to the economics being optimal, the times were too. Evidently, the buttoned-up Victorians got a real kick out of letting their emotions go for a day, and were really into giving their sweeties gifts decked out in lovey-dovey Cupids.

At this time, a businessman and chocolatier by the name of Richard Cadbury took advantage of this opportunity. You see, Cadbury’s primary business originally revolved around making drinking chocolate. I guess that was all the rage back then. He was somewhat of a pioneer in this industry, and, as a result, came up with a revolutionary process that produced surplus cocoa butter. Wanting to take advantage of this surplus, he decided to use it to produce “eating chocolate.” Today, we’d call it chocolate candy. Pretty savvy move, huh? It gets better. To market this new creation, he sold his eating chocolates in elaborately adorned boxes. Then, near Valentine’s Day, when folks were getting lovestruck and Cupid-crazy, he designed heart-shaped boxes and decorated them with Cupids and flowers.

history of Valentine's Day chocolates and heart-shaped box of chocolate

Shutterstock

Genius, right? It gets even better! To hammer the point home that his chocolates were optimal gifts for lovers, he emphasized that once the consumer was done with the chocolates, the box that once held them could also be used to hold remembrances, love letters, and things of that sort. Incredible! Capitalism at its finest.

Later, in early 20th century America, where the commercial appeal of Valentine’s Day thrived, Russell Stover took Cadbury’s idea to the next level, selling their heart-shaped chocolate boxes to department stores for mass consumption. Today, you can find them all over the place. And that’s, as they say, all she wrote.

Basically, we give chocolate on Valentine’s Day because some savvy businessman took advantage of the commercialization of the feast day of several martyred saints to sell surplus ingredients he had lying around. Pretty romantic stuff, huh? This Valentine’s Day, when you receive that box of chocolate, instead of getting bogged down in this aspect of the history, let me propose an alternative. Think about how good chocolate is, and how much your significant other must like you if he or she gave you something so delicious. Chances are, he or she doesn’t know the history. They just want you to know how special you are to them. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Feeling Extra Generous?

Give the gift of a chocolate of the month subscription.
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See our Valentine’s Day 2020 Gift Guide headquarters for more perfect present ideas (chocolate included).

Related Video: A Valentine for Unappreciated Chocolates



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