Holiday: Valentine’s Day

chocolate truffles

February 14, 2012
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chocolate truffles

~ peppermint ~ ~ orange ~ ~ coconut ~ ~ cayenne ~ Hello my lovelies! Here is the 7th surprise in the “Week of Valentine Treats” line up. I hope you’ve enjoyed the romantic posts this year. I made up a batch of these delicious, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate mousse truffles. These little yummies would make a wonderful Valentine gift for your sweetie. They’re surprisingly easy (even if they are a bit messy) to put together. Enjoy with your favorite dessert wine, champagne or espresso! I made 4 different flavors this time, but you can make all one flavor if you like. 12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips 4 egg yolks 1 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream 2 and 2/3 cup powdered sugar sprinkles, cocoa powder, chocolate shots, toasted...

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the art of crystallizing flowers at home by karen toocheck

February 13, 2012
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the art of crystallizing flowers at home by karen toocheck

  I would like to welcome my friend and talented flower artist, Karen Toocheck, to ChinDeep today for a very special Valentine’s post! She is the proprietor of a wonderful business called The Crystallized Flower Company located in Willoughby Ohio and has generously agreed to share some of the magic and wisdom that goes into crystallizing flowers. I can’t wait to try this! I’m already thinking of all sorts of ways to use these gorgeous little blooms! Without further adieu, here’s Karen … When my favorite ‘Flower Fairy’(AKA Melissa Placzek) asked me to write a short, guest blog about the inception of my company, Crystallized Flower Company and the art of crystallizing flowers, I wasn’t sure if I could really introduce any new concepts to the process of crystallizing...

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nelson creamery

February 12, 2012
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nelson creamery

Today we took a leisurely Sunday drive over the bridge into Wisconsin. The Great River Road meanders along the Mississippi river and Lake Pepin through these sweet, quaint villages that remind me of vacations we’ve taken to Door County Wisconsin and Cape Cod Massachusetts. These are places we visit over and over again and they never get old, their personalities changing with every season. We had a beautiful lunch fireside at the Nelson Creamery. This place is amazing. They make dozens of varieties of cheese on site, and carry exotic, imported foods from around the globe. Wonderful things like: Ice Cream Cheese Wine & Champagne Beer Soft drinks and waters Coffee & Tea Breads Scones, Oatmeal, Cereals Tepenades BBQ Sauces, Mustards, Condiments Oils, Olive Oil, Vinegars, Olives, Pickled Vegetables...

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five passionate cookbooks & a romantic recipe for breakfast in bed

February 12, 2012
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five passionate cookbooks & a romantic recipe for breakfast in bed

Valentine Treat #5… My favorite passionate cookbooks! The Passionate Palate by  Desiree Witkowski Aphrodite by Isabel Allende Intercourses by Martha Hopkins & Randall Lockridge The Erotic Baker Cookbook by Karen Dwyer & Patrika Brown Romancing the Ordinary by Sarah Ban Breathnach Stay-in-Bed Fruit and Wine Omelet recipe adapted  from the beautiful book… The Passionate Palate by Desiree Witkowski “Pamper your loved one. A make-ahead breakfast in bed is guaranteed to make good memories. Prepare the night before, then bake in the morning. Serve with champagne and a kiss.” ~ Desiree Witkowski 1 lb. lean, bulk sausage 1 cup mushrooms, cleaned and sliced 6 large eggs 1 cup good, fruity, white wine 1 cup milk 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon dry mustard 3 slices French bread, cubed 1 cup sliced...

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valentine traditions & time capsule

February 11, 2012
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valentine traditions & time capsule

My hubby is a romantic, no doubt about it. I love this idea he came up with as part of my Valentine’s gift back in 2001. We had been married for 6 years at that point, and were spending our second Valentine’s day in our Victorian cottage here in Red Wing Minnesota. I love the meaning and sentiment surrounding this gift, and I love that Jeff puts so much thought into the things he does for me. I am a lucky girl! HERE are some of our other favorite, romantic traditions. The top of the Valentine’s time capsule box reads: “Let’s arrange a couple hours each Valentine’s season to take some photos of us to include in our Valentine photo box…Then, each year, we can sit, drinking port and...

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rose ylang ylang massage oil

February 10, 2012
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rose ylang ylang massage oil

~ rose ylang ylang massage oil ~ “All thoughts, all passions, all delights, whatever stirs this mortal frame, are all but ministers of love, and feed his sacred flame.” ~Samuel Taylor Coleridge Did you know that I wrote a “home spa” book? Yup. I did. It’s called Chin Deep in Bubbles and on pages 35 and 36 are the instructions for doing a spa massage at home. And…on page 34 there is a simple recipe for making a wonderful massage oil You won’t believe how easy it is. Here’s your third surprise in our week of Valentine treats! Enjoy! In a glass bottle, combine: 2/3 cup wheat germ oil 1/3 cup grape seed oil or sweet almond oil 15 drops vitamin E oil 10 to 30 drops of your...

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ghirardelli hot cocoa

February 9, 2012
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ghirardelli hot cocoa

~ ghirardelli hot cocoa ~ Hello my lovelies! Here’s the second surprise in this weeks line up of Valentine’s treats. Ghirardelli cocoa! There’s nothing quite like this rich, wonderful cocoa. 12 years ago Jeff and I visited San Francisco California and just had to stop in at Ghirardelli Square. We ate some lovely chocolate treats and purchased several cans of their cocoa to share with friends back in Minnesota. I asked my facebook friends what the best additions to hot cocoa are, and I received lots of different, interesting responses. Among them were:  orange, coconut, cinnamon, red (cayenne) pepper, vanilla, peppermint schnapps, grand marnier, kahlua and whipped cream! My personal favorites are English toffee Torani syrup or Chambord (raspberry liqueur.) To make Ghirardelli hot cocoa just follow the package...

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heart strings

February 8, 2012
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heart strings

~ heart strings ~ It’s that time of year again my friends! A week of Valentine treats here at ChinDeep! I’ve been feathering our nest with my favorite valentine things… Hearts, flowers, vintage linens and lace, romantic books, movies and music, vintage valentines, candles, vintage candy boxes, red…white…and, of course, pink! I’ve also been busy making special valentines for my BFFs, like I do every year… see past treats HERE and HERE. Here’s the first new treat for this week. It’s inspired by Martha Stewart’s “Crayon Hearts”. Read the “how to” HERE. This is a fun and easy craft to do with kids. These fluttery, whimsical little heart strings will add a sweet touch of romance to your home. Happy Valentines Day Decorating! ~Melissa

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“Priceless” by Dana Stenholtz

February 17, 2011
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“Priceless” by Dana Stenholtz

I just love this article that Dana wrote! So sweet! Enjoy. Priceless The two loves of my life are my nieces. Elyse and Aubrey are 7 and 5, and anything Auntie Dana gives them is special. That is one of the best things about kids. They don’t know if you spent five dollars or 5,000 dollars… and it doesn’t matter! What matters is that you love them. This does my heart good, in many ways. I would give them the world, if I could. Instead, I went to the dollar section of a craft store and bought them each a heart-shaped notepad and a rubber heart-shaped ring that flashes colorful lights at you if you push on it. Then, I dug out my markers and wrote them a poem....

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Scenes From Valentine’s Day ~ A Strawberry Menu

February 14, 2011
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Scenes From Valentine’s Day ~ A Strawberry Menu

~Valentine’s Treat 7~ A Strawberry Menu “…Sit on a cushion, and sew a fine seam, and dine upon strawberries, sugar and cream.” ~From the Mother Goose nursery rhyme “Curly-Locks” Happy Valentine’s Day! We started celebrating yesterday… We started the day with Strawberry Milk and I made a loaf of Strawberry Breakfast Bread This got rave reviews. Jeff and Gracie slathered it in butter (I heard lots of yummy noises ) If you’d like to make a loaf you’ll need : 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 cup sugar 6 oz. cream cheese, softened 2 eggs 6 Tablespoons strawberry milk 2 Tablespoons white vinegar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 and 1/2 cup fresh strawberries Wash and chop...

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