The Best Things to Do on Valentine's Day By Connie Vines #BWLAuthorBlog, #Valentine's Day Ideas, #Romance

 Valentine's Day has always been my favorite holiday. 

Valentine's Day is more than just gifts. Valentine's Day reminds me of pieces of childhood: excitement, handmade gifts, candy hearts in a small box, and fingers and chins sticky with chocolate. Of course, I adore flowers, sentimental/cute cards, chocolates...

I'm aware of the 'dark beginnings' of the holiday, but that can be discussed at another time.

February 14th will be here before you know t!

I may not be Cupid ...but I do write romance 💕💖💘

#1 Visit a Book Store or Brouse for E-Books online

The perfect date for bookworms. Spend the day exploring new reads together, grabbing coffee, and talking about the books you bought. (romance picks should be at the top of your list today!)

# 2 Make a Bucket List of Things you and your Significant Other would Like to do Together.

There are 365 days in a year. Local sites and historical areas are nearby and usually easier on your budget.

Here in the Burbs, my travels have included more than the usual (well-known) SoCal  choices:

The Ocean to Ocean Highway (Holt Boulevard)

Guasti Winery

Graber Olive House

Route 66 (Starts in downtown Chicago and ends at the Santa Monica pier in California).

Stomping grounds of Frank Zappa and the location of  Dr. Sandra Lee's (TLC network) medical office.

                                (copywritten by Connie Vines)

#3 Make Fondue

My personal choice for this year.

Why? It's perfect for two or for a Valentine's Day gathering.

Everyone gets to choose their own "dippable"—strawberries, bananas, marshmallows, or mini pretzels and it's easy to make. Only three ingredients are chocolate, cream, and a pinch of salt.

Flavors may be added to the chocolate: peppermint extract, cinnamon, and chile for a Mexican spin, or Amaretto or Bailey's Irish cream for a grown-up version.

And if it's just the two of you, chocolate fondue is a great way to end a romantic meal at home. The dip-ables can be prepped in advance, and the chocolate sauce comes together in just a few minutes.

For the dipping fondue chocolate:

1 cup (8 ounces) heavy cream

Pinch salt

12 ounces milk or dark chocolate (chips or roughly chopped bar)

For dipping:

Strawberries

Banana pieces cut into 1-inch chunks

Dried apricots

Apple slices

Candied ginger

Squares of pound cake

Heat the cream:

Heat the cream with a pinch of salt over medium heat in a small saucepan until tiny bubbles show and begin to lightly and slowly simmer.

Remove from heat and add the chocolate:

Remove from heat, add the chocolate, and whisk until smooth and fully incorporated.

Serve immediately:

Transfer the chocolate mix to a fondue pot heated at low or low flame, or serve straight from the pot.

Arrange the dip-ables on a platter or plates around the chocolate pot.

Use a fondue fork, bamboo skewer, seafood fork, or salad fork to dip the fruit pieces and other dip-ables into the hot melted chocolate mixture. Eat immediately.

If the fondue begins to feel a little stiff, add a tablespoon of heavy cream and stir.

Enjoy!

Happy Reading 📖📱 and Happy 💗Valentine's Day, too!

Connie Vines

Visit my BWL page:

https://bookswelove.net/vines-connie/

https://books2read.com/Gumbo-Ya-Ya

Find me here:

https://connievines-author.com/  (links/ blog posts, etc. are here :-)

It's National Black Forest Cake Day--Let's Celebrate! By Connie Vines #BlackForestCake, #ChocolateLovers, #TheRomanceofChocolate, #BWLPublishing

March 28th is National Black Forest Cake Day!!

Chocolate = Romance 💝

If there’s one thing that we (Chocolate Lovers) are absolute suckers for, it is a black forest cake, and you bet we are super excited when March 28 rolls around and we get to celebrate National Black Forest Day. 

Why?

1. The absolute beauty of the cake deserves its own accolades: chocolate shavings accompanied with maraschino cherries and white cream! 

2. And the taste...  Did you know that the cake was originally a simple dessert consisting of cream, cherries, chocolate, and alcohol? 

Created Connie Vines @Canva

HISTORY OF NATIONAL BLACK FOREST CAKE DAY

There are many conflicting historical reports about the exact origins of the black forest cake. Some historical scholars believe that the cake originated in the 16th century in a German town called Baden-Wurttemberg. 

🎂The time and place, famous for its Romantic era, was also one of the first places where chocolate was added to cakes. Baden-Wurttemberg was also renowned for its sour cherries and kirschwasser (cherry brandy). 

 🍽However, the cake did become popular (main-stream) around the 1930s. 

📅 Today, the cake is enjoyed in many parts of the world with slight variations. The American version does not have any alcohol in it. Still, an authentic black forest cake must have alcohol in it to even be considered a black forest cake in places like Austria and Germany.

Connie's creation via Canva

Why is chocolate considered romantic?

Chocolate has been considered aphrodisiac food since the time of Aztecs. Chocolate is said to contain a substance that inflames desire and makes the beloved one more open to romance. In the olden days, this resulted in the tradition in European royalty to give their lovers chocolates mixed with amber to stimulate their love.

Happy National Black Forest Cake Day, everyone!

Remember to download my latest release: Gumbo Ya Ya. (4 stories featuring 4 independent Cinderellas and 4 reluctant Heroes!).

To tie in with today's post--one story in my anthology: A Slice of Scandal, takes place during the filming of a network cooking show. Oooh, La La. That Cajun man sure knows how to steam up a kitchen!

4 stories in one anthology:

Click on the book cover to take you to the purchase zone!

                              🡇

https://bookswelove.net/vines-connie/

Connie

Find me here:

https://mizging.blogspot.com/

https://connievines-author.com/

both locations have links to my social media sites