Warch Out For Cupids Arrow

Watch out for Cupid's arrow, or better yet, avoid the greeting card aisle. Valentine's Day is approaching and love is in the air. For many hopeless romantics out there, February 14th is a wonderful, starry-eyed opportunity to give and receive special tokens of affection like flowers, chocolates, and of course, store-bought or homemade valentines. If your significant other is not so romantic the rest of the year, it's practically mandated on Valentine's Day. On the other hand, singles can enjoy being exempt from all this romantic (and financial!) pressure and focus completely on spoiling themselves. And besides, there are always plenty of ridiculously fun Anti-Valentine's Day parties going on in most cities. In that spirit, I'll start with a special chocolate spa day designed just for single women. Chocolate IS a girl's best friend. Moving on to the mushy stuff, I'll tell you how to spoil the loved ones in your life, whether it's your kids or your hubby. In the true spirit of Recipe4Living, the way to anyone's heart is the stomach. Enjoy!

History? I got your history

Okay okay, if you must know WHY we celebrate this silly holiday called Valentine's Day, let me explain briefly. Valentine's Day began with a priest, St. Valentine. Rumor has it that during the third century in Rome, Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than married men and thus outlawed marriage for young men. Recognizing the injustice of this, St. Valentine continued to marry young people in secret and was imprisoned and eventually killed. Other rumors say that St. Valentine helped Christians escape harsh Roman prisons and that he may have even sent a love letter from prison to an admired woman, signed "From Your Valentine." As St. Valentine was later a favorite saint in France and England, Valentine's Day became popularly celebrated in the seventeenth century. In 1840, the first mass-produced "valentines" appeared in America. Today, 85% of Valentine's Day cards are purchased by women. Is this because men are buying flowers?