Post from: EveryJoe

The video begins with the guy in the front seat of the car handing a Valentine’s Day present to the girl in the backseat. With a big smile on her face, the girl accepts the Valentine’s Day present. After exchanging a hug, the guy leaves the car.

After a few moments, the girl decides to open the Valentine’s Day present. To her horror, the box is filled with thousands of cockroaches. She reacts by throwing the box and jumping to the top of the seats. She tries to get out of the car but the doors are locked. Talk about the Valentine’s Day prank from hell!

Here’s the Valentine’s Day cockroaches prank video:

Post from: EveryJoe

Ingredients:

• 1 ounce Tequila Don Julio Añejo
• 1 1/2 ounce champagne
• 1/2 ounce dark crème de cacao
• 1/4 ounce unsweetened passion fruit puree
• Crushed ice

Preparation:

1. Fill a tall shot glass three quarters full with crushed ice.
2. Add unsweetened passion fruit puree, dark crème de cacao, and Don Julio Añejo in that order.
3. Top with champagne, stir for balance and enjoying by sipping.

Post from: EveryJoe

Latin Fling

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Flor de Caña 18 Year Rum
• 1 1/2 oz fresh pineapple puree juice
• 1 oz five spice syrup
• 3/4 oz fresh lime juice
• 1 slice jalapeño chili

Method:

Combine ingredients and shake. Serve on rocks in Collins glass, float 18 yr, splash soda. Garnish with pineapple leaf and floating whole star anise. To make five spice syrup: bring 2 cups water, 2 1/2 cups demerera sugar and 4 tablespoons of five spice powder to boil. Cover, let cool and strain. Recipe can be multiplied to fill a traditional punch bowl.

Back in the 1800’s absinthe was a widely used aphrodisiac by Europeans, especially French artists and intellectuals at the end of the 19th century. This is largely due to the fact that absinthe is made from a unique recipe of herbs – including wormwood, fennel and anise – and this recipe is said to be rich in special compounds and oils that when consumed can increase your sex drive. This cocktail uses Lucid absinthe, the category leader and brand responsible for bringing absinthe back to the US back in 2007 – along with Russian Standard Vodka and a bit of spice to stimulate your senses.

Sexy Mary

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz Lucid Absinthe
• 1 oz. Russian Standard Vodka
• 4 oz. Spicy Bloody Mary Mix
• 4 dashes of Worcestershire Sauce
• Horseradish, ground pepper, garlic salt, celery salt

Method:

In a pint glass add ice, Lucid Absinthe, Russian Standard Vodka, Bloody Mary Mix, Worcestershire Sauce, and other spices.

Post from: EveryJoe

In a mixing glass combine:

• 3 Blackberries
• 1 oz POM 100% Pomegranate Juice
• ¼ oz Lemon Juice

Muddle. Add ice and:

• 2 oz Maker’s 46
• ¾ oz Sweet Vermouth (preferably Carpano Antica)
• 1 oz Simple Syrup

For sugar rim: Take one ounce of plain white sugar and zest it with four peels of orange.

Post from: EveryJoe

sxc.hu

Here are some suggestions from Canada Blooms to help you select the perfect flowers for your Valentine:

In a new relationship?
If you are in a new relationship and have only been out a few of times, give something nice but not overwhelming, such as cyclamen, freesia or a single rose.

In the first few years of marriage?
How about orchids, they’re exotic, beautiful and more importantly, long-lasting.

Have a baby in the house?
Consider filling it with fragrance – a pot of hyacinth or narcissus are great choices.

Is your relationship a couple of decades long?
You might want to spice it up with something tropical like hibiscus, amaryllis or birds of paradise.

Getting something for your mother?
How about a bunch of Gerber daisies that say ‘I love you and appreciate all you’ve done for me’.

Still stumped?
A big beautiful mixed bouquet can fill the room with color and fragrance and speak to the richness and complexity of your relationship – try including lilies, iris’ or hydrangeas.

Is your partner fond of gardens?
Give the ‘experience’ of the whole garden. A couple of tickets to Canada premier flower and garden festival, Canada Blooms fits the bill (or maybe a trip to your local botanical garden). Enhance the ‘value’ of the gift by offering to go to accompany your sweety to the event…just to be with her and to share a stimulating, romantic experience together.

Post from: EveryJoe

Cupid’s Arrow

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ parts Maker’s Mark
• ¼ part DeKuyper Crème de Cacao (white)
• ¼ part DeKuyper Hazelnut Liqueur
• Cream or half and half
• Bar of chocolate for garnish

Directions:

Fill a Martini shaker with ice, Maker’s Mark, Crème de Cacao and Hazelnut Liqueur. Shake vigorously for a few seconds. Pour into a Martini glass and top with a thin layer of cream or half and half. Garnish with chocolate shavings.

Aphrodite’s Ambrosia

Ingredients:

• 1 part Maker’s Mark
• ¼ part Apricot Liqueur
• 6 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
• Cold Proseco

Directions:

Stir the Maker’s Mark, Apricot Liquor and bitters with ice in a shaker glass. Strain into a champagne flute and top with the Proseco.

Image and recipes courtesy of Maker’s Mark.

Post from: EveryJoe

Image from Sweeping Her Off Her Feet

Salmon with Fresh Mango Salsa

Ingredients:

• 2 six to eight ounce Salmon filets (do not get steaks!)
• 1 fresh mango peeled and cut into 1/2inch cubes (some grocers carry fresh mango already skinned in jars—produce dept)
• 1 jalapeño seeded and diced (1/8 inch)
• 1/2 red bell pepper diced (1/4 inch)(save the rest for roasting)
• 1/4 cup diced red onion (1/4 inch)
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/3 cup oil (preferably olive oil)
• lime
• salt & pepper

Mango Salsa

Cut lime in half and squeeze the juice from both halves into a midsized mixing bowl whisk in half of the oil. Add the rest of the ingredients except salmon, remaining oil, salt and pepper in a midsized bowl and gently toss until well mixed. Be sure and stir using a large (wooden if possible) serving spoon, from bottom using your spoon in an upward, over and down folding motion to get all of the juice from the bottom mixed in with the rest of the ingredients. Add a dash of salt and pepper and gently mix again. Cover and refrigerate. Can be made one-day ahead.

Grilled Salmon

Turn outside grill on to medium high to heat up the grates. Place the salmon filets on a platter skin side down and rub remaining oil onto the meat until completely covered. Try and get some of the oil onto the skin. Feel free to use a bar-b-que sauce brush for this. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.

When grill is hot place filets on the grill, flesh side down and let cook for 5-7 minutes. Turn over and let cook another 3-4 minutes until salmon is just cooked through. Some like their salmon medium rare. If this is you cook a little less. If you need to check for doneness, though I try to avoid this, take a knife and gently slice into the top of the fish to ensure it is cooked to your preference. If it “flakes” all the way through but is still moist it is done. Since you will be topping it with the beautiful salsa you’ve made it won’t matter if you have “butchered” it a little.

Optionally, when salmon is done, take a metal spatula and insert it into the crease between the skin and the flesh and slide it all the way through until the skin is removed. Place each filet on top of a bed of sautéed spinach (page 39) on a beautiful plate.

Top with Mango Salsa and serve.

Image from Sweeping Her Off Her Feet

Heart-Shaped Pasta with Prosciutto, Fresh Tomato, Peas and Arugula

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces *heart shaped pasta or pasta bowties, cooked until done, but slightly firm and drained (reserve 1/4 cup pasta water)
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 cup chicken broth (or 1 teaspoon bouillon dissolved in 1 cup warm water)
• 6-8 paper-thin slices prosciutto, cut into 1” ribbons (ask for it this way in the grocer’s deli)
• 3/4 cup frozen peas
• 2 small Roma tomatoes seeded and diced (just cut into quarters and scoop out the seeds)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 cups roughly chopped arugula or 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in clam base or chicken broth
• salt and freshly cracked pepper
• 4 tablespoons shredded Parmesan
• Optional: 10 large shrimp

Heart shaped pasta is available and www.CheeseImporters.com.

Directions:

Preheat large sauté pan on medium-high heat. Add oil and garlic, and sauté garlic until it begins to soften, approximately 20-30 seconds—do not let it brown. Add white wine and cook until reduced by half. If using shrimp add now. Add base or broth and bring to a boil; add reserved pasta water, prosciutto, peas, tomato and shrimp, and cook for about 30 seconds. Stir in lemon juice, remove from heat and let stand another 30 seconds. Fold in pasta and arugula or basil. Salt and pepper to taste, divide between two dinner plates or pasta bowls, and top with shredded Parmesan.

Post from: EveryJoe

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Serves: 2

Image: The Food Network

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup half and half cream
• 4 ounces white chocolate, rough chopped
• 2 ounces vodka
• 2 ounces Simple Syrup (see recipe in Additional Info below)

Preparation

1. Heat half and half cream in a small sauce pan; slowly add white chocolate, whisk continually, until chocolate is melted. Cool to room temperature.
2. Add vodka and simple syrup* to white chocolate mixture; stir to blend. (*See Simple Syrup recipe in Additional Information below)
3. Pour into 2 martini glasses; serve.

Additional Info

Simple syrup, or “sugar syrup” is used in many cocktails and other drinks such as to sweeten iced tea; it can be made ahead and held refrigerated for use as needed.

To make Simple Syrup:

1. Combine 1 cup sugar and 2 cups water in saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until sugar is completely dissolved.
3. Remove from heat; cool.

Post from: EveryJoe

Image: geeksquad.com

Even though the couples are 3,000 miles apart, they’ll be able to have a Valentine’s Day dinner together via Skype. In addition to the steak dinner, Geek Squad will give the couples netbooks and $150 in Geek Squad service to help them stay connected all year. Cool prizes if you are stuck in a long distance relationship.

They also have a video with a Geek Squad Agent explaining how to set up your own Skype dinner.

Are you in a long distance relationship? How is it working out for you? What steps do you take to help overcome the geographical issues?

Post from: EveryJoe