The Holiday of Love

Be Shirt Happy has just released new designs and products for Valentine's Day. We have t-shirts, hoodies, jerseys, pillows, mugs, prints and many more products with great Valentine's Day designs. If you need something for your boyfriend or husband, or your girlfriend or wife, you can find great Valentine's Day gifts here! For your new baby we have "My 1st Valentine's Day" designs and cool message tees your teens and tweens will love. The Valentine's Day section has the perfect gift for your sweetheart! We also have anti-Valentine's Day designs. So if you think Love stinks, you can find it here as well! From the romantic, cute and sweet to the hilarious, funny and flirty!

180 million

Number of Valentine's Day cards exchanged annually, making Valentine's Day the second-most popular greeting-card-giving occasion. (This total excludes packaged kids valentines for classroom exchanges.) (Source: Hallmark research) Check these Valentine's Day cards out!

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More than 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate are sold for Valentine's Day, according to the Chocolate Manufacturers Association and National Confectioners Association.

Fun Chocolate Facts

1. It's a comon myth that chocolate aggravates acne. Experiments conducted at the University of Pennsylvania and the U.S. Naval Academy found that consumption of chocolate--even frequent daily dietary intake--had no effect on the incidence of acne. Professional dermatologists today do not link acne with diet.


2. Ten percent of U.S. recommended daily allowance of iron is found in one ounce of baking chocolate or cocoa.


3. Consumers spend more than $7 billion a year on chocolate.


4. Chocolate syrup was used for blood in the famous 45 second shower scene in Alfred Hitchock's movie, 'Psycho' which actually took 7 days to shoot.


5. New research is finding chocolate to be packed with high-quality antioxidants that may reduce the risk of developing cancer and heart disease.


6. Chocolate is the food most commonly craved by women.


7. The largest chocolate bar ever made weighted over 5,ooo pounds and was made in Italy in 2000. The largest slab of fudge was over 2,000 pounds and was made in Canada.

Estimate number of roses produced for Valentine's Day in 2007: 214 million 48% of those are red roses. 63% of Valentine's Day floral purchases are by men. Check these out guys . Women purchase flowers or plants to show they care for mothers, daughters and friends, as well as their sweethearts. Some women even treat themselves on Valentine's Day.

Valentine's Day floral purchases by gender: 63% are made by men; 37% by women. Of rose-only purchases: 74% are made by men; 26% by women.

8% of marriage proposals take place around Valentine's Day. Many men, and women,feel that Valentine's Day represents romance, so it would be the perfect day to propose to their sweethearts. Did you know that in the Middle Ages, people believed that the first unmarried person of the opposite sex that they met on the morning of Valentine's Day was the person they were destined to marry? And that in Medieval times, girls ate unusual foods on St Valentine's Day to make them dream of their future husband?

With all these thoughts of marriage it's no wonder that in February 2005, jewelry stores in the United States sold $2.4 billion worth of merchandise, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Men if you want to propose or just give your sweetheart some bling this Valentine's Day, she will love it!

One of the things I love to do for Valentine's Day is fix a romantic dinner for my husband. I enjoy going out for a romantic dinner but sometimes I hate the crowd. So over the last few years I prepare a great meal for him. Here are recipes for a great Valentine's Day dinner:

Rosemary Parmesan Crusted Chicken

This is a rich and juicy chicken. Very simple but your sweetheart will feel like you pulled out all the stops. It goes great with an asparagus risotto, and pairs well with white zinfandel. Finish it off with Individual Chocolate Lava Cakes. Enjoy!

55 min. 10 min. prep 4 servings

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup white wine

1. Remove the stem of 2 sprigs of rosemary. Split the other 2 sprigs in half and save for garnish.


2. Mix the now loose rosemary with the olive oil, wine, garlic and salt and pepper.


3. Season both sides of the chicken with this marinade. Let chicken marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.


4. Preheat oven to 275. Spray or very lightly oil your bakeware.


5. Place the marinated chicken in your bakeware, and place in oven for 30 minutes.


6. Remove and sprinkle chicken with grated parmesan cheese and place back in the oven for another 13-15 minutes.


7. Remove from oven and garnish each chicken with a rosemary sprig. Enjoy!

Asparagus Risotto

A bit labor intensive but this recipe is well worth the work. Plenty of leftovers!

1 hour 15 min. prep 6-8 servings

1 1/2 lbs asparagus
5 cups canned low sodium chicken broth (about)
1 cup water
1 tablespoon butter
1 large onion
2 cups arborio rice or medium-grain white rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 sprig fresh rosemary (to garnish)

1. Trim rough ends from asparagus; discard.


2. Cut off asparagus tips and reserve.


3. Cut stalks into 3/4 inch-long pieces.


4. Place 2/3 of stalk pieces, 1 cup broth and 1 cup water in blenderreserving the remaining 1/3 of stalk pieces.


5. Puree mixture until smooth.


6. Set aside.


7. Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat.


8. Add onion and saute until tender, about 8 minutes.


9. Add rice and stir 1 minute.


10. Add wine and cook until absorbed, stirring often, about 2 minutes.


11. Add 1/2 cup broth and chopped rosemary, simmer until liquid is absorbed, stirring often, about 4 minutes.


12. Continue to cook for 15 minutes, adding more broth by 1/2 cupfuls and allowing liquid to be absorbed before adding more, stirring often.


13. Add reserved asparagus stalk pieces and reserved asparagus tips and continue cooking until rice is just tender and mixture is creamy; adding broth as needed and stirring often, about 10 minutes longer.


14. Add reserved asparagus puree and stir until absorbed, about 3 minutes.


15. Stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan and cream.


16. Season to taste with salt and pepper.


17. Transfer risotto to bowl.


18. Garnish with rosemary sprigs, if desired.


19. Serve, passing remaining Parmesan separately.

Individual Chocolate Lava Cakes

A chocolate volcano!! For chocolate lovers, this small treat can be served with vainilla ice cream and raspberry for a more elegant look.

30 min 30 min prep 6 servings

1 1/2 bittersweet baking chocolate (60% Cacao)
2 eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick)
2 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup cake flour

1. To make centers, melt chocolate and cream in double boiler. Whisk gently to blend. Refrigerate about 2 hours or until firm. Form into 6 balls; refrigerate until needed.


2. To make cake, heat oven to 400°F. Spray six 4-ounce ramekins or custard cups with cooking spray. Melt chocolate and butter in double boiler; whisk gently to blend. With an electric mixer, whisk eggs, yolks, sugar, and vanilla on high speed about 5 minutes or until thick and light. Fold melted chocolate mixture and flour into egg mixture just until combined. Spoon cake batter into ramekins. Place a chocolate ball in the middle of each ramekin.


3. Bake about 15 minutes or until cake is firm to the touch. Let it sit out of the oven for about 5 minutes. Run a small, sharp knife around inside of each ramekin, place a plate on top, invert and remove ramekin. Garnish with raspberries and a dollop of whipped cream.

1. 1849 - In New York City, James Knox Polk, becomes the first President
   of the United States to have his photograph taken.


2. 1859 - Oregon is admitted as the 33rd U.S. state.


3. 1876 - Alexander Graham Bell applies for a patent for the telephone.


4. 1899 - Voting machines are approved by the U.S. Congress for use
   in federal elections.


5. 1920 - The League of Women Voters is founded in Chicago, Illinois.


6. 1924 - IBM corporation founded.


7. 1929 - Valentine's Day Massacre : Seven gangsters rivaling
   Al Capone are murdered in Chicago, Illinois.


8. 1980 - Walter Cronkite announces his retirement from CBS Evening News.

There is something special about home-made gifts from your child! Here are a few free or almost free ideas you can help your little ones make all by themselves. Your kids will get a sense of pride in the process!

Make A Handprint Poem
A Heart bouquet
Making their own gift wrap

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