The Holiday of Love

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.

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!

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.

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.