All I Need Is Love ... But A Little Chocolate Now and Then Doesn't Hurt

My father worked in Manhattan for many years and commuted on the train each day. He would often bring us home special surprises or goodies and my siblings and I thought that anything that came from 'the city' must be very special.

One time he came home with soft pretzels he bought from a street food vendor. Another time I got a 'Thriller-Look-A-Like' red leather jacket that caught his eye, also from a street vendor (ahem). Our most memorable surprise was when Dad walked in the door with a kitten he adopted from a city shelter.

But the treat I always looked forward to most of all was the box of chocolates he would bring home for us on Valentine's Day. We would each get a small, heart-shaped box of assorted chocolates, decorated with frilly lace, red ribbon and pink bows. Mom would always get a larger box, naturally, along with red and white flowers of some kind.

Looking back, I'm sure the chocolates were your standard variety, but to me they tasted as if they were hand made by an artisan chocolatier. Maybe I thought the chocolates tasted better because they had traveled such a long way but I remember the anticipation of untying the ribbon and opening the box. I would excitedly look at each piece , trying to decide which to try first, and then savor each bite slowly, knowing that I had waited all year for them and didn't want them to be gone quickly.

It was a tradition in the making, although I didn't realize it at the time. That's why I was thrilled when, after having children of my own, my husband began bringing home chocolates and flowers for our girls. Even after receiving tons of chocolate at their school Valentine's Day party, they still were most excited about their special hearts that daddy was bringing home.

And they thought it was the best chocolate they had ever eaten ... even if it didn't come on a train.

Kids With FOOD ALLERGIES? Finally, delicious foods that are SAFE TO EAT!

SNACK HAPPIER AND SAFELY ...
WITH DIVVIES!

What's the fun of being a kid if you can't indulge the occassional sweet tooth? But with food allergies on the rise, there are many kids who can't even walk in the door of a bakery or chocolate shop without risking an allergic reaction. Since most common allergens (nuts, eggs, milk) can be found in just about every cookie, cake and candy out there, it's easy to see why.

INTRODUCING, DIVVIES - scrumptious cookies, cupcakes, candy and popcorn made under the strictest conditions. Created by the frustrated parents of a food-allergic child, the company guarantees TWO things: no peanuts, tree nuts, milk or eggs have ever even entered their facility, and everything they make is delicious enough to share (unlike most safe substitutes out there,) You'll find all the favorites kids love from jelly beans, gumballs and jaw breakers to carmel popcorn, cupcakes and cookies!

Wrapped in stylish blue- and white striped packaging, Divvies are perfect for birthday parties, goody bags and classroom treats, because food shouldn't stop kids from having fun.

Around the Table Gourmet Gift Shoppe now ships Divvies bakery cupcakes anywhere in the continental United States in their special bakery box -- that does double duty. You can decorate your Divvies cupcakes with your color choice of frosting and, by turning over the trays, securely bring them to the party right in the same box. So that means no plates to round up at the end of the party and no cellophane wrap to muck up your decorating.

So let them eat cake! Divvies bakes up the perfect serving size of moist, rich little cakes. And you get to slather them with as much creamy, sweet icing as you want. And, go ahead... dump as many gourmet sprinkles (non-pareils, if you please) on the top. The delight is in the details, and they're completely up to you. With or without food allergies your party-ers will say "wow"! Divvies is Kosher and perfect for all Vegan guests as well.

Divvies has created a way for everyone to get together ... so go ahead and plan your own sweet celebration!

January Is All About Comfort Food

This is the time of year when my nesting gene kicks in and all I want to do it cook. My go-to recipes at this time of year are usually one-pot meals because they save time and energy and are less to clean up afterwards.

Beef Barley Vegetable Soup, Chicken and Stuffing Casserole and Sausage and Rice Bake have been some of my recent favorites, all of which can be eaten out of a deep bowl with a spoon which, in my opinion, adds to the comfort of the dish.

One humbled and beloved comfort food, however, that will never make it to my table is Tuna (gulp) Noodle Casserole. Yes, I love fresh tuna steaks on the grill and I am a tuna on rye girl when I eat at a diner, but put tuna from a can in a thick, creamy sauce ... and serve it HOT? I just can't do it.

I have alot of guilt about banning this concoction from my repitore because, although my children wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot fork, it happens to be one of my husband's favorite foods from his childhood. Perhaps it's just that I haven't found the right recipe for it (in 20 years of marriage), but more likely it's because I find it impossible to cook something I don't enjoy eating myself.

But this is a new year, a fresh start, a new beginning. Maybe this is the year I should put my own negative thoughts of this traditional (shiver) comfort food aside. Maybe I could test a handful of recipes from some well-known cookbook authors. Maybe I could try eating it out at a restaurant where I don't have to see it being prepared. Maybe I could wait until I have a really bad cold to make it so my taste buds won't be on their game.

Maybe I could just call his mother and have her make it for him. That's definitely something I could swallow.