Thursday, February 4, 2010

The History of Valentine's Day

The History of Valentine's Day

Every February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this holiday? The history of Valentine's Day — and its patron saint — is shrouded in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.

One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men — his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

Posted by ibecookingaprons at 7:28 AM

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Recipes 4 u

Cupcakes

Cupcakes
Clown Cupcakes

Clown Cupcakes

Clown Cupcakes Ingredients 1 pk Yellow cake mix* 12 Scoops vanilla ice cream 1 pk (12) sugar ice cream cones 1 cn Refrigerated whipped cream Colored decors Candies for eyes, nose, mouth Clown Cupcakes Directions Preheat oven to 350 F. Place 2 1/2 inch paper liners in 24 muffin cups. Prepare, bake and cool cupcakes following package directions. To assemble each clown, remove paper from cupcake. Place top-side down on serving plate. Top with scoop of ice cream. Place cone on ice cream for hat. Spray whipped cream around bottom of cupcake for collar. Spray three small dots up front of cone. Sprinkle whipped cream with assorted colored decors. Use candies to make clown face. Note: This recipe makes 24 cupcake, 12 to make into clowns, and 12 to freeze for later use. Cupcakes will keep frozen in airtight container for up to 6 weeks. Tip: For easier preparation, make the ice cream balls ahead of time. Scoop out balls of ice cream, place on baking sheet or in bowl and return of freezer to firm.

Going to Buy Coffee Beans? Read This First!

People who don’t know the many benefits of coffee beans often want to know why people buy coffee beans in the first place when you can purchase a jar of ordinary coffee. A can of decent coffee is just as good, they say. But is it really? What many people don’t know is that there are more than twenty different kinds of coffee beans all with differing tastes and flavors. However, coffee beans can divided into two main types. Avid coffee drinkers might already be familiar with the many different kinds of coffee beans that can be purchased. Coffea Arabica is the scientific name of a type of coffee bean that makes up between sixty to seventy percent of the world’s consumption. This is also the type that most people like out of the many other types. This type of coffee bean is also very expensive largely because of the strict growing conditions required to grow this type of coffee. Coffee Arabica plants need a certain altitude in which they can thrive which should be at least a few thousand feet above sea level. These plants should also be grown in a temperature between 65- 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Coffea canephora, commonly known as Robusta, is the less popular of the two coffee beans. It makes up only 30%-40% of the world’s coffee consumption. It is considered to be of an inferior quality when compared to the more popular Coffea Areabica and more times then not it cannot be bought separately. The Robusta coffee bean is grown at around the mid eighties Fahrenheit and will grow practically anywhere. This type of bean is also a bit bitter and the majority of people don’t like it as much for this reason. This lower quality, somewhat bitter coffee Robusta is often used as filler coffee beans with coffee Arabica to reduce the overall cost of the better tasting and more expensive Arabica coffee. A majority of times when you do purchase coffea Arabica it is mixed with Robusta. Regardless of which you prefer, the Arabica based coffees or if you prefer the Robusta varieties, the freshest and best tasting coffee is always going to be achieved by grinding up fresh coffee beans. When you buy coffee at the supermarket you can either buy ground coffee by the can or bag or more times then not you can buy coffee beans and grind them right there in the store. However, even when you buy coffee beans that you ground up in the store they will start to taste stale within the first week. The best alternative is to purchase only small batches of whole coffee beans and grind them at home as you need them. Coffee grinders are widely available and fairly inexpensive, so it’s worth the money to buy coffee beans and grind them yourself. About the Author: Are you ready to buy coffee beans? If you buy coffee beans make sure you buy them in little amounts to make sure they are fresh. Buying small quantities of coffee beans is a great way to be able to experiment with different gourmet flavors without getting stuck with a coffee you truly don’t like.

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advertise at The Posh Market

advertise at The Posh Market

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The Hills Lauren Conrad

The Hills Lauren Conrad
Mtvs Lauren Conrad

Favorite books

L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad Unashamed are we to admit that Monday nights used to be dedicated to Ben and Jerry's and The Hills. Lauren Conrad and crew provided some of the most dramatic (staged) and juicy scenes we've seen since Dallas and in past weeks, we've hung on to see if Speidi would accidentally fall off the Earth or not. Much to our dismay, they still exist, but the show is not going to be starring our fav LC any longer. Her latest conquest, L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad ($17.99), is a novel loosely based on the pop tart's personal and professional life. Sure it'll stall for us for a few Mondays, but nothing can ever top the ridiculous magic that is The Hills.

New Moms Show Aprons Are For Bathing, Not Cooking

Leave it to a mom to come up with a way to make bath time easier. The Babywrapper is such a simple concept, you will be asking yourself why no one thought of it earlier. read more »Tech-norati Tags: Baby News Parenting Products baby towel bath bathtime new mom pregnancy baby shower gift christmas present

Moms Aprons for Bathing

Moms Aprons for Bathing

Make A Apron From Old Jeans

The idea behind this is the fact that next week, the 12th May to be precise is National Wear Your Apron Day, so naturally we though that it would be nice if you made your own apron from an old pair of jeans. What you will need for this task: Supplies: Pant leg Bias tape binding 1″ twill tape ...