[1] Nugget, the honey bear gets a new job: as a drink holder, served in a rocks glass with a garnish of leaves (substitute something edible, like pineapple or cucumber spears). Concept from Sunday In Brooklyn, photo by Eric Medsker.

The honey bear bottle: so adorable that many people choose their honey just because of the container.

But what happens when the honey is gone? Before we saw this photo, we had no use—and no space—for the empty containers.

Although it can be used as a squeeze bottle for anything, we had enough squeeze bottles.

So our honey bears were recycled into the plastic trash.

After we saw this honey-accented cocktail served in a honey bear (photo #1), we had second thoughts, and looked online for a source for empty honey bear bottles. We found two companies that appear to have no minimum order:

 
Today, you can find honey bears in the original size that holds 8 ounces of honey (or other product), as well as 12-ounce and 24-ounce sizes.

While a patent for a honey bear bottle design was applied for several years earlier by Edward Rachins, the first honey bear was manufactured and sold in 1957 by Ralph and Luella Gamber, the founders of Dutch Gold Honey.

They were looking for a unique container for their honey, and their design was an instant hit.

The bottle has become so iconic, that in 2007, Dutch Gold held a naming contest for the honey bear. The Gamber family selected “Nugget” from among the entries [source].

The honey bear has been used for other products. We’ve seen them with maple syrup, for example.

And The Carey Company, manufacturers of the bottles, has a Pinterest page showing, among other things, empty bottles turned into:

 
So the next time you finish the honey in your Honey Bear, wash him and put him aside. When you have two empties, use them to serve a cocktail or mocktail to your “honey.”

Not everyone wants chocolate for Valentine’s Day. Here are three better-for-you options for that someone special.
 
 
1. LAUDEMIO FRESCOBALDI EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

There are enough excellent EVOOs out there to make decision-making difficult. So here’s an easy choice:

Marchesi de Frescobaldi Laudemio Harvest Extra Virgin Olive Oil (photo #1). Silky and elegant, this olive oil is so good we prefer it to butter on our bread, drizzle it over vanilla ice cream, anoint a great steak and yes, dress a salad. The oil is so good, you don’t need vinegar—just a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime.

The Frescobaldi family has been making wine in Tuscany since 1000 C.E., and olive oil since 1300.

In the Middle Ages, Laudemio was the term given to the best part of the harvest, the EVOO destined for the table of the lord of the manor. Today, the name Laudemio Frescobaldi is given to one of the finest expressions of extra virgin olive oil.

This 2018 harvest marks the 30th anniversary of the Laudemio brand. For this special occasion, the olive oil has been packaged in a beautiful gold bottle, reminiscent of a perfume bottle owned by the Marchesa Fiorentina Bona Frescobaldi. The bottle is a keeper: When you’ve finished the contents, refill it with the current vintage.

The 2018 vintage, just pressed in October, is fresh, delectable and waiting for anyone who appreciates fine olive oil.

You can purchase it on Amazon ($43.99) and at other retailers. Here’s more about Laudemio.
 
 
2. SNAKE RIVER FARMS WAGYU

Snake River Farms is one of the country’s best purveyors of fine meats. For a protein-packed gift, they’ve chosen three gift packages:

 
There are many other meaty gifts to consider. Their Kurobuta ham is perhaps the best ham in our memory.

See all of the choices at SnakeRiverFarms.com.
 
 
3. YONANAS FROZEN TREAT MAKER

Yonanas was created for ice cream and sorbet fans who want the experience without the refined sugar.

It turns fresh fruit into soft serve “sorbet,” by processing the fresh fruit in the machine (photo #3).

Yonanas almost instantly transforms your favorite fruits—bananas, berries, mango, pineapple, the whole fruit department—into a silky-smooth frozen confection. All you have to do is pre-freeze the fruit.

[1] Outstanding extra virgin olive oil in a 30th anniversary gold bottle (photo courtesy Laudemio Frescobaldi).

[2] Wagyu for an intimate dinner for two (photo courtesy Snake River Farms).

[3] No-sugar-added sorbet, ready in a minute with the Yonanas Frozen Treat Maker (photo courtesy Yonanas).

There’s no sugar added. If your fruit ends up lacking in natural sweetness, our hacks are to sprinkle the sorbet with a bit of agave, honey or Splenda.

Yonanas Classic is available at retailers nationwide starting at $39.99. Check it out at Yonanas.com.

[1] Share the love with heart-shape brownies.

[2] Dutched cocoa removes the bitterness by adjusting the pH with alkali.

[3] Use the best quality chocolate chips. We like Ghirardelli and Guittard (photos 1, 2 and 3 courtesy King Arthur Flour)

[4] Dutched cocoa at left, and natural cocoa at right (photo courtesy Silk Road Spice Merchant).

If you want to do something special for Valentine’s Day but are short on time, here’s a hack for this recipe:

All you need are a brownie mix and a heart-shape cookie cutter.

We prefer made-from-scratch, of course. The recipe below is from King Arthur Flour.

You can save time with the from-scratch recipe by omitting the chocolate ganache. Brownies are plenty sweet and chocolatey without topping them with more sweet chocolate.

If you do want the ganache, we suggest the drizzle rather than the full ganache coating (i.e., frosting).

Prep time is 20 minutes, bake time is 28 to 30 minutes.
 
 
RECIPE: VALENTINE BROWNIES

Ingredients For 3 Dozen 2″ Hearts

 
For A Ganache Drizzle

 
-or-

For A Full Ganache Coating

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9″ x 13″ pan. Line with parchment and grease the parchment. While this step isn’t strictly necessary, it makes getting the brownies out of the pan a whole lot easier.

2. MAKE the brownies: In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, or in a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter. Then add the sugar and stir to combine.

3. RETURN the mixture to the heat (or microwave) briefly, just until it’s hot (about 110°F to 120°F) but not bubbling. It will become shiny-looking as you stir it. Heating this mixture a second time will dissolve more of the sugar, which will yield a shiny top crust on your brownies.

4. STIR in the cocoa, salt, baking powder, and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs, stirring until smooth; then add the flour, chips and espresso powder, again stirring until smooth. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.

5. BAKE the brownies for 28 to 30 minutes, until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. The brownies should feel set on the edges and barely set in the center.

7. USE a 2″ heart cutter to cut 3 dozen hearts out of the brownies (or use a smaller or larger cutter to cut more or fewer hearts.) Place the hearts on a rack set over a piece of parchment or waxed paper.

8. DECIDE whether you want to drizzle the hearts with ganache, or coat them completely. You’ll make the lesser amount of ganache for drizzling, the greater amount for glazing.

9. MAKE the ganache: Combine the chips, cream and corn syrup in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat until the cream is very hot.

10. STIR the mixture until the chips melt. Then, drizzle over the brownie hearts or spread to cover completely.
 
 
NATURAL VS. DUTCHED (DUTCH PROCESS) COCOA

Cocoa powder in its untreated state is called natural cocoa. It is yellowish-brown in color.

Dutched chocolate, or Dutch process chocolate, is a deeper brown color, which leads most people to think that it is richer and has more chocolate flavor.

In fact, the alkali added to Dutched cocoa changes the pH of the cocoa to make it milder in flavor than natural cocoa, not deeper.

In 1828, Coenrad Johannes van Houten, the same engineer who developed the hydraulic press that created cocoa powder by crushing the nibs to separate the fat (cocoa butter), developed the process of treating the nibs with alkaline salts (alkali)* to neutralize the acidity and bitterness prior to crushing.

Van Houten was Dutch, so the process became known as Dutch process, or Dutching.

No Substitutions!

Because the pH is changed, you should not substitute these two types of cocoas in baking. While both will make a nice cup of cocoa, leavening will vary because of the differing acidities.

Here’s more about it.
________________

*Alkali is a chemical salt that neutralizes or effervesces with acids, such as lime or soda. If you remember back to high school chemistry, it turns litmus paper blue. The process darkens the cocoa powder, changes its taste by reducing bitterness, and increases the dispersability of cocoa powder for various applications such as flavoring beverages.

For Martini lovers, here’s a twist for Valentine’s Day:

A peppadew stands in for a red heart on the cocktail pick, along with anything else you like. (Or, you can stack two or three peppadews on a pick.)
 
 
ADDITIONAL MARTINI GARNISHES

 
 
RECIPE: PEPPADEW MARTINI

Ingredients Per Drink

 
Preparation

1. PREPARE the cocktail pick. Shake the gin and vermouth with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

2. ADD the cocktail pick and serve.
 
Variation

Although we love the visual of the clear Martini and the red peppadew, you can apply the Dirty Martini approach by mixing some of the juice from the peppadew bottle into the Martini.
 
 
WHAT ARE PEPPADEWS?

These bush fruits from South African add “pep” to food and drink. They are available in mild and hot versions.

Here’s the scoop.

More Ways To Use Peppadews

[1] Say “I love you” with a peppadew (photo courtesy DeLallo Foods).

[2] You can also use peppadews to garnish Bloody Marys, or as part of a relish tray or antipasto plate (photo courtesy Murray’s Cheese).

[3] Peppadew and brie crostini. Here’s the recipe from Castello Cheese.

[1] A favorite sweet treat: the Cosmopolitan. Here’s the recipe (photo courtesy Kitchen Swagger).

[2] For savory palates, the Bloody Mary is spot on. Here are recipes (photo courtesy Bonefish Grill).

[3] Pink sparkling: affordable and delicious (photo courtesy Martini & Rossi).

A couple of years ago, we proposed a Valentine’s Day dinner/buffet with all pink and red foods.

This year, we’re taking things easy: just cocktails and light appetizers. And we’re going one step easier:
 
 
THE DRINKS

 
You can also offer:

 
 
For the alcohol averse:

 
 
DRINK GARNISHES

We’ve omitted organic rose petals in favor of garnishes that everyone likes to eat.

 
 
Don’t forget the ice!
 
 
PINK APPETIZERS

If you’re inviting a cohort of friends who ask “What can I bring,” assign them a pink or red appetizer. Here are some ideas:

 
You can also assign a Valentine soundtrack to the group’s musicologist.

Next step: Send out a brief invite.