[2] A caramel pecan sundae atop a caramel pecan bar (photo courtesy Go Bold With Butter).

[3] Hot fudge with blondie crumbs and raspberries (photo courtesy Elegant Affairs Caterers).

[4] Strawberry sundae with cookie crumbles (photo courtesy McConnell’s Ice Cream).

We love to entertain with DIY food bars, a.k.a. party bars, because that’s the way we like to eat.

Give us a table of ingredients and let us pick and choose what we want on top of the base food (burgers, ice cream, mac and cheese, whatever). We couldn’t be happier.

The difference between a party bar and a buffet is that a buffet sets out ready-to-eat dishes, while a DIY bar sets out the main food plus toppings, so everyone can customize their plates.

You can tell how much we like this concept, from the number of party bar concepts we’ve shared over the years (most of them are listed below).

For Super Bowl Sunday, among other favorite foods, we’re having a DIY Nachos Bar (shrimp nachos, anyone? blue and feta cheeses in addition to cheddar and jack?) and a DIY Guacamole Bar.

Tomorrow morning, we’ll start planning for Valentine’s Day. We’ll pick some of the ideas below, and conclude with the sundae bar.

New this year: a DIY Red Cocktails Bar.

To pull together your own sundae bar for Valentine’s Day, start with the Ice Cream Bar ingredients. Add some Valentine’s Day touches: Red Hots, message hearts and other Valentine candy, plus heart-shaped cookies.
 
 
DIY PARTY BARS

Yesterday we presented some non-traditional Valentine food gifts. Today, we take on the more expected categories of sweets, plus something with zero calories: artisan Valentine tea blends.

In alphabetical order, we recommend:

FEED YOUR SOUL: VEGAN BROWNIES

This bakery’s lineup includes popular cookies and bars (chocolate chip, peanut butter, etc.), but our pick for your Valentine are the vegan brownies (photo #1).

Rich, fudgy and melt-in-your-mouth, you wouldn’t know that they’re vegan. They’ll be a favorite with everyone, including the lactose-intolerant (no butter!) and kosher eaters (they’re certified kosher by OU).

The size is also great: a two-inch square: just enough to enjoy yourself, not enough to over-indulge. That’s the excuse we gave ourselves as we also dug into the magic bar and raspberry crumb cake squares.

Twelve vegan brownies, individually wrapped for freshness, arrive in a keepsake silver tin adorned with satin ribbon ($38). Get yours at FeedYourSoulBakery.com.
 
 
LITTLE BIRD KITCHEN: SPICY CHOCOLATE

With just enough spice to please, Little Bird Kitchen blends spicy Belgian chocolate—in dark, milk or white—with finely ground candied jalapeños (photo #2). Sprinkled with a touch of sea salt, they make us…happy.

The tiny bites are so irresistible, in fact, that we’re fortunate they’re made in one-ounce packages for portion control.

The cheerful white packets also make nice party favors…and down the line, stocking stuffers.

Get yours at Little Bird Kitchen.com.

You’ll also find other delights, from the simply-perfect hot and sweet candied peanuts, to chocolate drinking cups, to jalapeño simple syrup, for cocktails and ice cream topping.

The line is certified kosher (dairy) by OK.

 
QUIN CANDY: OLD-FASHIONED FAVORITES

Quin Candy makes small-batch, old-time favorites like fruity gumdrops, lollipops and hard candy (photo #3).

There are chocolate options, too: chocolate caramels, chewy chocolate dreams, chocolate lollipops, chocolate magic dust—plus pinot gris and pinot noir lollipops.

The colorful window boxes show the treats inside, and can be wrapped or handed out as party favors.

Get yours at QuinCandy.com.

Don’t overlook the Tart ‘N Fruity Old Fashioned Hard Candy, a personal favorite.

[1] Feed Your Soul’s vegan brownies melt in your mouth. They’re dairy free and kosher (photo courtesy Feed Your Soul Bakery).

[2] Little Bird Kitchen’s bites of Belgian chocolate—dark, milk or white—are perfectly spiced with jalapeno (photo courtesy BrandFire).

[3] Quin’s strawberry gum drops, one of a line of classic favorites (photo courtesy Quin Candy Co.).

[4] Fine artisan chocolates from St. Croix Chocolate Co. make any chocolate-lover’s heart go pitter patter (photo courtesy St. Croix Chocolate).

[5] Tay Tea has Valentine blends for lovers, in herbal and black blends (photo courtesy Tay Tea).

ST. CROIX CHOCOLATE CO.

Over the years we have written about many artisan chocolatiers nationwide. This year’s discovery is St. Croix Chocolate Co. of St. Croix, Minnesota (photo #4).

Great flavors and great art combine to make these delights worth sending for.

There are heart-shaped and square boxes, large and small. Extra-special is the heart-shaped edible chocolate box, filled with individual pieces.

Take a look at StCroixChocolateCo.com.
 
 
TAY TEA VALENTINE BLENDS

What’s better than something that has a heavenly aroma, glorious flavor and zero calories?

These Valentine blends from artisan tea blender Tay Tea are ready to warm up your loved ones (they’re also delicious iced):

 
If they doesn’t put recipients in an amorous mood, they will put them in a delighted one. The loose teas are available in giftable tins and apothecary jars, plus small packets if you just want to try them.

Get yours at TayTea.com.

And, they can be given as gifts for Valentine’s Day, instead of chocolate and cupcakes.

In alphabetical order, they are:
 
 
1. BLACK DIRT & CROWN MAPLE’S BOURBON

Some people think that bourbon is Jim Beam; after all, it’s the world’s best-selling brand.

But artisan brands typically put mass brands to shame; and that’s the case with Black Dirt Distillery’s handcrafted bourbon, made with Crown Maple Syrup.

Both companies are neighbors in New York State’s artisan food paradise, the Hudson Valley. Black Dirt is the first micro-distillery in New York State.

The bourbon brand takes its name from the dark, fertile soil left by an ancient glacial lake that once covered thousands of acres of upstate New York (more mastodons have been unearthed there than anywhere else on Earth). This is the first time the land has been used to grow corn for bourbon production.

The partnership, in which Black Dirt Bourbon is aged for an additional year with Crown Maple syrup, produces a spirit so smooth and sweet, you can’t help but sip it straight. It’s sheer pleasure, and may open many minds that an ounce of a fine spirit can be more enjoyable than a glass of wine.

Smooth and supple with a touch of sweetness, this is a bourbon worth seeking out.

Discover more at BlackDirtDistillery.com.
 
 
2. LAUDEMIO EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

For health-and-wellness-conscious Valentines, the gift of a luxurious bottle of extras virgin olive oil will impress.

Laudemio Extra Virgin Olive Oil is an elite, award-winning product and ambassador of Tuscan olive oil-making—the finest example of high quality extra virgin.

In medieval times. the term laudemio referred to the oil made from the finest part of the harvest. It was reserved for the feudal lord.

The name became the byword for quality and prestige. In 1986, a consortium of the highest quality olive oil producers took the name for its brand.

Laudemio Frescobaldi* is produced from the hand-harvested olives that are milled the same day at a controlled temperature at the property’s own mill (both of these are important to keep the acidity low, the oil from oxidizing).

The line of oils, made from different single origins and blends, is delicious. We know: We drank all of them from cups, and then tasted them with different foods.

Why a Valentine’s gift? Beyond the wellness angle, the Laudemio olive oil bottle is a modeled after a high-end perfume bottle

You can find Laudemio at fine retailers and online at Olio2Go.com.

For more information visit Frescobaldi.com.
________________

*The oil is distributed in partnership with the Italian vintner Frescobaldi.

[1] Smooth operator: Black Dirt artisan bourbon is beyond supple (photo courtesy Black Dirt Distillery).

[2] The Laudemio olive oil bottle is a modeled after a high-end perfume bottle (photo courtesy Laudemio Frescobaldi) .

[3] Love Crunch cereal combines dark chocolate flakes with freeze-dried berries (photo courtesy Nature’s Path).

A few months ago, we wrote about the new Chocolate Frosted Flakes from Kellogg.

But from our adult point-of-view, we prefer Love Crunch from Nature’s Path Organic. Dark chocolate flakes, made with Italian dark chocolate, are a blend of corn meal, whole grain rolled oats and whole wheat meal. The bonus is a sprinkling of freeze-dried berries, pink nuggets that dot the dark chocolate flakes.

And, the sweetness level is geared to an adult palate, compared to the more sugary flavor of the Frosted Flakes.

If there’s a better Valentine breakfast cereal, we haven’t found it.

The cereal is certified USDA Organic, Non GMO and OU(D) Kosher. For more information, head to Nature’s Path. Note that these are the chocolate cereal flakes, which are also available in Dark Chocolate Macaroon and Dark Chocolate & Peanut Butter. The brand also makes Love Crunch granola and granola bars in a variety of flavors.

[5] Rip Van Wafels is easily portable, and definitely a crunch treat (photo courtesy Rip Van Wafels).

[6] Skip the donut; this Dutch-style wafle is better for you (photo courtesy Men’s Fitness—read what they have to say about its healthful qualities).

4. LUCKY TRAVELER BLACKBERRY SHANDY

Shandy is a beer mixed with a soft drink or juice; it can be carbonated or still. Apple juice, ginger ale, ginger beer, lemonade and orange juice are popular pairings.

In the case of Blackberry Shandy, blackberry juice and lemon peel are added to the brew. The result is a mild fruity sweetness, a beer that can be drunk as an aperitif, with most courses, including cheese, dessert and a box of chocolates.

Its blush rose color is right for Valentine’s Day. You can even use it to marinate berries or a mixed fruit salad, or substitute it for regular beer in recipes.

Discover more at TravelerBeer.com

Hack: Mix a wheat ale with pomegranate or other red juice. Try half-and-half, then adjust according to your palate.

Discover more at TravelerBeer.com.
 
 
5. RIP VAN WAFELS WAFFLE COOKIES

This gift is for coffee lovers, but you don’t need a cup of coffee to enjoy a crunchy snack of Rip Van Wafels, another health-and-wellness gift idea.

Stroopwafels (syrup waffles) are an old Dutch treat, invented in the town of Gouda in 1784. Two thin wafers are sandwiched around a thin filling, traditionally a soft, chewy caramel-flavored syrup.

The traditional way to eat them is with a cup of coffee, tea or cocoa. Just before it is consumed, the stroopwafel is placed on top of the hot cup in order to soften it. The filling melts, and scents of cinnamon and nutmeg are released into the air.

Originally made from leftover crumbs, the stroopwafel was not a grand treat; but in poor homes, it was an easy one to pull together.

Now, you can enjoy the treat as a better-for-you snack, individually wrapped for portability.

Rip Van Wafels has created with a health-oriented version with the nutritional needs of endurance sports athletes, such as cyclists and runners. It is relatively low in sugar (8g) while delivering good carbs that athletes need to keep energy levels high.

Flavors include:

Discover more at RipVan.com.