Love Amor Amore Gra Liebe

Nibble on a piece of chocolate and enjoy some fun facts about Valentine’s Day.

• In Victorian times it was considered bad luck to sign a Valentine’s Day card.
• About 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged each year. This makes it the second largest seasonal card sending time of the year
• Richard Cadbury produced the first box of chocolates for this holiday in the late 1800s.
• More than 35 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate will be sold.
• 73 percent of people who buy flowers on this day are men, while only 27 percent are women.
• There are enough candy hearts made each year to stretch from Valentine, Arizona to Rome, Italy, and back again. The number of these candy hearts produced is approximately 8 billion.
• On Valentine`s Day, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell applied for his telephone patent.
• After St. Valentine was buried, Julia, the daughter of his jailor, planted an almond tree with pink blossoms near his grave. The almond tree today is a symbol of lasting friendship and love.
• Physicians of the 1800s commonly advised their patients to eat chocolate to calm their pining for lost love.
• Teachers will receive the most Valentine’s Day cards, followed by children, mothers, wives, sweethearts and pets.

Why not try this great dessert for a Valentine’s Day treat!

Red Velvet Truffles from OMGchocolatedesserts.com

Ingredients

• box red velvet cake mix (plus ingredients listed on the box to prepare the cake)
• 8 oz cream cheese-softened
• 16 oz white chocolate
• 2 oz dark or semi-sweet chocolate

Instructions:

1. Prepare the 9 x 13 inch cake according to package instructions, let it cool completely then crumble the cake in a large bowl.
2. Add softened cream cheese and knead gently with your fingers until cream cheese is fully incorporated.
3. Roll about 1 heaping tablespoon of the mixture into balls and place on a baking sheet lined with a parchment paper. You will get about 35-40 balls. Set in the fridge to chill.
4. Melt white chocolate, remove cake balls form the fridge and using a fork dip them into melted chocolate. Place one ball at a time into the melted chocolate, roll the ball to coat evenly coat with the chocolate, then slightly tap the fork against the side of the bowl to trim the excess chocolate and place the truffle on the parchment paper. Set them back in the fridge until chocolate is firm.
5. Melt dark chocolate, transfer into a small bag, cut the corner off and pipe melted chocolate on top of the truffles.
6. Store in the fridge.

Here are some fun events around Wayne County:

~ Center Stage Theatre will present the Crubile at the Paramount THeater. Feb 7th -19th. www.goldsboroparamount.com

~ Goldsboro Parks and Recreation ANnual Daddy Daughter Dance at the Goldsboro Even Center Feb 9th from 6-8pm. $10 a ticket. 919-739-7480

~ Valentine’s Day Dinner and Painting Party at the ARts Council. Includes delicious meal and wine. $100 per couple. 919-736-3300

~ Mount Olive Chamber Banquet at the Steele Memorial Library. $25 per person. 919-738-0211

~ Feb 10th Crafts:Animal Valentin’s program will be held at 1pm at the Cliffs of the Neuse State Park. Children can pick and decorate there own animal card. Free. 919-778-6234

~ Feb 10th an evening with UMO event will take place at 6pm at The Farm at 215 Batten Road in Selma at 6pm. The semi-formal even will feature dinner, dancing, live music and raffle items. $35. bbitzenhofer@umo.ed.

~ Make your own Hisotry event for ages 13 through 18 at the Goldsboro Library from 2 to 4pm. Free. 919-735-1824

~ A girl and her books club for girls ages 6 – 10 will take place at the Goldsboro Library from 6 to 7pm. Free. 919-735-1824

~ Black Hisotry Genealogy research tips program will be held at the Goldsboro Libary from 7 to 8pm. Free. 919-735-1824

~ Feb 13th legal aid clinc at the Goldsboro Library from 2:30 to 4:30pm. Free. Participants will learn how to file for custody of a child. 919-735-1824

~Bloodmobile Feb 10th 11:00 to 3:30pm at the Berkeley Mall.

~ Once again, Chef & the Farmer is excited to celebrate Mardi Gras in our restaurant’s Gallery Room! We will be serving four New Orleans-inspired courses with one celebratory punch cocktail. Feb 13th  Our dessert course will feature our own fun twist on King Cake. Purchase your tickets today and laissez les bons temps rouler! 252- 208-2433

~ Wedding and Event Expo 2018 at the Ram Party Center 919-778-7500