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Just have fun!  :))))))

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I’ve been thinking about what to do this year. It’s one of my favorite days of the year, as I get to share some extra love for my amazing wife Jackie, my beautiful daughters and their significant others, and of course the grandkids. I thought about the traditional candy and flowers and goodies and a night out – but think what I’ll try this year is to just stay home and make a fun meal together with Jackie. And try to have some of the family over too!  Now I’m not a chef – although I certainly know my way around the kitchen!  It is amazing how many bowls I can use while preparing the sumptuous feast! I went online and typed in “homemade Valentine’s Day dinners” and boom, up came tons of ideas. According to the writers, “whatever Valentine’s dinner ideas you choose, it’ll be fine. The care you put into cooking for someone is much more important than whether you splash out on caviar and lobster or spend half your grocery budget on a bottle of Champagne. None of those things are Jackie and I anyway. Jackie just has fun with me asking her questions on various seasonings and cooking times. Below are links to recipes including creamy pastas, easy risotto, impressive but foolproof soup, yummy steaks, and more. (I have chosen some of my favorites to get you going). Once your main course is settled, it’s time to start thinking about simple appetizers, dessert (something chocolate of course), wine or your favorite beverage of choice. Have fun– and wish me luck in the kitchen!  Special thanks to foodnetwork.com, delish.com and millesimal.com for the ideas and YouTube.com for the tunes.  ENJOY!!

34 Special Recipes
Steve’s Picks: Check out – You Won’t Be Single for Long Vodka Cream Pasta, Beef Wellington, Prosciutto, Brie and Apricot Crostini, Surf and Turf sans the asparagus.

50 Romantic Dinners
Steve’s Picks: Check out – Creamy Steak Fettuccine, French Onion Gnocchi Soup, , Honey Garlic Salmon,  + boyfriend steak! ( Nothing like a good steak!)

Best Wines to Compliment
Steve’s Picks: Check Out – ALL!

YouTube Dinner Music

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DO YOU LIKE CONTESTS?
Me, too.

As you may know the Kowalski Heat Treating logo finds its way
into the visuals of my Friday posts.
I.  Love.  My.  Logo.
One week there could be three logos.
The next week there could be 15 logos.
And sometimes the logo is very small or just a partial logo showing.
But there are always logos in some of the pictures.
So, I challenge you, my beloved readers, to count them and send me a
quick email with the total number of logos in the Friday post.
On the following Tuesday I’ll pick a winner from the correct answers
and send that lucky person some great KHT swag.
So, start counting and good luck!  
Oh, and the logos at the very top header don’t count.
Got it? Good.  :-))))
Have fun!!

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SWAK

 

I love Valentines Day and all the sweet things it brings!!

OK gang – this is public service “heads up” from your buds at KHT … next Monday is Valentines Day.  That gives you the rest of today and the weekend to get something special for your loved one(s). I’ll admit, I’m a bit of a softie when it comes to Valentine’s Day – Jackie and I have a tradition on Valentine’s gifts going back to when we were dating.  Since she still loves me I don’t mess with a good thing!  Jackie has always found cool gifts for the girls (and now the grandbabies).  I especially like chocolate covered peanuts or raisins or those little crunchy things (surprise?).  As a kid, I can remember the little boxes we’d get, and the joy (or disappointment of taking a nibble into the candy – to find nuts or jelly or “eeuuuwww” not sure.  Gently putting it back in the box was an art (hey, just sharing with my brothers and sisters).  The legend of St. Valentine dates back to the Roman times, and many of the traditions built up over the centuries still carry forward today.  Here’s some fun info – thanks to History.com and Wikipedia.  Enjoy – and be sure to get something special this year – we all need some extra love these days!!

  • Valentine’s Day occurs every February 14 across the United States and in other places around the world – candy, flowers and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine.
  • 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. 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. Still others insist that it was Saint Valentine of Terni, a bishop, who was the true namesake of the holiday. He, too, was beheaded by Claudius II outside Rome.
  • Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first “valentine” greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl—possibly his jailor’s daughter—who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today.
  • Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories all emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and—most importantly—romantic figure. By the Middle Ages, perhaps thanks to this reputation, Valentine would become one of the most popular saints in England and France.
  • While some believe that Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine’s death or burial—which probably occurred around A.D. 270—others claim that the Christian church may have decided to place St. Valentine’s feast day in the middle of February in an effort to “Christianize” the pagan celebration of Lupercalia. Celebrated at the ides of February, or February 15, Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.
  • To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at a sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification. They would then strip the goat’s hide into strips, dip them into the sacrificial blood and take to the streets, gently slapping both women and crop fields with the goat hide. Far from being fearful, Roman women welcomed the touch of the hides because it was believed to make them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city’s bachelors would each choose a name and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage.
  • Lupercalia survived the initial rise of Christianity but was outlawed—as it was deemed “un-Christian”—at the end of the 5th century, when Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine’s Day. It was not until much later, however, that the day became definitively associated with love. During the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds’ mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of Valentine’s Day should be a day for romance. The English poet Geoffrey Chaucer was the first to record St. Valentine’s Day as a day of romantic celebration in his 1375 poem “Parliament of Foules,” writing, “For this was sent on Seynt Valentyne’s day / Whan every foul cometh ther to choose his mate.”
  • Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages, though written Valentine’s didn’t begin to appear until after 1400. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. (The greeting is now part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England.)
  • Cupid is often portrayed on Valentine’s Day cards as a naked cherub launching arrows of love at unsuspecting lovers. But the Roman God Cupid has his roots in Greek mythology as the Greek god of love, Eros.
  • According to the Greek Archaic poets, Eros was a handsome immortal who played with the emotions of Gods and men, using golden arrows to incite love and leaden ones to sow aversion. It wasn’t until the Hellenistic period that he began to be portrayed as the mischievous, chubby child he’d become on Valentine’s Day cards.
  • Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began selling the first mass-produced valentines in America. Howland, known as the “Mother of the Valentine,” made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as “scrap.” Today, according to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated 145 million Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year, making Valentine’s Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year (more cards are sent at Christmas).
  • By the 1840s, the notion of Valentine’s Day as a holiday to celebrate romantic love had taken over most of the English-speaking world. It was Cupid’s golden age: The prudish Victorians adored the notion of courtly love and showered each other with elaborate cards and gifts. Into this love-crazed fray came Richard Cadbury, scion of a British chocolate manufacturing family and responsible for sales at a crucial point in his company’s history. Cadbury had recently improved its chocolate making technique so as to extract pure cocoa butter from whole beans, producing a more palatable drinking chocolate than most Britons had ever tasted. This process resulted in an excess amount of cocoa butter, which Cadbury used to produce many more varieties of what was then called “eating chocolate.” Richard recognized a great marketing opportunity for the new chocolates and started selling them in beautifully decorated boxes that he himself designed.
  • From that point, it was a quick jump to taking the familiar images of Cupids and roses and putting them on heart-shaped boxes. While Richard Cadbury didn’t actually patent the heart-shaped box, it’s widely believed that he was the first to produce one. Cadbury marketed the boxes as having a dual purpose: When the chocolates had all been eaten, the box itself was so pretty that it could be used again and again to store mementos, from locks of hair to love letters. The boxes grew increasingly elaborate until the outbreak of World War 2, when sugar was rationed and Valentine’s Day celebrations were scaled down. But Victorian-era Cadbury boxes still exist, and many are treasured family heirlooms or valuable items prized by collectors.
  • About 60 million pounds of chocolate is sold in the seven days leading up to Valentines Day (video ), and about 145 million greeting cards are exchanged. (make your own)

 

I couldn’t resist sharing this photo… Happy Valentines Day!!!!!! 

 

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DO YOU LIKE CONTESTS?
Me, too.

As you may know the Kowalski Heat Treating logo finds its way
into the visuals of my Friday posts.
I.  Love.  My.  Logo.
One week there could be three logos.
The next week there could be 15 logos.
And sometimes the logo is very small or just a partial logo showing.
But there are always logos in some of the pictures.
So, I challenge you, my beloved readers, to count them and send me a
quick email with the total number of logos in the Friday post.
On the following Tuesday I’ll pick a winner from the correct answers
and send that lucky person some great KHT swag.
So, start counting and good luck!  
Oh, and the logos at the very top header don’t count.
Got it? Good.  :-))))
Have fun!!

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Live to be a hundred minus one day…

 

Remember the one(s) you love…Happy Valentines’ Day!

 

Love.  The universal, magical and amazing emotion we all know, (and love).  Of country, of family, of children, of grandchildren, of spouses, of those we choose to spend time with and of the work we do (did I tell you we love your PIA (Pain In The @%$) Jobs!)  I searched for words of wisdom and came across a great quote, by the prognosticator of knowledge and all things wise – love words to live by … Winnie the Pooh.

If you live to be a hundred, 
I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, 
So I never have to live without you.

Dang.  Sort of nailed it for me.  With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I thought I’d share some of the great love songs of days gone by.  Searching online, of course, you can find tons of songs, but I decided to pare it down a bit to just some classics.  Men, be sure to remember to get a card to go along with that chocolate or special gift … or wait, just be sure to remember!!  (ladies too).  Light some candles, crank up the volume, and sing along.  And special thanks to Good Housekeeping for their list, and the amazing You Tube channel for the music.  Enjoy.

Classic Top 10 Love Songs

  1. Unforgettable– Nat King Cole
  2. That’s Amore– Dean Martin 
  3. What Is This Thing Called Love– Frank Sinatra
  4. One In A Million– The Platters
  5. Twelfth of Never– Johnny Mathis
  6. At Last– Etta James
  7. I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You– Elvis Presley
  8. My Girl– The Temptations
  9. L-O-V-E– Nat King Cole
  10. All You Need Is Love– The Beatles

BONUS
Steve’s Favorites: You can ask Jackie and the girls!

  1. Butterfly Kisses – Bob Carlisle
  2. If – Bread
  3. That’s How You Know  – Amy Adams – movie – Enchanted

Find other great Love Songs HERE

(clockwise from top left) Nat King Cole; The Platters; The Temptations; The Beatles; Johnny Mathis; Dean Martin; Frank Sinatra; Elvis Presley; Etta James.

 

 


 

A Day Just for Love

heart 768 blog

I love my family
I love my business
I love my life
But most of all
(if you couldn’t guess)
I love my wife.
—Steve

 

Sunday is Valentine’s Day (don’t panic) – a time for
us to show our loved ones just how much they mean to us. For
those stuck for ideas, here’s just a few to get you started.

Gifts – just go traditional – visit a candy store and pick up a nice box of chocolates (Dark) – don’t go overboard, as you’ll loose points if you buy too much. Swing by grocery store or flower shop and pick up some roses/flowers. Then, visit a dept. store and get cologne or lotion. Top it all off with a nice card and candle! Have it all ready come Sunday morning.

Cook – spend the day pampering your spouse. Start out making breakfast, and include some fun Valentine’s Day foods. Make pancakes, trim sausage patties and cut bread in heart shapes, serve strawberries dipped in chocolate, and add a little cinnamon to the coffee for an extra touch. For fun, add some food coloring to scrambled eggs to turn them pink, or make a healthy smoothie shake using red fruits. When lunch arrives, try a simple salad of greens and strawberries and tomato soup and trim the sandwich bread into heart shapes. For dinner, just make his/her favorite – or better yet try a new recipe or a new restaurant and splurge a bit on dessert or a bottle of wine.

Get Out – so much to do in town, so hit the streets – art shows, concerts, shopping venues, or just a ride in the country. Find a nice antique shop an hour or so away and combine it with lunch. Angie’s List is a great resource. Buy something silly to remember the day. If you are movie buffs, hit the matinee, and then get into the city and find a corner shop for tea or coffee.

Family – make it a day to get the family together. Stir up a big pot of chili or spaghetti sauce and invite the gang. Don’t go nuts on the details, just make it casual and fun. Keep the TV off and put away the cell phones – break out the cards and board games and enjoy the company. Surprise everyone with small, simple Valentines Day gift bags from the thrift store. Serve red velvet cake with cream cheese icing or heart shaped brownies – YUM! Cinnamon ice cream too!

Community – after church, swing by the retirement home or senior center and drop off Valentines Day goodies – small chocolates and cards. If you have time, walk the halls and visit the residents. Visit the food kitchen in town, spend some time serving meals and pass out little candies too. Get the kids involved and make it a fun outing.

Overboard – nothing like BIG surprises – airline tickets, cruise bookings, weekend getaway – if you have the means, and want to do something special …. Go for it!!

AND IF ALL ELSE FAILS, JUST WRAP YOURSELF IN A BIG RED BOW!!