Sweet for my sweet, sugar for my honey!

By Ed Dychauco

IT'S heart day once again! People all over the world would once again shower their loved ones with flowers, a teddy bear, a dinner date, a layer of chocolate cake, a box of chocolates, fresh strawberries or anything that is sweet, red or pink, or "heart-shaped."

With so many things available in the market today, one can find endless treasures to give to your someone specials, be it your special someone, your parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters, teachers, friends, anyone whom you think played an important part in your life! This special day is also called "Heart Day" because it is synonymous with "love."

And since we are talking about love, isn't it just but right for us to show our love and affection to the ones we adore on this special day? Let's try to check on the things we can give.

Flowers? Roses would top the list and am sure everyone would agree with me. Red roses or pink roses would be excellent. Other colors are fine depending upon your preference. Mums and daisies would probably come close. For the elite, one can buy exotic flowers like orchids and lilies, which of course would be more expensive. I know some people would give potted plants instead, so they would "lasts" a long, long time! Artificial or silk flowers can be very nice, too. And they last indefinitely!

Chocolates? Be it local or imported, Belgian or not, be it dark or white or red or pink, this would sometime take the "first place" in gift-giving for this special day. Some would even include this with flowers they give. Sometimes, a stuffed toy or both (depending on the budget). Chocolate cakes? Talk about deep dark chocolate cake, chocolate moist cake, black forest torte, chocolate strawberry cake, etc. The list would go on and on, some even put fresh roses on the cake, too! Call that ingenuity or just being practical!

Cookies and pastries? Heart-shaped cookies and brownies are the in-thing for the more budget conscious individuals. Cookies that is decorated and written with "I Love You!, Be Mine!, Be My Love! Happy Valentines!" would be appropriate. Brownies, be it heart-shaped or just regular shape is just fine. A dinner date? Unless you have pre-arranged or early reservations, you might have to wait for a long time just to get a table. Worse comes to worst, there should be fastfood chains that could cater to your "short-notice" dinner. Better than nothing, I should say!

Valentine what-have-yous? Like "heart-shaped balloons, heart-shaped pillows, heart-shaped cans, heart-shaped toys, etc. The list is endless. One can easily find these "Valentine" items in department stores or malls. Prices can range from a few pesos to a couple of hundreds. This year, we, at Pots & Pans continue to offer our special goodies (yes, we do have "sugar-free" Valentine goodies!) to our ever-loyal customers at this time of year. Our best sellers would include our "signature" heart-shaped butter, chocolate or chocolate-chips cookies, mini-black forest cake, mini chocolate moist cake, chewy chocolate crinkles, heart-shaped chocolate brownies and many others.

We also accept custom-made cakes and pastries for your special someone. One can also show their love with our unique "photo-cakes" and edible image cupcakes and cookies. Pots & Pans Home Bake and Coffee Shop is located at Don Apolinar Velez St., Cagayan de Oro with tel # 72-46-74 or 858-4209 with email address: potsnpans1976@yahoo.com. Place your orders early to avoid the rush.

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