Love is in the air

By Chef Ed Dychauco, RN

Thursday, February 10, 2011

CUPIDS and heart-shaped cut-outs, bows and arrows, stuffed toys, red-colored dresses, shirts and what-nots, red roses and other red flowers. What do all these tell us? It means it is Valentine's Day once again.

That's what I love when the year is ending and when the year is starting. It is an unending celebration of love, sweetness, togetherness and of course, gift-giving!

Last year we had the chance of celebrating Chinese New Year and Valentine's Day in one day, which comes like one in many, many, many years. It was such an enormous merriment having to give someone we love with a present, coupled with much love and care.

This year, just like any other years before, malls, stores, shops, restaurants and other establishments have started decorating and beautifying their areas with "something red, something heart and cupidy, which ushers the start of the heart month. Sometimes I wish all our love can be found all year round, all 365 days and there will be peace. World Peace!

In the tradition that Pots & Pans has started 35 years ago, we are again offering a wide array of sinful, rich, elegant desserts, cakes and pastries for your love ones, which is very affordable to all walks of life.

Our best-selling heart-shaped cookies now come in three sizes and are decorated with red-colored candy icing. Wrapped in a plastic bag or boxed and ribboned, these buttery melt-in-your-mouth cookies are sure to bring sparkle in the receiver's eyes! Price ranges from P15 and up.

We have also included Heart-shaped cookies on a stick for that special touch. Given a day's notice, we can personalize your message to be written in the cookie(s). Some famous lines include: Happy Valentine, Be Mine, I Love You, Truly, Always, Love Me, Take Care, I do, Happy Hearts Day.

What is Valentine's Day without chocolates? This year we have also expanded our repertoire on our chocolate lines. We continue to make and sell our much-loved chocolate candy lollipops that ranges from P10 and up. We only use high grade quality imported dark luscious chocolate that is very smooth and velvety in texture and feel. With advance notice, we can also incorporate rice crispies into the chocolate for that extra crunch and bite. We have also chocolate candies in paper cups that comes in 8's, 10's or 12's packed in a see-through plastic container and ribboned that can cost about P35 and up.

Chocolate Cakes! Either filled with coffee filling, cream filling or chocolate filling and iced with chocolate fudge icing or boiled icing, we can also do personalization on what you want to be written on the cake(s). Size of the cakes can start at 4" to 7" or 8" to as big as 15"-16" which can feed a whole family!

Cupcakes can come in different flavors. But for this special time of the year, we would greatly advice our valued customers to go for either the chocolate chiffon or chocolate cupcakes. Filled with chocolate or mocha cream, these cupcakes will surely be remembered for a long, long time! These delicious cupcakes can also be iced with boiled icing, butter cream or chocolate fudge frosting and decorated with a single sugar rose flower (for that special touch!), or any other flower, sprinkles or anything edible or not. It can also be individually boxed and ribboned for that elegant touch. Price range? P20 and up.

We came out with something that many of our valued customers liked years ago. It's the sweet, crunchy buttered Popcorn. And for this occasion, we made it into heart shapes and colored it red, of course. But the difference is that, we put it on a stick, too. So that it would look like you are giving a bouquet of something edible yet sweet and colorful.

We also turned our delicious doughnut into what else? Heart-shaped doughnuts. Glazed with dark chocolate and topped with assorted valentine-themed sprinkles. A must-buy indeed!

For those who want something savory, we have also corned beef pie and chicken pie. All of these in "heart" shape in time for the season.

Well, the list can go on and on. But I guess these are the most sellable items on hand for now. Try to check out our new location. We have more products to offer. Visit us at Pots & Pans, 12th-16th streets, Nazareth, Cagayan de Oro City (near Nazareth Tennis Court).

By the way, I would like to thank the hosts, staff and crew of "Pamahaw Espesyal" for inviting me and featuring our Valentine Sweets on February 9, 2011.

Have a great and memorable Valentine's Day with your love one this year! (Website: www.potsnpans1976.weebly.com, email: potsnpans1976@yahoo.com)

Published in the Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro newspaper on February 11, 2011.