Valentine's Day facts

Each one of us celebrates Valentine's Day differently. Some don't celebrate it at all. Other can't sleep at night wondering who their secret admirer might be?

So, while we wait for February 14th to come along, I'll nibble on a piece of chocolate and share some fun facts about Valentine's Day with you.

Valentine's Day related history:
- The ancient Romans celebrated the Feast of Lupercalia on February 14th in honor of Juno, the queen of the Roman gods and goddesses. Juno was also the goddess of women and marriage.
- Many believe the 'X' symbol became synonymous with the kiss in medieval times. People who couldn't write their names signed in front of a witness with an 'X.' The 'X' was then kissed to show their sincerity.
- Girls of medieval times ate bizarre foods on St. Valentine's Day to make them dream of their future spouse.
- In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who would be their Valentine. They would wear this name pinned onto their sleeves for one week for everyone to see. This was the origin of the expression "to wear your heart on your sleeve."
- In 1537, England's King Henry VII officially declared February 14th the holiday of St. Valentine's Day.
- The most fantastic gift of love is the Taj Mahal in India. It was built by Mughal Emperor Shahjahan as a memorial to his wife.
- Every Valentine's Day, the Italian city of Verona, where Shakespeare's lovers Romeo and Juliet lived, receives about 1,000 letters addressed to Juliet.

Chocolate:
- Casanova, well known as "The World's Greatest Lover," ate chocolate to make him virile.
- Physicians of the 1800's commonly advised their patients to eat chocolate to calm their pining for lost love.
- Richard Cadbury produced the first box of chocolates for Valentine's Day in the late 1800's.
- More than 35 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate will be sold for Valentine's Day.

Flowers:
- 73% of people who buy flowers for Valentine's Day are men, while only 27 percent are women.
- The red rose was the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love.
- Red roses are considered the flower of love because the color red stands for strong romantic feelings.

The ultimate Ovo cookbook

Looking for a truly Swiss cookbook? One that you can be pretty sure will make a great gift? You might even like to keep it for yourself. Your kids will love it, for sure.

The madeleines will enchant you as much as the chocolate fondant cake. The pancakes will become the Sunday special. As for the more daring, try making the Ovomaltine foie gras.

Check out the Ovo book published by helvetiq. It comes in French and German at a cost of CHF 29.-.

Helvetiq publish games for kids, families and adults in print and digital formats. They like to publish titles that catch attention and make people smile. Ones that inspire them and make them see the unknown in the familiar. Their story began in 2008 with a game about Switzerland. Success is inspiring, and so they continued to create Pictolingua, a vocabulary learning game featuring the colorful illustrations of Swiss artist Agathe Altwegg.

3 fun food facts about Switzerland

Switzerland is a mountainous country, a small, rugged island in the center of the European Union, known for its irresistible chocolate and breathtaking beauty. Here are some fun, quirky foodie tidbits about cheese, wine and chocolate.

1. Cheese Please!
Switzerland is home to 450 varieties of cheese, ranging from extra hard to soft, with crazy-hard-to-pronounce names like Sbrinz, Mutschli, Formaggini, and Tomme Vaudoise.
The Swiss even have proof of how fantastic their cheese is: out of 2,615 products entered from 22 countries in 89 categories, the Swiss took the first prize in 2014 at the World Championship Cheese Contest. The US have claimed this title in 2016. Who will be champion in 2018?

2. Swiss Drink Their Own Wine
Did you know that only about 2% of Switzerland's wine leaves the country. The Swiss produce approx. 200 million liters of wine per year and consume almost all of it themselves. Since it never goes too far, you can always count on a good homegrown drink and good company. In 2014, the average Swiss drank 33 litres of wine which puts the Swiss at 4th place worldwide for annual wine consumption per capita.

3. Swiss Love their Chocolate
Switzerland is internationally known for its high quality chocolate. But do you know just how much chocolate is made here? Between 18 Swiss chocolate companies, 181,414 tons of chocolate were produced in 2015. Roughly one third is domestic consumption thanks to the Swiss who eat over 10kg of chocolate per capita. Two thirds of the Swiss chocolate production is destined for export.

Made me smile today...

Audrey's back... as a chocoholic!

The Breakfast At Tiffany’s star has been brought back to life with CGI technology for Galaxy's latest ice cream advert which is set in the 1950s on Italy’s Amalfi Coast. It's amazing to see how far we've come with computer generated photography and film.

This definitely made me smile today.

Have a great weekend, hopefully with lots of ice cream!

You know you are in Switzerland when..

One step into Manor - Switzerland's leading department store with 61% of market share - and you'll know you are in the country of chocolate heaven. See for yourself:

Chocolate galore: where to start?

How many bunnies can I catch?

Latest novelty in the chocolate market by Favarger

A real Swiss secret: Ragusa

One of Switzerland's most recognised brands worldwide: Toblerone

A Swiss Easter classic by Lindt

The real thing: coloured eggs for the Easter egg hunt

Valentine's Day around the world

When did it all start?

There are various theories on the origin of Valentine's Day but the most popular dates back to the time of the Roman Empire during the reign of Claudius II, 270 A.D. Claudius didn't want men to marry during wartime because he believed single men made better soldiers. Bishop Valentine went against his wishes and performed secret wedding ceremonies. For this, Valentine was jailed and then executed by order of the Emperor on Feb. 14. While in jail, he wrote a love note to the jailor's daughter, signing it, "From your Valentine." Sound familiar?

More Valentine's Day-related history

The ancient Romans celebrated the Feast of Lupercalia on Feb. 14 in honor of Juno, the queen of the Roman gods and goddesses. Juno was also the goddess of women and marriage.

Many believe the X symbol became synonymous with the kiss in medieval times. People who couldn't write their names signed in front of a witness with an X. The X was then kissed to show their sincerity.

Girls of medieval times ate bizarre foods on St. Valentine's Day to make them dream of their future spouse.

In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who would be their Valentine. They would wear this name pinned onto their sleeves for one week for everyone to see. This was the origin of the expression "to wear your heart on your sleeve."

In 1537, England's King Henry VII officially declared Feb. 14 the holiday of St. Valentine's Day.

Chocolate Facts about love

Casanova, well known as "The World's Greatest Lover," ate chocolate to make him virile.

Physicians of the 1800s commonly advised their patients to eat chocolate to calm their pining for lost love.

Richard Cadbury produced the first box of chocolates for Valentine's Day in 1868.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Snackers Guide to Chocolate

Just in case you needed a guide to snacking, here's a fun infographic about chocolate. I love chocolate and I love geeky facts and this definitely tickled my fancy. Maybe I should try to reproduce this poster with photographs of real Swiss chocolate?

Indulge in 38 chocolate bars and popular treats illustrated in full cross section:

World Nutella Day on Feb 5th

Chocaholics know that there is chocolate and then there is Nutella. The creamy and delicious chocolate and hazelnut spread has been around since 1964, and despite the many imitations that have appeared in the market, Nutella continues to be the favourite guilty pleasure of chocaholics around the world.

It is not surprising that die-hard Nutella fans decided to start the Nutella Day tradition back in 2007. This sweet celebration was launched through social networks by a blogger and Nutella fan, and soon tens of thousands of like-minded Nutella devotees showed their appreciation for the chocolatey delight online.

Nutella fans of the world unite! Celebrate the existence of this delicious chocolate spread by grabbing a spoon and getting creative with hundreds of Nutella recipes. Start your Nutella Day with a classic Nutella-on-pancakes breakfast and follow with a shaken espresso with a dash of Nutella. On this day, add Nutella to your cupcakes, ice cream, mousse, or even to savory dishes. Your imagination is the limit! For inspiration click here! Nutella Recipes

If your country were a dessert...

My friends know I am a huge dessert lover, so when I came across this US map entitled United Sweets of America, I just had to share it with you.

According to our family, Switzerland's dessert would be Mousse au Chocolat, Italy would present its Tiramisù, Argentina wins with Dulce de Leche and great Britain's top dessert would have to be Trifle.

What would your home country have as a dessert?

Click on the map to make it interactive!

Nutella Croissant Pudding recipe

Sunday morning usually contains a family breakfast with pancakes or waffles. This morning I thought I'd try something new. We're on holiday so let's go over the top a little. Easy to make even for little hands:

Nutella Croissant Pudding

Ingredients:
3 croissants
6 big tablespoons of nutella
¼ cup pecan halves
Custard
2 eggs
1 cup thickened cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup caster sugar
Preparation:
1.) Preheat oven to 180C fan forced
2.) Cut croissants in half lengthways
3.) Spread two heaped tablespoon of nutella onto one side of each croissant
4.) Put halves back together and then cut croissant in half to make six pieces
5.) Place croissants into a small ovenproof dish
6.) Sprinkle pecans over croissants
7.) Add custard ingredients into a large jug and whisk to combine
8.) Pour custard mixture over croissants
9.) Press each croissant into custard mixture
10.) Cover with foil and bake in oven for 25 minutes
11.) Remove foil and bake for a further 10 minutes or until golden
12.) Serve warm with icecream

No.1 tourist attraction in Romandie, Switzerland

The Swiss Museum of Transport is the N°1 tourist attraction in the German part of Switzerland, but do you know which one is the most popular in Romandie?

Here is a little preview of what awaits you at the Maison Cailler in Broc near Gruyère.



Which do you think is Ticino's top tourist attraction? Here is a list of 121 tourist attractions throughout the Ticino:  http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Switzerland/Cantone_Ticino.

Art & Pastry Festival in Lugano

You are invited to the 1st International Festival dedicated to Pastry. Yes, that's right. Macaroons and muffin galore and much, much more. Follow the passion for taste and discover new concoctions in this scrumptious industry.

The first edition of the Art & Pastry Festival in Lugano is putting the final touches to the organization of an extensive program of lectures, courses, round-table conferences, workshops and contests.

Maîtres chocolatier, master pastry chefs and cake designers of international renown will let you in on their secret techniques and tell you about trends and evolutions of the trade. It will take place on the weekend of 2nd and 3rd March, and will consist of more than 30 activities.

During the two days of the festival, conferences and courses will alternate with tastings and exhibitions open to the public. Get ready for a show between art and haute cuisine designed for professionals as well as baking fans and the curious.

For a detailed programme of Art and Pastry click here: http://www.artandpastry.com/pdf/A&P-programma.pdf
In order to sign up for a hands-on course click here: http://www.artandpastry.com/corsi.
To participate in the presentation labs click here: http://www.artandpastry.com/laboratori.

Venue: International Festival of Pastery
Where: Palazzo dei Congressi, Piazza Indipendenza,4, 6900 Lugano
When: March 2nd & 3rd, 2013
Time: 09:00 to 19:00

Entrance fee:
1 day pass: CHF 12.-
2 day pass: CHF 18.-
Free for kids up to 10 years and seniors over 65

Say "I love you" with chocolate

The two Swiss products I ALWAYS export, no matter where in the world we live, are Champions' Birchermüsli and Cailler dark chocolate. I would add Luxemburgerli and Cervelat saugages but they don't travel well.

With Valentine's Day coming up Cailler are launching their yearly chocolate treat: create an e-chocolate card and send it to your sweetheart. You'll automatically enter the Valentine's Day competition and could win a course for 2 at the Atelier du Chocolat, and a selection of Frigor tablets.

Just click here to participate: http://www.cailler.ch/en/contests/brand/frigor-st-valentin/

While you wait for the big day, you are only a click away of some of the most scrumptious chocolate recipes: www.cailler.ch/en/recipes.

Even better, if you happen to travel passed Broc near Gruyère why not stop for a tour of the Maison Cailler. Your kids can register for the “Future chocolatiers” workshop, where young confectioners can choose their ingredients and their favourite mould, then decorate their creation however they wish. And, afterwards, they can take it home to enjoy themselves or to give as a present.

Mmmmmhhhhhhh.......

Good advice on Stress

A young lady confidently walked around the room while leading and explaining stress management to an audience with a raised glass of water. Everyone knew she was going to ask the ultimate question, 'half empty or half full?'...

She fooled them all .... "How heavy is this glass of water?" she inquired with a smile. Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.

She replied , "The absolute weight doesn't matter.
It depends on how long I hold it.
If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem.
If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm.
If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.
In each case it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes." She continued, "and that's the way it is with stress.

If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on."

"As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden - holding stress longer and better each time practiced.

So, as early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don't carry them through the evening and into the night... Pick them up tomorrow.

1 * Accept the fact that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue!

2 * Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

3 * Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.

4 * Drive carefully... It's not only cars that can be recalled by their Maker..

5 * If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague

6 * If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

7 * It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.

8 * Never buy a car you can't push.

9 * Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.

10 * Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

11 * Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.

12 * The second mouse gets the cheese.

13 * When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

14 * Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.

16 * Some mistakes are too much fun to make only once.

17 * We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.

18 * A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

19 * Have an awesome day and know that someone has thought about you today.

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY

20 *Save the earth..... It's the only planet with chocolate!

Chocolate macarons sensations

"While most people think it's our brain that controls our actions, it's often our heart that gets the biggest workout."
Gossip Girl

May I suggest you take a break, pour yourself a proper Italian espresso first, then sit back, turn up the volume and enjoy this exquisite video on coffee and white chocolate macarons. Let yourself be captivated by sound, vision and sensation. I'd say close your eyes but then you'll miss the best part. Let your eyes devour what your mouth cannot. This glamourous video will make you melt with pleasure.



Click here for the recipe by Carte Noire in French for instant gratification at home. Should the French tell you that it is very difficult to make macarons, let it be said that my eight year old daughter concocts delicious ones with a little help from her Mummy.

Happy Valentine's Day

"Love is but the discovery of ourselves in others, and the delight in the recognition."
Alexander Smith

Each one of us celebrates Valentine's Day differently. Some don't celebrate it at all. Other can't sleep at night wondering who their secret admirer might be?

My unfortunate luck is that Italians don't "DO" cards. Not for Christmas, not for birthdays or anniversaries and therefore I will not receive a Valentine's card. My hubby will make up by surprising me with a great pressie, for sure!

In the meantime, I'll nibble on a piece of chocolate and share some fun facts about Valentine's Day with you.

Valentine's Day related history:
- The ancient Romans celebrated the Feast of Lupercalia on February 14th in honor of Juno, the queen of the Roman gods and goddesses. Juno was also the goddess of women and marriage.
- Many believe the 'X' symbol became synonymous with the kiss in medieval times. People who couldn't write their names signed in front of a witness with an 'X.' The 'X' was then kissed to show their sincerity.
- Girls of medieval times ate bizarre foods on St. Valentine's Day to make them dream of their future spouse.
- In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who would be their Valentine. They would wear this name pinned onto their sleeves for one week for everyone to see. This was the origin of the expression "to wear your heart on your sleeve."
- In 1537, England's King Henry VII officially declared February 14th the holiday of St. Valentine's Day.
- The most fantastic gift of love is the Taj Mahal in India. It was built by Mughal Emperor Shahjahan as a memorial to his wife.
- Every Valentine's Day, the Italian city of Verona, where Shakespeare's lovers Romeo and Juliet lived, receives about 1,000 letters addressed to Juliet.

Chocolate:
- Casanova, well known as "The World's Greatest Lover," ate chocolate to make him virile.
- Physicians of the 1800's commonly advised their patients to eat chocolate to calm their pining for lost love.
- Richard Cadbury produced the first box of chocolates for Valentine's Day in the late 1800's.
- More than 35 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate will be sold for Valentine's Day.

Flowers:
- 73% of people who buy flowers for Valentine's Day are men, while only 27 percent are women.
- The red rose was the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love.
- Red roses are considered the flower of love because the color red stands for strong romantic feelings.

White Toblerone Mousse au Chocolate recipe

I miss my Swiss chocolate, especially my Toblerone, and in particular my white Toblerone! Parisian macarons are delicious but it's just not chocolate. So - feeling a little homesick - I dug out one of my favourite recipes.

My dark Mousse au Chocolate recipe is my most popular post so far in my blogging career. I have therefore decided to share my white Toblerone Mousse au Chocolate recipe because the two desserts are best when served together.

Ingredients:
300g white Toblerone
2 eggs
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
4dl cream

Preparation:
1.) Break Toblerone into pieces and melt in a double boiler (40 ° C). Remove bowl from water boiler and stir until smooth.
2.) Mix eggs and powdered sugar in a separate bowl. Beat until mixture is foamy and light.
3.) Add the chocolate immediately and mix well.
4.) Beat the cream until stiff and carefully fold into the chocolate mixture.
5.) Cover the mousse with plastic wrap and place in fridge three to four hours or over night.

To serve:
Scoop the mousse with two spoons, arrange on dessert plates and decorate as desired with whipped cream and fruit.

En Guete!

Mad about Macarons

The craze both sides of the ocean nowadays are macarons. The world seems to have discovered these marvellously light delicacies which dissolve on your tongue. The Swiss have been eating them for over 50 years under the name of "Luxemburgerli" made by Sprüngli.

Now you can try them out at home. Jill Colonna's new book "Mad about Macarons" will unveil all the secrets of French macaron recepies. Once you’ve mastered the basic recipe you can experiment with all sorts of other flavours (see Dark Chocolate filling). Arrange them on cupcake stands or create your own macaron dome birthday cake – a perfect way to dazzle your guests.

Macarons have a reputation of being devilishly difficult to make and accordingly, there’s a price tag to match.  But the process is straight-forward and fun in this colourful new book by Jill Colonna.  She explains simply and clearly her secrets so you can make macarons just like the French at home.

You will discover that making Parisian macarons can be the most gratifying and addictive of life’s little luxuries to make at home yourself.  Warning!  Once you start making macarons you’ll be hooked.

Bon appétit!

Chocolate muffins recipe

"If it ain't chocolate, it ain't breakfast!"

What better way to start your day than with a chocolate muffin? OK, I admit I have a terrible sweet tooth. These chocolate mufffins do the trick every time I feel a craving. They also make successful children's snacks or dinner party gifts. The recipe is as fast as it is easy. Even beginners cannot go wrong. So go ahead - have 1/2 hour to spare - indulge in some devine chocolate muffins.

Ingredients:
100gr dark good quality chocolate
80 gr butter
130 gr sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla sugar
1 pinch of salt
2 eggs
1 dl milk
270 gr flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 1/2 table spoon sugar

Preparations:
1.) Melt chocolate in a double boiler then add melted butter and let cool slightly.
2.) Mix sugar, vanilla sugar, salt, eggs and milk in a bowl and beat until the mixture becomes lighter then stir in chocolate.
3.) Combine flour, baking powder and baking soda, add to chocolate mixture and blend together.
4.) Pour batter into prepared muffin cases, sprinkle with sugar.
5.) Bake in preheated oven at 180ºC for 15 to 20 minutes.

Indulge!

Switzerland's Chocolate train

"Never mind about 1066 William the Conqueror, 1087 William the Second. Such things are not going to affect one's life ... but 1932 the Mars Bar and 1936 Maltesers and 1937 the Kit Kat - these dates are milestones in history and should be seared into the memory of every child in the country."
Roald Dahl

Well, given the response my last chocolate post received about Karl Lagerfeld's chocolate hotel room I have more good news to share.

Living in the country of chocolate, you should not miss the Chocolate train. It runs from Montreux to the Gruyère region from where the excellent quality Cailler chocolate and naturally, Gruyere cheese come from!

Travelling in exclusive 1st class “Belle Epoque Pullman” deluxe carriages just as in 1915 is a unique excitement. You'll visit the picturesque Gruyères village and discover how Gruyere cheese is made at the demonstration cheese dairy. In Broc, a tour is offered together with a film and a tasting to see how chocolate is made at the Cailler factory.

The Chocolate train runs every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from May to October and every day in July and August. Reservations are compulsory and can be made at Montreux train station or at your travel agency. The package includes coffee and croissant on the train, bus transfers and a tour of the Gruyères castle, as well as visits to the demonstration cheese dairy and the chocolate factory.

The train then returns to Montreux, a pleasant resort town on Lac Léman where you can also visit the Castle of Chillon.

How about that for a day's outing with the kids if you happen to be in that part of the world? Couldn't think of anythink yummier myself!

When: The Chocolate Train leaves Montreux at 9:35 a.m. and returns at 5:52 p.m.
Reservation: Rail Center GoldenPass Services, Tel. 0900 245 245 or +41 840 245 245
Info: www.mob.ch
When making reservations, specify whether you'd like to sit in a restored 1915 vintage Pullman car or a modern "panorama car" with oversize windows.