A Sweet Treat

On my last visit to Westfield, I had intended to go to Baron's, where a dazzling array of candies awaits those assembling Valentine's Day packages for faraway loved ones. Instead, I decided to explore the aisles of Trader Joe's for both the usual enticing lunch items and some sweet treats.

If you are tired of candy hearts with mottoes, you might like the various dried fruit delicacies at Trader Joe's. They also have things like chocolate-dipped sunflower seeds and nut and fruit blends. These are some of the same ingredients in the traditional candy box, just not enrobed in chocolate.

As for me, I discovered my new favorite food group, Pecan Pralines. In my food pantheon, they are now right up there with apricot rugelach. They are like a popular ice cream flavor without the ice cream. I don't really like ice cream but love butterscotch, toffee and praline, so this product cuts to the chase for me in the same way Callard and Bowser butterscotch once did.

If you want to give healthier treats, a great way to package them is by creating Humbug Bags. Just use food wrap to make small bundles of fruit and nuts and put them in your colorful bags.
You can do the same with candy hearts or traditional candies if it seems too geeky to give your little sweethearts something resembling trail mix.

It's true that Valentine's Day can create anxiety if your significant other is expecting a lavish token of your love. This may be the year to drop back to simple but sincere expressions of devotion. When times are better, there will always be the more expensive if perhaps banal presents. Back in the day, a really good tape mix often meant more than a dozen red roses.

--Bernice