5th Century, Rome

Mid February was traditionally the time of the Lupercian festival, an ode to the God of fertility and a celebration of sensual pleasure, a time to meet and court a prospective mate. In AD 496, Pope Gelasius outlawed the pagan festival. But he was clever to replace it with a similar celebration, although one deemed morally suitable. He needed a "lovers" saint to replace the pagan deity Lupercus.

The martyred Bishop Valentine was chosen as the patron saint of the new festival.

Saint Valentine had been beheaded for helping young lovers marry against the wishes of the mad emperor Claudius. Before execution, Valentine himself had fallen in love with his jailer's daughter. He signed his final note to her, "From Your Valentine", a phrase that has lasted through the centuries.

Pope Gelasius didn't get everything he wanted. The pagan festival died out, it is true, but he had further hoped people would emulate the lives of saints. Instead they latched onto the more romantic aspect of Saint Valentines religious life. While not immediately as popular as the more passionate pagan festival, eventually the concept of celebrating true love became known as Valentine's Day.

A Victorian Valentine Jigsaw Puzzle to solve

Send a free Valentine e-card to someone you care about:

Amazon.com

Cyber-cards

Hallmark

OR send some virtual flowers to show you care...

MakeMeHappy.com

iflowers.com

OR send some chocolates...

The Chocolate Den

M & M's

Hershey's Chocolate

DOVE Chocolates

OR send me an e-mail...

The Scrap Album

Victorian Greeting Cards, Valentines & Scraps

Paula Vaughn's website

Hot Fudge Pudding

From January 2002 Good Housekeeping p 131

This yummy pudding would melt anyone’s heart!

PREP:  15 minutes

BAKE:  30 minutes

Makes 6 servings

1-cup all-purpose flour

½ cup granulated sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

½ cup unsweetened cocoa

½ cup whole milk

2 Tbsp. melted butter

1 tsp. vanilla (real if possible)

1 cup packed brown sugar

Optional – vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease 8”x8” glass baking dish or shallow 2-quart casserole.

In medium bowl, combine flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and ¼ cup cocoa.  Whisk in milk, butter and vanilla just until smooth.  Spread batter into baking dish.

In small bowl, combine brown sugar and ¼ cup cocoa - sprinkle evenly over batter. 

Carefully pour 1-1/2 cups boiling water over mixture in baking dish – DO NOT STIR!

Bake 30 minutes (batter will separate into cake and pudding layers).  Cool 10 minutes and serve warm in dessert bowls (with ice cream if you wish).  DO NOT allow to cool completely!

Each serving:  About 365 calories; 4 g protein, 78 g carbohydrates, 8 g total fat (4 g saturated), 3 g fiber, 14 mg cholesterol, 585 mg sodium.

Thanks for the award, Judy ~ it's beautiful!

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