Gluten Free and Wheat Free Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day falls on the 2nd Friday in February this year. Love is the theme; chocolate and wine are Queen and King. While most Valentine's Day advertisements target couples and promote the romantic side of love, token and gifts are often given to parents, offspring, relatives, friends, classmates, customers, business partners and even strangers.

From pebbles collected outside to diamond encrusted purses worth millions, there is a Valentine's Day gift for every budget. While giving physical gifts is one manifestation of expressing love, there are other love languages. Love may be expressed by spending quality time, acts of service and so on.  You often find that Valentine's Day gifts  may be a combination of different love languages. Though there's a very wide variety of gifts, it is quite common to find persons completely clueless about what to give, especially on a limited budget or with short notice. 

If your valentine has only recently become a wheat free or gluten free eater and is now down about their limited food choices, giving the gift of delicious food is a very sweet and thoughtful gesture.

There is a variety of food you may give. 

Essence of Hazel

Thinking of you Edible Arrangement JM$6,500 (US$61) 
(apples + grapes + pineapple daisies + strawberries)

My SweetHeart Edible Arrangement JM$6,500 (US$61)(Edible Arrangement with Strawberries + Pineapple daisies & hearts + grapes)

24 SweetHeart Reasons Edible Arrangement JM$6,500 (US$61) (24 chocolate covered strawberries Edible Arrangement + box of chocolate bites).

Cupid Surprise - 1 dz Chocolate covered strawberries Croc skin gift box JM$3,500 (US$33*) & Regular JM$3,000 (US$28*) (topping option- toasted Almond or Walnut).

Simply Irresistible package (4 divine cheesecakes - flavours: cherry, strawberry & chocolate) [*Option of a crust-less cheesecake available for the wheat free and gluten free eater; also the option of no whip cream is available]. Regular: JM$2,400 (US$23*); special order prices will vary*.

 

Single Divine Strawberry Cheesecake JM$650 (US$7*)

Cupid Treasure box Deluxe JM$4,950 (USD $46*) - (6 chocolate covered strawberries + cheesecake of your choice + a box of Hershey kisses + bottle of wine + 2 wine glasses) wine type will vary*. 

 

• Cut-off Date for Valentine's Day orders and payment: February 12, 2014. 
• Pay by cash or online bank transfer (Scotia or JN).
• Early order placement and payment encouraged for with orders that include fresh fruits, especially strawberries as this is a high demand but limited quantity product. 

For those with a wheat allergy, celiac disease or gluten intolerance, advise Essence of Hazel that you are allergic/celiac/intolerant so that special care will be taken and safe ingredients will be used in the preparation of your order.

Strawberries, cantaloupes, grapes, pineapple butterflies, pineapple flowers, apples, honeydew
JM$5,500 (US$52)

Contact Essence of Hazel to place your special occasion order:

• Phone: 876-874-3686 or 876-821-0749
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PurpleJade

Remember PurpleJade - featured in the Tying the Knot in Jamaica series? 

PurpleJade's 1st Collection for 2014 is Love Letters. This jewelry collection consists of a variety of original pieces for males and females:

• Chains
• Necklaces
• Rings
• bracelets
• cuffs

and is being released in time for Valentine's Day. Jewelry is a great gift choice if your valentine likes lasting gifts. The prices range from JM$6,740 to JM$28,740 (US$63* to US$267*).

Simple Gift Ideas

DIY Styrofoam Cup of Goodies
Level of Difficulty: Easy; difficulty increases with more detailed designs

Styrofoam cups lend themselves to easy do-it-yourself decorating and they are very affordable (a small pack of 25 are under JM$100). Decorate a cup, whether by drawing on it with pens, painting, pasting on ribbons, sticking on glitter, buttons, gluing on beads, sequins, feathers,   etc. Fill cup with wheat free or gluten free chocolate or candy (Peace of Chocolate lists a few). There is impressive yet easy to accomplish artwork that may be produced by a pen and Styrofoam. As such, the Styrofoam container may serve multiple functions by being the package as well as your personalised card. A Styrofoam lunch box may be easily and quickly decorated by gluing a cloth bow to the top of the box.

Decorating before or after filling
 it with your  choice of goodies is 
dependent on what you intend to do.
Mix goodies if you like 

A pen is a powerful instrument
of transformation

A Red Tie
May be handmade or bought. 

Present by placing tie in a heart shape;
upgrade by placing love notes or
goodies in the centre

Cards
Whether from the store or handmade, a card is an effective and lasting means by which to convey a message. 

DIY Card made by cutting a card out of
construction paper, gluing a peacock
feather to cover & writing a
personalized message

Make a Big Breakfast
Nothing makes you appreciate a delicious surprise meal made specifically for you like suddenly developing a food allergy or intolerance to a commonly consumed food like wheat. As such making your allergic valentine a completely safe and delicious meal, especially of items they thought they could no longer have is an awesome gift idea. This awesome act of service will likely become the yard stick by which other gifts are measured.

DIY Breakfast
Top Left: Freshly made potato fries, omelette, fried ripe plantain and bacon;
Top Right: Honey; Bottom Left: Brownie Batter Pancake
Bottom Right: Swiss Miss Marshmallow Lovers' Hot Cocoa

Treat the skin they are in
Chocolate isn't only for eating. It may be used to make a face mask. Treat your valentine to a chocolate face mask 

Hydrating Honey Chocolate Mask

• Mix 3 tablespoons of natural unsweetened cocoa powder, such as HERSHEY'S Cocoa 100% Cacao Natural Unsweetened or Scharffen Berger Natural Cocoa Powder, with 3 tablespoons of plain yogurt and a tablespoon of organic honey until smooth, apply to your valentine's clean face, leave for 15 minutes and provide your valentine with chocolate treats and wine, wipe face with a wet and soft washcloth and wash face clean.

Soothing Coffee Chocolate Mask

• Blend 2 tablespoons of natural unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons of ground coffee, 1 tablespoon of honey and 3 tablespoons of plain yogurt, apply to your valentine's clean face, leave for 15 minutes and provide your valentine with chocolate treats and wine, wipe face with a wet and soft washcloth and wash face clean.

The Classic Dinner and a Movie

Dinner and a movie is the classic date. It may be executed in a variety of ways, for example:

• Dinner at a restaurant of your choosing and watching a movie, typically a romantic flick, at the cinema after. Ensure the restaurant is allergy friendly especially for such a high traffic day as Valentine's Day. If you are unable to make reservations for a listed allergy friendly restaurant and you are still willing to try others, speak to the staff from before making reservations and ask pertinent questions. If the chef asks if white flour is wheat or advises you that they get ingredients (especially seasoning mixes) from a bulk supplier and as such is not able to guarantee the safety of all ingredients, do not go there.
• A picnic dinner at a park, the beach or a backyard and then seeing a play. If you want to get even more creative, direct your own production there by using friends and family as actors or hiring a drama club
• The intimate dinner at home and old Hollywood romance movie on your TV screen. To score big with this, presentation is key. Scented candles (placed in non-windy and safe areas where they do not require constant monitoring; constantly having to check on them would be a mood killer, as would burning down the house if they are carelessly placed and not checked on). Romantic music (check lyrics first, don't blindly trust suggestions you found online; many songs labelled as love songs are about cheating or breaking up). Cover the ground with rose petals (faux rose petals may be made by cutting up scented paper to look like rose petals). A well laid out three or four course meal.

DIY Dinner
Top Left: Glutino Pasta (Penne) with Bertolli Alfredo Sauce and Broccoli
Top Right: Brownies
Bottom Left: Chicken Chop Suey (use Tamari Gluten Free soy sauce) with rice
Bottom Right: Popcorn for the movie experience

Soup is the meal starter but the order is your choosing
Shrimp Bisque and Roast Beef Sandwich
Sandwich made using Udi's Gluten Free White Sandwich Bread
This Bread is available at CPJ

A Few Romantic Song Suggestions:

Paramore "Still Into You"

John Legend "All of Me"

Justin Timberlake "Mirrors"

Bruno Mars "Just the Way You Are"

Cynthia Schloss "You Look Like Love"

Ariana Grande ft Mac Miller"The Way"

Damian 'Junior Gong' Marley "Affairs of the Heart"

One Direction "Truly Madly Deeply"

Aaliyah "More than a Woman"

Unconditionally "Katy Perry" 

[If proposing] Jason Derulo "Marry Me"

Plants for the Plant Lover

For the Plant Lover, a potted plant is a real treat to receive. They plant love goes beyond bouquets if flowers or the rose plant. They love succulents, cacti, perennial, annuals, herbs and the lot.

If you are in the parish of St. Andrew and would like to acquire plants such as those displayed here, contact Jackie at jacqueplants@gmail.com. There are a wide variety of plants, plastic pots, clay pots and plant stands.

Wishing you a Happy & Fun-filled Valentines day

*All prices quoted are subject to change. USD conversion is based on the exchange rate as given by BOJ for February 7, 2014 (JMD 107.77 : USD 1)