Lemon Creme Kisses! Orange Creme Kisses!

I woke up this morning to a bright, shiny new day. A day frought with possibilities. A day with absolutely Nothing. To. Do. Nothing. It seems we've done it all this week. We've been to the library, the grocery store, Playtime Village. We've visited friends, we read "Rainbow Rob" five thousand times. What were we going to do? Then I remembered that the Sugar Baby's music teacher suggested that we get a harmonica for hours of noisy fun. So we hopped in the car and went to Target where, before walking in, I promised myself: no unnecessary purchases. Here was my list:

1) Harmonica

2) Baby wipes

Of course they hit you with the $1 bargain rack as soon as you walk in. They had some nice Sesame Street board books, so the Sugar Baby got two to entertain him as I walked around the store. "Focus!" I told myself. I got the wipes. Then onto the toy department where I tried to carefully scan the signs so I wouldn't have to walk down every aisle and be tempted by the really cute shovels (we're supposed to get snow tomorrow) and the art kits and the bath toys. I found a harmonica for $1.99. A Made in China, lead paint and loose chokable parts harmonica. It was that or the $8.99 Made in China, unpainted, more secure parts harmonica with music book. Guess which one I bought?

At this point, I should've headed straight for the check out, but no, I had to go to the candy aisles. Let me just say, Target has got it going on as far as Easter candy is concerned. They had some really cool things. Very, very cute chocolate farm animals, edible Easter grass, Lindt bunnies, chicks and lambs ... all sorts of stuff. I really hope the Easter Bunny goes there for the Sugar Baby's basket. Anyhow, as far as new stuff, I found Wild Cherry M&Ms (I hate cherry, so someone else is going to have to try those) and then, taa daa! Orange Creme and Lemon Creme Kisses. I got the lemon ones. They're very similar to the Candy Corn Kisses that Target had at Halloween in that they're white chocolate. I was kind of hoping they were chocolate with fruit filling, but I knew they wouldn't be. Anyhow, the lemon ones are white and yellow and have a very citrusy, *fresh!* lemon taste, followed by a sweet, sugary white chocolate creaminess. They're good. Not what I'd want if I was hankering for chocolate, but they're tasty. They'll be yummy on top of some lemon Easter cookies.

In the end, I ditched the Sesame Street books, taking a whopping $2 off my bill.

Sweet Tooth: It's Genetic

I mentioned to my friend the other day that the Sugar Baby has been driving me NUTS since he learned the word "cookie." He stands in front of the cabinets and says "Cookie!Cookie!Cookie!" until I relent. (Fortunately his definition of cookie isn't very specific. He's often satisfied with Trader Joe's Oat Bran Cereal Spirals or whatever they're called.) He eats it, then he's back for more.

"You need to keep them in your nightstand," said my friend.

Ah, suddenly it all made sense.

You see, my mother always kept candy bars in her nightstand drawer. Now I know why. And now you know where I get my sweet tooth from. Once my friend mentioned that, I realized that I've truly come full circle because now MY nightstand drawer is littered with empty candy wrappers. Apparently the candy apple doesn't fall far from the tree. So here we have an array of candy that my mother brought back from a recent jaunt. Fun! I put this all on the counter where I thought it would be safe, but apparently the other day, while I was at evil Wal-Mart, the Sugar Baby pushed a chair up to the counter and climbed up. He grabbed a piece of candy and then ran up to Mr. Goodbar saying, "Shoe! Shoe! Shoe!" Once again proving that the only safe place (for now anyway) is next to the bed.

There's No Such Thing As A Mistake

After working at CVS through high school and having to deal with, well, idiots, quite frankly, I vowed I would never be one of those people who doesn't look closely at the label. (I recall one instance in which a woman insisted that I shouldn't charge her for the aluminum foil she was buying because it said 25% more FREE! She latched onto that "free" like a pitbull to a teacup poodle and didn't want to let go.) Anyhow, I must admit that shopping with a toddler has turned me into one of those people, as evidenced by the above candy bar. I was at Target and saw a Choxie dark chocolate and lemon. It sounded intriguing, so I grabbed the bar behind the first one (never take the first item off a shelf; if someone left something in their cart or returned a product, it gets put right up front and who wants someone else's crap?) Anyhow, I grabbed the bar but forgot to look and that's how I ended up with this milk chocolate creme brulee bar. Once I realized my mistake, I was actually kind of excited because of my fabulous experience with the Trader Joe's creme brulee. Unfortunately, this wasn't comparable. Way too sweet for me. Mr. Goodbar, however, loved it. He proclaimed it, "Possibly the best candy bar I've ever had." Well!

Abracadabra!

Thank goodness the Baroness takes such good pictures. Here's a mouth-watering look at the chocolates the wee von Schokolats made.

In the Easter aisle

Spotted at Evil Wal Mart: orange 3 Musketeers. I didn't buy them, though, because I didn't want a whole bag, especially since I didn't like the mint ones. But if any of you feel daring enough to try them, let me know!

The Yum Yum Chocolatiers

One of the highlights of our candy camp week was making our own chocolate. No, not melting chocolate and molding it, but actually MAKING chocolate! The folks over at Glee Gum make these really fun kits where you can craft your own gum, chocolate or gummies.

You get cocoa butter, cocoa powder, sugar and some other stuff (my memory ain't what it used to be) and you stir it all up and heat it and do some incantations and wave your magic chocolate wand over it and taa daa! Smooth, dark chocolate. The little von Schokolats used it to make all sorts of things: chocolate bunnies and eggs, chocolate cups with crunchy caramel bits and chocolate-covered peanut butter balls.

The chocolate was a little too bitter for Gretl, but Liesel, the dark chocolate aficianado, loved it. Kudos go to whoever created the kit. The instructions were easy and everything went as it should, as opposed to the lip balm and hand cream we tried to make later in the week. Oy, that was a disaster. Nothing says fun like hot wax, smelly oils and bad directions. But the chocolate kit was most definitely a fun project for a snowy winter day.

Breaking News

I turned on the TV today just in time to see that, due to the massive storm that dumped inches of snow on the Northeast, the Pez factory cancelled the second shift. This can only mean one thing: PEZ SHORTAGE! All I can say is, stock up now or else your dispensers will be sitting empty and lonely for who knows how long!

You Got Your Pop Rocks in my Chocolate

There. I did it. I purged my house of every last piece of candy I could find. All those half-eaten candy bars, open packages of gummies, they all went away. And now I'm jonesing for a piece of chocolate. Man!

When the von Schokolats were here, we tried the Pop Rocks candy bar. Surprisingly, it wasn't too bad. The "real milk chocolate" was pretty creamy. Gretl really liked it. I however, was a little creeped out by the feeling in my ears from the popping rocks.

Candy Crafts

The von Schokolats left this morning, leaving me and the Sugar Baby to crash from the week-long sugar high. When we weren't eating candy, we were making it, doing crafts with it or talking about it. This was a cool project: we made books out of candy boxes.
(By the way, Alexandra bought me that box of Junior Mints Pastels. Whoa, mama, talk about artificial color! Those babies were a nasty bright blue and yellow.)

Crack for Kids

Every mother has her secret weapon. Here's mine: training gummy bears. I keep them in a secret pocket in my purse and only reveal them when I need divine intervention. Like when we go to Linens N Things and the Sugar Baby practices hurtling himself out of the carriage.

Candy Paintings: the personality series

I've decided to allow myself the guilty pleasure of watching American Idol only if I do something productive with that time as well. Most people would do something valuable like walk on the treadmill or knit a hat. I, on the other hand, have decided to start a new series of trading cards. From the top: a trick-or-treating candy corn; a candy corn in a time-out (I wonder what he did?!); a pirate truffle; a happy gumdrop and an angry Jujy Fruit.

Objet d'Art

Being ever so crafty, little Gretl von Schokolat took some leftover Valentine's candy and voila! A snow mobile! (Those are Hershey Miniatures for the runners and the seat back, Hershey Kisses for the seat bottom and the handle, a candy cane for the body and two Reese's hearts for the front, which the Baroness plans to eat.)

Chocolates On the Edge

The Baroness brought me a Valentine's surprise: two super-fancy boxes of ultra-hip "city" chocolates. The red box is Whitman's Soho Chocolates and the blue box is Russell Stover Urban Modern World chocolates. Oooh lala, so chic!


The contents of the Soho box are:

Pear Praline
Sea Salt Caramel
Madagascar Vanilla Brulee
Pistachio Nougat
Cacao Truffle
Raspberry Ganache


(I haven't tried these yet, so I'll report back.)


In a strikingly similar vein, the Urban Chocolates are:

Pistachio Nougatine (very tasty nougat, although I didn't taste pistachio; seemed more like orange to me)
Espresso Truffle (decent, rich chocolate)
Key Lime (white chocolate with a soft bright green center that tasted like a lime Life Saver)
Sea Salt Soft Caramel (good, but not exceptional)
Grapefruit Ganache (very tasty, similar to a Creamsicle kind of taste)
60% Cacao Dark from Ghana (what can I say? It was dark chocolate)


Funny that I haven't seen this groovy chocolates anywhere, but the Baroness found them in the rural outskirts of von Schokolat territory. I'm sure these were crafted as a way to appeal to a younger clientele, as Russell Stover and Whitman's generally appeals to an older crowd. I wonder how successful they'll be though. It seems like they're marketing to a verrrry small demographic: people who want fancy chocolate but don't want to buy boutique chocolates. Well, they tasted good so perhaps they'll be all the rage with the 20-something hipsters.

Someone please send me a salad

The Candy Yum Yum research facility has reached maximum capacity. Seriously, I have so much to write about I don't even know where to start. The von Schokolats arrived on Saturday and with them, a torrent of candy, chocolate and other assorted goodies. I haven't had a vegetable in three days.

Chauncy, Chauncy Chocodile

Like the Chuckles theme that sometimes gets stuck in my head, I also, upon occasion, can hear my 12-year-old self saying, "Chauncy, chauncy chocodile." On this rainy/snowy/slushy day, I actually stopped to think about this. I remember saying it with the Baronness. Was it from a commercial? Or was this just another stupid random thing that I used to say?

Thankfully, it wasn't something from my excitable preteen imagination. It was a snack cake. Remember Chocodiles? They're like Twinkies, only they're covered in chocolate and are sold in singles, as opposed to the double pack of Twinkies. The mascot was a crocodile in a pimp hat with a big feather. I loved them. The best part was, they were only 25 cents, so if you had a buck, you could get a Chocodile AND a candy bar. So where have they gone? Apparently you can still get them on the West coast! But sadly, not around here.

Reese's Whoppers

Every trip to evil Wal Mart deserves a special treat at the end. In this case, it was a tiny box of Reese's Whoppers. I love traditional chocolate Whoppers. It must be a genetic thing, because my Dad loves them, too. These, though, eh, not so much. They'd be good if they had a layer of chocolate over the peanut butter, but as they are, there's just not enough contrast in flavors.

Breaking News! Caveat Emptor!

The news world is abuzz this morning with reports that the Valentine's candy you just purchased may actually be from last year! Hmmm. This would certainly explain why the after-holiday candy sales have meager at best lately. When I worked at the chocolate store, we'd have to take everything off the shelves the day after whatever holiday it was and send it back to the factory. People would come in all p.o.'ed because they were expecting some good bargains, but there were none to be had.
"What did you do with the 75 pound bunny?" people would ask.
"It gets melted down at the factory," was the reply we were told to give. Somehow, though, I always suspected that the same bunny came out of hibernation every year.

Love Letter From the Baron, Part II

So this appeared in my mailbox today. It's one of those cards that, when you open it, is so loud that it wakes the Sugar Baby up from his peaceful slumber.
Anyhow, here's the transcript:

(Remember, Valentine's Day is all about the love ...)

"... the love of chocolate!
Marshmallow!
Caramel!
Marshmallow!
Peanut butter!
Little sprinkly things!
So delicious!
Bring on the nougat!
So delicious!
I love you, Valentine's candy!
I love you candy!"

It's quite funny, actually, and it kept the Sugar Baby mezmerized for quite a long time. The best part, however, is how he signed it. First, "From your Secret Admirer," and then, because I never would've guessed it was from him despite the return address and the stamp featuring a photo of the Sugar Baby, he gave the mystery away: "aka, The Baron."

Perchance, to dream

Apparently I've been besieged by a mysterious illness with the following symptoms: sore throat that feels like I'm swallowing glass, mild headache just so it's slightly annoying and an unstoppable hunger for all things carbolicious. Here's what I wish I was eating:

french fries
cheese danish
lemon danish
Donuts (chocolate frosted, cinnamon cruellers, powdered)
Turkey sandwich on good bread with Russian dressing, lettuce and tomato
And of course...
100 Grand Bar
Kit Kat
chocolate chip cookies

Here's what I'm going to eat: the dregs of the Sugar Baby's grilled cheese and the pineapple that he picks out of his fruit cup

The Birth of my OCD (Obsessive Candy Disorder)

I think today's the day-- the day I reveal what is probably my first, and most significant candy memory. I truly believe that this was the start of my passion (obsession?) with candy.
When I wrote about the popovers, the Ice Cube Queen wrote back saying that yes, we did make popovers. We made them with the LaVallas, our neighbors, and stuck fortunes in them. I have no memory of that, but her mention of the LaVallas spurred a flashback to this important moment in Candy Yum Yum history. Here we go:

I am little. Maybe four, five, six? Next door to us live the LaVallas: Fran, Big Frank, Frankie, Sharon and Louise (Weezie). Sharon and Betsy are best friends. Weezie, although much older, is very fun and likes to play with me. Frankie and my brothers like to play football and light the swamp on fire. Fran makes a kick-ass pasta fagioli that I can't stop eating. Big Frank screams a lot. They are a quintessential presence in my young life. And then the news: they are moving to Florida to open a Carvel. I'm devastated, although I like the idea of going to visit them for ice cream.
I decide I need to get Sharon a going away present. (Why Sharon? I don't know. Perhaps it was the empathy I was feeling for Betsy.) I somehow craft a little bag out of fabric and I declare that I'm going to fill it with candy that I buy at 7-11. I empty out my piggy bank and get my sisters to take me to the store.
Now, they say smell is one of our strongest memory triggers. Verily, I say onto thee, there is no more powerful smell in my memory than the aroma of 7-11. It's impossible to describe, of course, but it's a thick, syrupy scent of fake butter, sugar and ice. I love that smell in its complete uniqueness.
I went to the candy aisle where they had a nice assortment of penny candy in wire baskets. Was it really a penny then? I think it was. I composed a nice mix of root beer barrels, Bazooka, mini Reese's and fireballs and paid for it with my hard-earned pennies.
When we exited the 7-11, the Ice Cube Queen said to me, "I bet you're going to eat all that candy yourself."
Pop! Something happened. I was being doubted and challenged. A bet you say? I'll wager a Mary Jane that I don't eat the candy.
The fact of the matter was that I think I probably would've eaten the candy had the gauntlet not been laid down, but there it was. So I trotted home and stuffed the candy into the little bag and the next morning, handed it over to Sharon as they loaded up the car. It was perhaps the biggest sacrifice I have ever made. And I'm better for it.

A love letter from the Baron

I just got a missive from the Baron about my post on the Bread & Chocolate candy bar. Here's what he had to say:


I just wanted to remind Candy Yum Yum CFO and CEO that I think little Gretel von Schokolat brought a chocolate/bread combination back from the 2007 Old World tour and the creative artisans at Candy Yum Yum took a good idea and made a great one by Americanizing it to become a hot grilled chocolate sandwich at the Connecticut branch.

Your avid fan still believes chocolate and bread can work.


Ah, how right he is! The Baron speaks the truth. And speaking of which, the von Schokolats will be arriving next week for the first-ever Winter Candy Camp. I have two very exciting words: Chocolate Fountain. And plans for a new, exciting Candy Yum Yum creation. Stay tuned!

Shrinking Violet

The Jimmie's truffles took a unexpectedly bizarre twist. On night two, I cut one in half and took a whiff. Strawberry. Then I took a bite. Strawberry. But wait, is that ... licorice? Weird. A few more chews. Definitely licorice/anise/fennel. Maybe my taste buds were off, but it was a true Violet Beureugard moment, like when she ate the gumball in Willy Wonka and tasted roast beef and blueberry pie.
Night three. Cut truffle. Whiff. Coconut. Yum! Take a bite. Coffee?! Coconut coffee. Hey, a pretty good combination. Much better than strawberry Nyquil.
So what, pray tell, did night four have to offer? There was a pinkish swirl on top, so I was figuring it was a fruity flavor. Slice, whiff. Cherry. Bite. Bubblegum. Cherry bubblegum. I made the mistake of saying this to Mr. Goodbar who was in the process of ruminating on the other half. "You just ruined this for me," he said.
So now I'd love to know what the deal is. Were these the true flavors of the truffles? Or could this "sinus infection" (the diagnosis I was given from the "doctor" at the walk-in medical place who makes Dr. Hibbert from the Simpsons look like a neurosurgeon) wreaked havoc with my taste buds? And do they make a roast beef/blueberry pie truffle?

FOUR Perfect Pieces!

You know what totally rocks? When you get an e-mail from your awesome friend who says she sent you a package of fancy chocolates and you'll be getting them tomorrow.

You know what's a total bummer? When your friend writes back and says, "D'oh! I sent them to your old address!"

You know what totally rocks? That your friend is like this (holding two fingers crossed) with the delivery guy, so the package doesn't get sent to the new owners of the old house (who are perfectly nice people, and probably wouldn't eat the chocolate, but really, I wouldn't blame them if they did), and he says the package will be re-routed to the new casa.

You know what else totally rocks? When the delivery dude rings the doorbell just as the Sugar Baby is having a meltdown, stopping him mid-cry. Perfect timing!

So here are the lovely truffles that Kris sent from Jimmie's Chocolates, "Florida's oldest chocolatier." They're a decent-sized truffle; you could easily get three bites out of each one. Last night I tried the one in the upper right. It was raspberry, with a good kick of alcohol. The center was thick and fudgy. Very nice. Kris mentioned that they were pricey (she doesn't have the same chocoholic gene that I have so this whole gourmet chocolate thing was new to her). I checked out the website and hoo boy, she wasn't just whistlin' Dixie. Looks like their truffles average out to over $2 a piece, which frankly seems a bit excessive for an American chocolate company. (Somehow paying that for French, Belgian or German chocolate seems more acceptable.) Thanks Kris! I'll buy you a margarita next time you're here.

And Jimmie's people, if you're reading this, just FYI: there's a typo on your postcard. Eclectic has one "c."

(Did I mention I'm available for copywriting and press releases?)

Anyhow, I'll keep you posted on the rest of the truffles. Yummy, yum, yum!

(And speaking of Florida, the Ice Cube Queen sent me the link to some ritzy glitzy chocolate place out in her neck of Florida, but when I went to open the link, some crazy music started blasting and I didn't want to wake up the Sugar Baby, so I never got to read about it. I'll have to look for that e-mail again. Is Florida becoming the new Chocolate Capital?!)

Bread and Chocolate

Let me just say, when I saw this candy bar on the shelf at Wild Oats, I was so excited, I could hardly stand it. Bread & Chocolate it said on the wrapper. Two of my most favorite things! And it's organic, AND it's Fair Trade! Wowee, this seemed like a home run. And the packaging is pretty darn cute, too.

I ran home with my bounty and waited excitedly for the perfect moment to unveil my new find.

Right before bed one night, I opened it up and took a nibble. Yikes.

It tasted like burnt toast.

Now, I really can't say what I was expecting, since it's not a common occurrence to find bread and chocolate together, but I guess I was kind of hoping for something akin to a chocolate croissant.

Mr. Goodbar asked what I thought of it. "You'll love it," I said, since we seem to have polar-opposite tastes.

But he didn't.

He didn't necessarily agree with my burnt toast evaluation, but suffice it to say that the rest of the bar (and there was quite a lot left) got tossed. I'm very sad, because I had such high expectations. I'd definitely give some of the other Theo chocolates a shot, but they're not cheap. This bar (the size of a regular Hershey bar) was $2.99, so I don't think I'll be sampling their other stuff any time soon.

This One's Good for a Chuckle

I'll be the first to admit that it's virtually impossible to walk by a dish filled with chocolates and not try one. Or two or three. Especially if it's dark chocolate. But whoa, this press release had me in hysterics today:

"Fashionistas and media moguls were buzzing about the presence of DOVE Chocolate at the Verrier show last night at Bryant Park. The backstage area was transformed into a DOVE chocolate oasis and the models could not stop indulging while getting primped out for the runway."

BWAHAHAHAHAHA! Do the kind folks at Dove really expect us to believe that, as the models are getting ready to walk down the runway wearing nothing more than a piece of Scotch tape, some fishing wire and a live monkey, they're "indulging" in chocolate? That after starving themselves for weeks, subsisting on nothing but watercress and cardboard, they suddenly let loose moments before they step out into the spotlight and chow down on some chocolate?! I'm shocked. But if this is true, then suddenly I have some new-found respect for fashion models. Perhaps there's hope after all.

More Eye Candy!

You know who I love? My readers! I got an e-mail this morning that just has me just a wee bit perplexed. The reader writes "Can you put up more pictures of candies please?"

Why yes, of course I can. But this has me wondering ... certainly it's not because she loves my photography because, yes, I know it looks like a drunk Mr. Magoo took the pictures. Is it because she hated my coffee beans and popover posts? Hmmm. Well dear reader, here you go, a picture that I borrowed from Google. Enjoy!

I think the cupcake on the right looks shockingly like Wilford Brimley. You know, the dude from the Quaker Oats commercials and the one for health insurance where he talks about "diabeetus."

Happy Groundhog Day!

We're going to a Groundhog Day potluck tonight, so I found these cute cupcakes on the Family Fun website. "Cool!" I thought. "I'll make those and they'll be really cute." They were supposed to look like this (picture at right, courtesy of Family Fun.)

It was off to a bad start. I was supposed to buy Fun Size Mounds, but I mistakenly bought the little snack size ones. Then I didn't have mini M&Ms for the ears, so I used cocoa nibs. And it all went down hill from there. I made the teeth out of banana Laffy Taffy; I'd forgotten how yummy it is. I also had a packet of Pop Rocks that I thought I might be able to do something with so I opened them. I couldn't really use them, but it was fun tasting them. It totally brought me back to 6th grade.

I used a piece of red Twizzlers for a couple of the noses, but I preferred the cocoa nib look better. So here they are. Pretty frightening. They look like little aliens at best.

Hands Off the Lollipops!

Okay, I just have to rant for a moment. I was watching one of those morning "newsy" shows (yes, we finally got TV. Well, sort of. We get three stations, all a little snowy except for PBS which comes in crystal-clear Hi-Def). Anyhow, I was watching this show while the Sugar Baby was once again stuffing various objects into the air tube of his ball popper machine thingy, and of course they had a segment on Super Bowl recipes. What were they making? Chicken Lollipops. No, not chicken flavored lollipops-- that would be gross. But you know how all the fancy schmancy chefs now make "lollipops" out of meat by pushing it all to the end of the bone so it looks like a lollipop? Ick. That's just stupid and it gives lollipops a bad name. Enough of this. Oh, and while I'm at it, no more of those "savory" ice cream cones, either. Like the cones filled with a "moussaline of smoked salmon." No, no, no!

(By the way, I've always thought the Sugar Baby looked a little like a member of the Lollipop Guild. Kind of freaky, huh?)

Once Again, Nothing to Do With Candy

Just so you know that bloggers do not live on candy alone ...

Here's a picture of some really yummy popovers I made last weekend. (These bring to mind making them with the Ice Cube Queen when I was little, or am I imagining things?) That salmon florentine from the fish market was really good. Actually, I'm playing with the idea of starting another blog, because really, I have nothing better to do during Henri's precious nap time. (What's that you say, Kitty? Your litter box is overflowing? And you're stuck to the spilled juice on the kitchen floor? And the Creature From the Black Lagoon has taken up residence in the toilet? Hold on, I've got important blogging to do!)

New York Cheesecake Kisses

Back in early January I commented on how I found New York Cheesecake Kisses at evil Walmart, but decided not to buy them because the bags weren't on sale. Yes, I'll pay $3 for a tiny individual piece of chocolate at some hoity-toity chocolatier, but I won't dish out $3 for an entire bag of Kisses. What can I say? I'm penny wise, pound foolish. Well, I found the candy bar-sized packet at Target for 99 cents, so I jumped on it.
Hello, YUMMY! Usually I don't like chocolate and cheesecake mixed together. I find that the chocolate overpowers the cheese, which is a delightful enough taste in itself. But these are darned tasty. Good thing I didn't get the bag, because I'd surely eat the whole thing.
I haven't been to evil Walmart in a while, so I don't know what their Valentine selection is like, but Target's was pretty good. They had a nice variety of bulk candy, hearts, and molded chocolates. They had a plastic champagne bottle filled with Champagne Hershey Kisses, which I'd love to try, but I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that they'll be around for the after Valentine's Day sale.
And just as a side note: it's ValentiNe's Day, not ValentiMe's. Ooooh, that's like nails on a chalk board when I hear people say that.