... is still through the stomach — especially if your loved one is a foodie. Here are some flavorful Valentine’s gift ideas that go beyond the standard candy and flowers
A HEART-SHAPED BOX Candy is dandy, but it’s also sugar crashes, diabetes, and tooth decay. Consider an alt-box of sweet and savory treats — plentifully available at shops such as Herbally Grounded ( herballygrounded.com), Sprouts Farmers Market ( sprouts.com), Rani’s World Foods ( ranisworldfoods.com), and International Marketplace (702- 889-2888)
I’D TAP THAT Have a home-brewer in your life? He or she’s in luck when you think outside the box this season — whether it’s with brewing lessons from Big Dog’s Brews (bigdogsbrews.com), supplies from Vegas Homebrew (homebrewvegas.com), or personalized tap handles in every shape and size from AprilsEtsySite at Etsy (etsy.com)
CURRYING FAVOR Adventurous home cooks who like to experiment with spice will be all a-tingle over curry kits, spice collections, and other cooking and condiment options available at stores such as Sheffield Spice & Tea Co. (sheffieldspices.com), Las Vegas Spice Co. (lvspiceco.com), and The Spice Outlet (thespiceoutlet.com)
A BOUQUET OF FLOURS There’s bound to be fun in the oven when your loved one receives a “bouquet of flours” featuring different flours — think casava, coconut, buckwheat — from local shops such as Sprouts Farmers Market (sprouts.com) and Whole Foods Market (wholefoodsmarket.com)
HOW THE COOKIE CRUMBLES The cookie-crazed home baker might be surprised to discover that cookie cutters have come a long way from your standard stars, hearts, and rounds. Think octopi, moons, anchors, booms, and kapows! They’re available at local cookie-cutter manufacturers Kato Baking Supplies (katosupplies.com)
