For Valentine’s Day – Your Own (Edible) Love Shack

Love shack, baby love shack. Who knew gingerbread could be so risque? Those frisky little fillies at the Solvang Bakery, that’s who. If you act quickly, you can still cash in the Bakery’s coupon for delightful confections that you will heart, heart, heart. Details below.

Doesn’t have to be a Love Shack of course. Having a dinner? Use these precious gingerbread ladies and gents as place cards or favors.

Do you know the origins of Valentine’s Day? Seems no one does for sure, but the Solvang Bakery’s blog has a bit of history, including a photo of Esther Howland, alleged mother of the modern-day Valentine card. You might not know it to look at her… 

 …but beneath that Queen Victoria hairdo and starched lace collar beat the wild heart of a smoldering love goddess and wildly successful entrepreneur. Esther, you little vixen, you.

Though we do not know if she also baked Valentine cookies. Fortunately, the bakery does and ships anywhere. They do custom work, too, but hurry. Unless you want it for, like, Easter or St Patrick’s Day.

You may remember I heart the local-but-actually-quite-big-time-celebrity-clientele’d-family-owned Solvang Bakery (blogged about here) in the  neighboring Santa Ynez Valley town of the same name. (Solvang, not Bakery.)

In honor of the coming President’s Weekend, use coupon code Lincoln5 in your shopping cart and save $5 off of any order of $25 or more, excluding tax and shipping. Expires February 5, 2014.

Btw, President Lincoln apparently loved gingerbread men and told a story about them in the famed Lincoln-Douglas debates, which you can read up on at The American Table.com.

How do I start out in a love shack and end up in a history lesson?

Note: As ever, gingerbread is neither solicited nor accepted for mentions in FrancesSchultz.com, particularly with Abe Lincoln just a sentence away.