Perfect for Valentine's Day
Wouldn’t you love a batch of these for Valentine’s Day? Any salted caramel is to die for, but with a chocolate heart painted on top, these caramels from Sweet Revolution (available at Dean & Deluca) look particularly incredible!
Sweet Revolution Love Caramels available from Dean & Deluca
My husband came home the other night with these adorable candies made by his co-worker. They were way too cute not to share with you. Each is carefully and colorfully wrapped with the name of the candy on top. Aren’t co-workers the best?!
It’s getting downright chilly outside. On cold days like this nothing is more heavenly than cozying up to a fire with some cocoa in hand. These three cocoa recipes from around the Web are a great excuse to strike a match.
Ferrero Flip by Sweet Paul; photo by Hector Sanchez via Sweet Paul
Mexican Hot Cocoa via Epicurious; photo by Sang An via Epicurious
Giada De Laurentiis' Hot Chocolate Bar via Food Network
Easter totally snuck up me this year! I have a few ideas for my Easter brunch menu, but I really need to get planning all the other details. I did find these adorable chocolates from Knipschildt, though, which I think would be lovely in small dishes at each guests’ place setting or served just as is — in their very appropriate container — passed around with coffee after brunch.
Now, back to planning the rest of the meal!
chocolate quail eggs from Knipschildt
I just got back from a quick trip to New York City where I made a stop by Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bakery. I think I left ten pounds heavier, but it was totally worth it. Like many other top tier, artisan bakeries, Bouchon is tinkering with the past — serving nostalgic treats that take us back to our childhood.
Two of my favorite nostalgic treats offered at Bouchon Bakery were the TKO and the Ho-Ho.
Thomas Keller's version of the Oreo with chocolate sable dough and a white chocolate ganache filling
TKO from Bouchon Bakery
Bouchon's take on a Ho-Ho
If you are in Yountville, Las Vegas, or New York, be sure to check out Bouchon’s playfully tasty treats!
We are in the midst of the Snowpocalypse here in the DC area. At our house we have at least 30 inches of snow outside. We’ve already shoveled the driveway three times and will certainly be out there again before all of this is over. It’s good exercise, I guess. But let’s be honest, shoveling is not fun!
What will make this all better, I ask myself? Hot chocolate will help. Better still? A hot chocolate bar!
Hot chocolate bars — where you can make your own custom hot cocoa with a variety of “fixings” — are becoming very popular. They are great on a snowy day at home, but even more fun at a party. Guests love the interactivity and the ability to create their favorite cooca concoction. Try it at a winter engagement party, a SuperBowl bash, or a birthday party.
Celebrity-designed mugs available at Neiman Marcus
Pillivuyt has such classic tableware. These extra large mugs are no exception — and would leave plenty of room for making the perfect cocoa creation.
Pillivuyt Eden extra large mug, available at Geary's
A batch of regular hot cocoa for the base is a great place to start. This recipe for Creamy Hot Chocolate from Epicurious would be perfect. I’d recommend offering a couple of other bases, as well, like white hot chocolate or peppermint hot chocolate.
Dry:
Liquid:
or for the adults…
To top it off:
Enjoy!!
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Going to a Valentine’s Day party? Hosting one? Need a sweet gift for a special someone? Try some of these on for size…
Chocolate and salt are such a beautifully delicious combination. Add some caramel and walnuts and you have one amazing “turtle” chocolate.
Caramel clusters from John Kelly Chocolates
Remember pop rocks? The fizzy candy you used to eat as a kid? Introducing a very grown up version from Francois Payard: pop rock truffles.
Pop rock truffles from Francois Payard
A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E. That’s all I can say about these cinnamon marshmallows from Whimsy & Spice.
heart-shaped cinnamon marshmallows
My personal favorite? Chocolate-covered strawberries – a classic that never goes out of style! Add a glass of champagne and …. YUM!
Chocolate-covered strawberries from Dean & Deluca
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season! My vacation ended yesterday and as such I am easing back into work and to blog posting.
This time of year is the time for lists and reflection, so it seems only fitting to look back at some of the most popular Rex & Regina posts over the last year. These popular posts reflect the three main categories regularly featured on the blog: weddings, social events, and at-home entertaining.
1. First on the list is the series dedicated to Julia Child and the release of the movie, Julie & Julia. The series included my humble review of the movie, information about Julia Child’s kitchen at the Smithsonian, Julia-themed party ideas, and other Julia resources.
photo via www.foodandwine.com
2. Serving trays are entertaining essential. This next top post featured fabulous trays for everyday entertaining.
lucite tray from Dabney Lee At Home
3. It’s always helpful to know the Do’s and Don’ts when bringing wine to a party.
"Cheers" wine gift bag, available from The Craft Pantry on Etsy
4. Napkins are a perennial topic for entertainers. This two-part series looked at eco-chic entertaining with napkins. The first post talks about the beauty and practicality of napkin rings and the second looks at just how cool cloth cocktail napkins can be.
Leontine Linens RIley Cocktail Napkins
5. Cupcakes were all the rage in 2009, but artisan chocolates were the new dark horse in sweet treats.
Fleur de Sel Chocolates from Recchiuti
6. A good host is always prepared for overnight guests and the tips in this next post provide a good checklist.
Silver Bamboo Clock from Williams-Sonoma Home
The final four popular posts on the list are all wedding-related.
7. I get a lot of questions about children at weddings — whether to invite them, how to entertain them… This post provides some helpful tips on the subject.
Photo courtesy of Karine Aigner Photography
8. Another question I regularly answer is the difference between escort and place cards — an important distinction.
Escort cards, photo courtesy of Baltazar Photography
9. Weddings are a great time to collect wishes and advice from friends and family. This post provided some creative ways to do just that.
Wish guest book; photo courtesy of CB Photography
10. A great way to extend hospitality to your wedding guests is to offer them a gift bag upon arrival at the hotel. This post outlined the elements of the ultimate gift bag.
City Out-of-Town Totes available at Blissweddingsmarket.com
Are you a chocoholic? Do you have friends that are chocoholics? Then you should not read further at the risk of completely falling off the wagon.
I mean, what could be more sinful and delicious than hot chocolate — on a stick!! Simply stir the chocolate into a cup of hot milk and enjoy. I love it! What a great gift these would make for the chocolate lover on your list this holiday season.
hot chocolate on a stick
One of the most popular Halloween treats out there is candied apples. Granted, they are not the easiest to eat, but the messiness is worth it. All that gooey caramel and rich chocolate covering the crunch of a tart apple = pure deliciousness!
These whimsical fall treats are great not only for Halloween but would be perfect for wedding favors, at a children’s party, or served at a fall engagement party… you name it!
A bride I worked with a couple of years ago gave a candied apple to each of her guests as a favor. It made for a beautiful presentation on the place setting.
Candied apples accent a beautiful place setting, photo courtesy of Kate Triano
Making candied apples is fairly easy and there are many recipes out there to help guide you through the process. To make apples with a little more interest than the standard caramel apples, consider these two recipes.
The first, from Gourmet magazine (don’t get me started… I WILL start crying.) is a true grown-up version of candied apples. Don’t these red wine caramel apples look amazing?
red wine caramel apple recipe, Gourmet, October 2009
I also love these mini candied apples from Martha Stewart — even easier to eat than the larger versions.
Mini candied apples, Martha Stewart Living
Or, if you don’t feel like making candied apples from scratch, check out this fabulous option from Dean & Deluca:
chocolate covered caramel apples, available from Dean & Deluca
Enjoy!
The Rex & Regina Blog shares both trendy and traditional ways to extend gracious hospitality through weddings, other social occasions, and at-home entertaining. Learn more about Rex & Regina.