Rex & Regina’s Blog

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.

Set out some mugs.

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

Make a few batches of hot chocolate.

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.

Provide some add-ins — offer both liquid and dry.

Dry:

• Crumbled peppermint sticks
• Marshmallows
• Chocolate-covered marshmallows (like these from Bissinger’s)
• Cinnamon sugar
• Orange twists or peel
• Chopped up candy bar
• Chocolate chips
• Caramels

Liquid:

• Espresso shots
• coffee
• Flavored syrups (like Monin’s organic syrups)
• Peppermint extract
• Vanilla extract

or for the adults…

• Kahlua
• Bailey’s
• Creme de Mint
• Grand Marnier
• Peppermint Schnapps

To top it off:

• Whipped cream
• cinnamon
• cocoa powder

Set out some stirrers.

• candy canes or peppermint sticks
• cinnamon sticks
• artisan stirrers (like this tempting one from Knipschildt — white chocolate with butterscotch and whiskey)

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!

Dessert has been on my mind these days… which quickly leads me to thinking about wedding cakes. Here are a few that I love for Fall weddings:

All too often brides feel obligated to choose a white wedding cake. But why, when there are so many beautiful options for a chocolate-frosted cake?

Fall Cake featured on Brides.com, photo by Miki Duisterhof

gorgeous fall cake from Alice's Tea Cup, courtesy of Brides.com

Marzipan and gum paste embellishments can be a nice way to add a pop of color to a cake.

Marzipan-embellished Autumnal Cake featured on theknot.com, photo by Modern Wedding Photography

Asian-inspired cake in autumnal hues featured on Martha Stewart

Chestnut and golden-hued cake from Cakework, featured on InStyle Weddings

This vibrant orange cake taps into a traditional Fall color in a modern way.

four-tiered cake by Chocolaz Artisan Cakes, featured on InStyle Weddings

Call me a hater, but Halloween is not one of my favorite holidays. Even when I was a child, I was never excited when Halloween came around. It always seemed so dark and meaningless and I just didn’t enjoy it. The candy, however, was the day’s only redeemable quality and I still enjoy the sweet treats that come along on October 31.

I’d like to think my taste in candy has matured over the years, though. And while I do still enjoy the Halloween standards like M&Ms and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, these days I fall more easily to the temptation of artisan and handmade chocolates. Here are some great options for “grownup” Halloween treats for your trick or treat collection this year:

Dylan’s Candy Bar has a fabulous selection of Halloween-themed treats. The Oreo Gift Set looks particularly delish.

Halloween Oreo Gift Set from Dylan's Candy Bar

Or what about these Chocolate Valley Apples from Oliver Kita? Nothing says Fall like a candy apple!

Chocolate-covered apple from Oliver Kita

Looking for a spooky treat? Check out these adorable Party Ghosts (can ghosts be adorable?!) from Burdick Chocolate.

Chocolate Ghosts from Burdick Chocolate

You can’t get anymore grown up than these Boo! Chocolate Truffles from Coco luxe. You had me at “ganache.”

Boo! Chocolate Truffles from Coco luxe

My favorite purveyor of artisan confections, Rechiutti, has a great 8 piece Halloween Motif box. They are scary good!

8 piece Halloween Motif Box from Recchiuti

Last week my mother e-mailed me. Subject line: Grammie’s Recipes. In the body of the message were two recipes that my grandmother used to make when we were growing up. What a gold mine!

The first was a recipe for sweet and sour chicken, the second was a recipe for heaven. Yes, you heard me. Heaven. Heaven in the form of a chocolate dessert called “Brownie Pudding.”

I warn you, this is an old school recipe. (Where else would you see the term “nutmeats” used?) As I prepared it I wondered if I had misread the instructions, but when it came out of the oven it was divine.

I’ve since made the recipe twice and am about to start a third. (When you eat this for breakfast, lunch, and dinner like I have been doing the last week or so, trust me, you run out quickly.) I wouldn’t recommend having it three times a day, but I WOULD recommend serving this at a kitchy, throw-back, casual dinner party. Invite some close friends over for a pot roast or another very “circa 1950s, Mad Men-esque” meal and finish it off with Brownie Pudding (though I’d call it “Retro Brownie Heaven” — sounds much more appealing!).

I know a picture of the divine dessert would be nice but this gluttonous blogger keeps eating it so there is currently nothing to photograph…

Brownie Pudding

Sift together:
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cups sugar
2 tsp cocoa

Mix together:
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp melted crisco
3/4 cup nutmeats (chopped walnuts work well)

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Lightly grease a baking dish (I used a deep ceramic pie dish). Spoon batter into dish.

MIx together:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cocoa

Sprinkle the mixture on top of the batter. Pour 1 3/4 cups hot water over the batter. Bake for 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Serve with fresh whipped cream (homemade whipped cream is a must here) and enjoy!!

Welcoming out-of-town wedding guests with a gift bag at their hotel is a thoughtful gesture and one that is an increasingly standard part of most weddings. A welcome gift need not be extravagant — a thank you note, an itinerary and map, and maybe some water and snacks would certainly suffice. But for those who may wish to add a little more pomp and flair to their guests’ arrival, the following ideas may get your creative juices flowing and, if assembled, would indeed constitute one incredibly luxurious SWAG bag!

The ultimate out-of-town gift bags will help your guests…

1. …stay hydrated.

Water is a critical element to any welcome gift. Voss (sparkling is my fave, but it is also available in still) is not only great H20, but it’s packaging is also very sleek.

Voss water

2. …fight back a snack attack!

To satiate those late night snack attacks, be sure to include some treats — both salty and sweet — for your guests. To reflect your wedding location, consider including snacks with local flair (e.g. Virginia peanuts, Maine blueberries, etc.).

Kettle Chips are a great option for a salty snack.

Lightly salted Kettle Chips

For a sweet snack, consider these options from two of the best artisan chocolatiers.

Knipschildt's chocolate-dipped pear slices

Recchiuti's Black Box

3. …keep their breath fresh.

Jila gum and Choward’s mints are not only a refreshing treat for guests, but the smart packaging will be visually appealing, as well.

Jila Sugar Free Gum available through CandyDirect.com

Choward's Spearmint Mints

4. …know where they are going.

One of the most important things to include in a welcome gift is information about the timing and locations of the weekend’s events. Three great options for wedding maps include:

• Beautiful hand-drawn maps by Laura Hooper Calligraphy
• Custom wedding map designs by Snappymap or Weddingmaps

5. …feel even more comfortable during their stay.

Help guests make their hotel room feel more like home with thoughtful touches like travel diffusers or monogrammed slippers. For beach weddings, consider adding flip flops or a beach towel. For cooler climes, a cashmere throw, ski hats, or monogrammed scarves would be a nice treat. Guests will also appreciate other small items like asparin and a mending kit.

Travel Diffuser from Archipelago

Hermes printed beach towel

Williams-Sonoma Home Cashmere Throw

6. …capture the moment.

Yes, your professional photographer will be there to capture the key moments of your wedding. But don’t miss those behind-the-scenes moments that only your guests can capture. Single use cameras can be fun for guests; those cameras with black-and-white film are particularly cool. A luxurious option for capturing moments on film would be to provide guests (or even just your wedding party) with Flip cameras. You can even personalize the camera with a picture of the bride and groom or the bride/groom with that particular guest.

Kodak's Black & White Single Use Camera available through Amazon.com

The Flip MinoHD camcorder

7. …feel welcomed and honored.

A welcome back is not complete without a personalized note from the bride and groom thanking the guest for coming and for sharing their wedding with them. While personalized notes do take time to write, they will make each guest feel even more honored and welcomed and know how much you appreciate their presence and friendship.

8. …pack it all up.

Once you’ve assembled all of the special welcome treats for your guests, you’ll need to present the items to them in lovely packaging. This is a wonderful chance to incorporate your theme (e.g. gifts at a beach wedding could be packaged in canvas beach bags). Keep in mind that your guests will have to pack up these items and to take them home with them, so try not to make the packaging too bulky or awkward.  Fun tote bags like the ones below or beautiful Kolo boxes can be good options.

City Out-of-Town Totes available at Blissweddingsmarket.com