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!!

Stores are carrying double placemats more and more these days, but if you don’t see them in stock, you can always take a regular runner and turn it crosswise on the table.

I made double placemats for my Thanksgiving table last week. So easy! Standard runners are 16″ wide, but I made mine 18″ to make sure they covered the width of the charger.

Easy DIY double placemats for my Thanksgiving table

These neutral double placemats from CB2 are fabulous and would work with almost any decor.

duo linen placemat for two, from CB2

garlands of lights adorned with cupcake liners served as fitting decor

Rex & Regina had the privilege of working with the Women’s Ministry at Fourth Presbyterian Church in Bethesda, Maryland recently to help organize a special event for women of the church and its community.

Nearly 100 women from all different backgrounds, neighborhoods and stages of life attended “Hey, Cupcake,” a cupcake taste-test event (right up my alley!). The women tasted, enjoyed, and judged cupcakes from six cupcakeries from around the DC area. Ideas and tips for entertaining with cupcakes were presented and guests were also shown how to make their own cupcake toppers.

sample DIY cupcake toppers were on display to give guests ideas for the next time they served cupcakes at a party

There were three total categories in the competition — vanilla, chocolate, and baker’s choice — and each bakery participated in two out of the three categories.

To add a little interest to the competition, one of the six “bakeries” (known at the event as K&C Bakery) was actually two women from the church who baked cupcakes using store-bought mixes, improved them using recipes from the Cake Mix Doctor, and frosted them with homemade frosting.

And the winners of the best tasting cupcakes at “Hey, Cupcake” were (drumroll, please….):

Chocolate: tie between Cupcakes on the Run and Georgetown Cupcakes
Vanilla: Red Velvet Cupcakery
Baker’s Choice: “K&C Bakery”

cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcake, which tied for first in the chocolate category

cupcakes from Cupcakes on the Run, which tied for first in the chocolate category

cupcakes from Red Velvet Cupcakery, which won the vanilla category

winner of "Baker's Choice" category

We’d like to extend very special thanks to the following bakeries who donated their delicious treats for the event.

Cupcakes on the Run
Order cupcakes through Sprinkles in Potomac Village
(Note: Sprinkles is not affiliated with the L.A. Sprinkles!)
10148 River Road
Potomac, Maryland 20854
(301) 299-8415

Just Cakes
4849 Rugby Ave
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
(301) 718-5111
www.justcakes.net

Natalia’s Elegant Creations
230 W Broad St
Falls Church, Virginia 22046-4203
(703) 241-8040
www.nataliaselegantcreations.com

Red Velvet Cupcakery (Penn Quarter location)
675 E Street, NW
Washington, DC 20004
(202) 347-7895
www.redvelvetcupcakery.com

Other bakeries included in the event were:

Georgetown Cupcake
1209 Potomac Street, NW
(moving soon to 33rd and M)
(202) 333-8488
www.georgetowncupcake.com

Cakelove
6 locations in the DC metro area
www.cakelove.com

Restrictions at venues against rose petals or other tossing items lead many brides to invite their guests to blow bubbles for the send off at the end of the wedding. These fabulous wands from Clay Company would make not only a great tool for a bubble-filled send off, but would also be a nice gift for guests. The wands come in four different styles, but here at Rex & Regina we are biased toward the “crown” style!

While perfect for a wedding, the wands would also be great at a birthday celebration or a New Year’s Party.

Bubble wands from Clay Company

Crown Bubble wand

Should the wands not do it for you, check out these adorable champagne bubble bottles from Beau-coup. They’d be great for a vineyard wedding.

champagne bubbles from Beau-coup