It’s a perfect weekend to snuggle up
with homemade hot chocolate. Photo
courtesy Recchiuti Confections.

Here’s the scoop: Some of these top-tier products are simply chopped up bits of fine chocolate. You can make your own for far less money by chopping up a good chocolate bar. Just:

1. Combine 1 ounce (3 tablespoons) of chopped chocolate with 1 ounce of whole milk in mug.
2. Microwave for 30 seconds and whisk thoroughly to blend.
3. Add another 6 ounces of milk, stir, and heat for 60 seconds.

You can use any chocolate: dark, milk or white, including flavored bars (or add a dash of cinnamon, anise, nutmeg, and chili powder for “Aztec” hot chocolate using a plain chocolate bar).

• You can use chocolate morsels, but the key is, the finer the chocolate, the more delicious the drink.
• For a richer beverage, don’t use cream: The secret is to add a tablespoon of sweet butter to the milk before you heat it.

• Don’t try to make luxury hot chocolate with 2% or fat-free milk: The purpose is to enjoy a sumptuous beverage. If you’re cutting back, have a smaller portion—a demitasse cup. Or, use a luxury sugar-free mix with whole milk.

Read our reviews of the best diet and regular cocoa and hot chocolate.

Now we have something in common with hip hoppers Snoop Dogg and E-40—they drink the same Landy Cognac we received as a gift. Yes, packaging is part of the impact of this lovely bottle of XO Cognac, with its noble, gold-plated greyhound-topped cork; but the Cognac is equally noteworthy.

The Cognac in our Greyhound Decanter is aged to super-smoothness for 35 years. By comparison, a VSOP is aged for at least 4.5 years, although there’s no limit on how long it can be aged; Landy’s VSOP is aged 12 years. For sure, when the last drop of Cognac is finished, we’ll be repurposing this beautiful decanter.

And the XO Cognac? The nose yields plum, leather, sandalwood and tobacco; on the palate the plummy fruit has accents of spice along with the leather and sandlewood, and a touch of tobacco. The Cognac has the balance and long finish that you’d expect from an X.O. The list price is $119.95, but we found it online for $99.99 at WineGlobe.com (and at highly-inflated prices on some gift sites).

Landy’s Greyhound Decanter, filled with
smooth and luscious 35-year-old cognac.
Photo courtesy Landy Cognac.

We sure hope the economy improves in 2010, or we’ll be refilling our Greyhound Decanter with the VSOP.

Panettone photo by Gabriel T. / SXC.

Panettone, a medieval Italian Christmas yeast bread dotted with candied lemon peel, orange peel and raisins, is the Italian version of fruitcake—a popular Christmas gift. Panettone is tall, dome-shaped and airy (some say fluffy), in contrast to the other famous Christmas bread, panforte, which is is short and dense.

The classic Panettone accompaniment is a sweet hot beverage or a sweet wine such as spumante or moscato, but any dessert wine will do. Some Italians add a side of crema di mascarpone, a cream made from mascarpone cheese, eggs, and amaretto (or substitute zabaglione).

If you have more panettone than you can enjoy, cut it into slices and freeze it: After seconds in the microwave, it’s deliciously warm and fluffy again.

We enjoy panettone toasted and buttered for breakfast, or made into a luxurious piece of French toast. Or for dessert at dinner, top toasted panettone with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

• Read more about panettone and panforte. And have a delicious day of feasting with family and friends.

All you need are cubes of cheese (the tree in the photo uses different flavors of Cabot Cheddar), grape tomatoes and some fresh thyme. The star on the top of the tree is a carved mushroom cap.

If you don’t have the ingredients, keep this cheese tree recipe for next year. It’s a crowd pleaser.

Merry Christmas from all of us at THE NIBBLE.

Eat this Christmas tree. Photo courtesy
Cabot Cheese.

It can look great and taste great
without any alcohol.

One option is a “Great Wall,” a combination of brewed jasmine tea and ginger ale.

1. Brew a pot of jasmine tea and cool it in a pitcher, like iced tea (1 teaspoon of tea per 2/3 cup water).

2. Then mix 2/3 cup tea in a tall glass with 2/3 regular or diet ginger ale, ice, and a twist of lemon.

This special drink will make your guest feel special, too…and is a good option for guests who’ve had their second or third regular cocktail.

• Also get to know Golden Star Sparkling Jasmine Tea—a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week, ready-to-pour from a Champagne-like bottle.
• See more ideas in our Cocktails Section.