Winter has made a comeback in the Northeast today. We're supposed to get 8 to 10 inches in my area, so I'm in one of those "hot chocolate, read a book, watch some DVDs on the couch" sort of moods, so I thought I'd post a hot chocolate recipe.

But this isn't just for one cup of hot chocolate, it's a mix you can store so you don't have to keep making one cup at a time. I've been meaning to try the recipe that Tyler Florence made on one of his holiday shows on Food Network a while back but I haven't. This one comes from Epicurious.com and it has a hint of vanilla (or maybe it's more than a hint, who knows). It makes 24 servings.

It's really chilly here in the Northeast. I love the cold weather, it's just that the first big chill of the season can be shocking, especially since we had such an oddly warm October. This is the first time I had to turn on the heat this fall.

So how about some hot chocolate? Having a nice hot mug of hot chocolate on a cold evening is one of the great things in life. Here's a recipe for Easy Mexican Hot Chocolate (which includes cinnamon and chili powder) and here's one for Avenue' S Hot Chocolate (though I've never had Valrhona chocolate). Here's one that uses coffee from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, and Jamie Oliver has one he calls The Best Hot Chocolate. I wanted to try this recipe for Hot Cocoa and Homemade Marshmallows from Tyler Florence last year but didn't. I'll correct that this holiday season (though I have to admit I'll probably go with packaged marshmallows or Fluff instead of making my own).

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• This week's recipes: Double-Vanilla Sour Cream Pound Cake; Maani Gyros; and Italian-American Meatballs.

Is this the same as their Chocolate Sensation that was introduced a few years ago? I saw this on the shelf and didn't find the other stuff, so I'm wondering if they've replaced that Chocolate Sensation with dark chocolate, which seems to be all the rage now.

I like it. It tastes a little different than other dark hot cocoas are on the market, the more expensive brands. This one actually tastes like they took big hunks of dark chocolate and melted them in hot liquid. That's not an insult, by the way, I like the way this tastes.

It's also a hot chocolate that isn't ruined if you add a bit of milk, even though it already has milk in it and you just add water. I've followed the instructions to a T (6 oz of hot water for each packet), so I'm not sure what happens if you have a big mug and add more hot water than that.

Update: Hmmm...I found this for sale on Amazon, and even though it says "Dark Chocolate Sensation," it shows the old "Chocolate Sensation" box. Am I drinking the old stuff under a new name? Have my taste buds been deceived?

I come from a family that bought Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa in the packets and mixed it with water. It wasn't until later on in my teen years that I even knew that there were people who drank it with - gasp! - milk.

Now I can't make it with anything else but milk. Making it with water just makes it too, well, watery. I've switched to Ghirardelli (though I still get Swiss Miss if the store is out of Ghiradelli), and it just tastes better with milk (even the non-fat stuff I use). My roommate just bought one of the Keurig machines and it comes with "specially formulated" Ghirardelli chocolate for the Keurig maker (though it comes in the regular sized packets and not those individual cups things, so I'm not even sure how you're supposed to make it - do they sell reusable cups you can put the hot chocolate in?), but I'm not going to use water. I like it creamier now.

So, what do you make it with, water or milk? And do you call it "hot chocolate" or "hot cocoa?"

Let’s face it: eggnog is not quite the same without a little something to warm you up. And when you’re making big batches of punch laced with bottled holiday cheer, you don’t always stop to consider all the options for non-drinking guests. Whether you have kids, are the designated driver or simply choose not to drink, you may have to come up with some nonalcoholic options during the holidays. The familiar, but excellent, standby is definitely Martinelli’s Sparkling Cider, which is always a hit in any crowd with its bright, sweet taste and pleasant fizz. Other sparkling fruit juices, like Cranberry and Pear are good alternatives.

Moving away from the champagne-like drinks, “mocktails” can be a good option at the bar. Try mixing Sprite or lemonade with a splash of grenadine for a Shirley Temple or tomato juice, Worcestershire and Tabasco for a Virgin Mary. Hot drinks are also nice on cold nights and holiday classics like Hot Cocoa and Mulled Cider, or coffee drinks like a Pumpkin Spiced Mocha.