Anise & Almond Biscotti

Now you can get that classy coffee shop food at home.  Anise, almond, chocolate.  Yum.

Yield: About 30 cookies

Almond Torte

This was a unique dessert to make.  It combines a cake with meringue and custard to create a great flavor and texture.

Yield: 10 servings

Twisted Maple Nut Bread

This is an aromatic and appetizing way to show off your baking skills.  If you're tired of boring old bread then give this a try and you won't regret it.

Yield: 16 servings

Chocolate Pecan Pie

If you read my blog then you know I love chocolate.  So this recipe was a shoo-in, combining chocolate with the classic pecan pie.  Yum!

Yield: 8 Servings

Barbie Princess Cake

Why have a boring birthday cake when you can have a princess cake?

Yield: Approx. 25 servings

Jalapeno Cornbread

This is a more flavorful  twist on classic cornbread.  The peppers really aren't all that spicy, but they do add some texture and flavor.

Yield: 8 servings

Apple Crisp

Cold fall weekend got you bummed out?  You need a warm, classic dessert like apple crisp.  Serve this up with ice cream or warm cream and you'll forget all about how cold it is outside.

Yield: 6 servings

Chicken Piccata

The sauce on this chicken is fantastic.  In fact, I'd consider just making this sauce again for other dishes.

Yield: 3 servings

Apple and Pear Flaugnarde

Flaugnarde is a French dessert with fruit and a custard/flan style filling.  But all you really need to know is that it's tasty.  Anyone with modest baking experience should be able to make this.

Chicken Enchiladas

Mexican food is great: easy to make, tasty, and filling.  Try this enchilada recipe and see how easy it is to make restaurant quality Mexican at home.

Yield: 4 servings

Butter Tarts

These are a classic of Canadian cuisine.  I can remember getting excited when I'd visit Grandma and she'd pull some of these out for us to eat.  One bite and you'll be sold on them.

Yield: 24

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

These soft chocolate cookies have a great texture and loads of fudgy goodness.  Plus they look good.

Yield: 3 Dozen Cookies

Au Gratin Potatoes

This is a classic potato dish that is pretty easy to make.  Cook in a saucepan for 10 minutes, let it bake for a while in the oven, and you've got a fantastic side dish!

Yield: 6 servings

Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon rolls rock!  They smell great and taste even better.  You do have to plan ahead a couple hours, but they really aren't difficult to make.

Yield: 15 rolls

Chipotle Pepper Bean Dip

Bean dip is tasty, and it's really pretty easy to make yourself, too.  All you  need is a blender and a few minutes.

Yield: 8 servings

Bread Soup Bowl

Bread bowls are awesome.  They look cool, taste great, and fill you up like nobody's business.  I made these with homemade potato soup, though you could do it with just about any thick soup or stew that you'd like.

Yield: 8 bread bowls

Honey Walnut Pie

You've got to love walnuts to want to try this recipe.  It's a pretty cool pie, and let's you break away from the traditional pies to try something new.

Yield: 8 servings

Thai Chicken Stirfry

This looks like a daunting dish, but is only an intermediate level to cook.  The cilantro and lime really make a fantastic flavor that is sure to satisfy.

Yield: 6 servings

Peanut Butter Banana Cups

Everyone knows that bananas and peanut butter taste great together.  But Reese's hasn't yet figured out that they should put bananas in their peanut butter cups...  You can be part of the flavor revolution!

Yield: 50 candies

Heart Cake

I made this cake for a friend's birthday.  It looks cool and tastes just as good.  I cheated and used store-bought frosting, though.  If you want to be adventurous then you could make homemade chocolate frosting.

Yield: 12 servings

Jalapeno Cheddar Scones

A good scone recipe is hard to come by.  These have a moist texture that is delicious.  And they really don't take a whole lot of effort to make.  The secret is to keep the butter cold and knead the dough as little as possible.

Yield: 8 servings

Chocolate Caramel Cups

Chocolate caramel cups = happiness.  At least, that's what you'll think right after you eat one.

Yield: 50 candies

Cornstalk Dinner Rolls

This fancy-looking bread is sure to turn heads.  Oh, and it tastes good, too.

Yield: 12 servings

Buffalo Chicken Roll-ups

These are quick and easy to make.  They taste good and can be thrown together in a short amount of time to make a tasty, homecooked meal.

Yield: 4 servings

Pepperoni & Mushroom Pizza

This is a classic pizza.  But when I make it at home I put on more cheese then you'd get at a pizzeria.  Plus, I give the sauce a bit of a spicey kick that makes it taste much better.

Yield: 8 slices

Peach Cobbler

Great tasting dessert was never so easy.  It takes very little work to throw together this easy dessert that will leave your taste buds happy.

Yield: 6 servings

Four Cheese and Chicken Baked Ziti

This is a hearty, filling dinner that will satisfy even the hungriest people.  It's a savory blend of four cheeses, homemade alfredo sauce, and pasta.

Yield: 9 servings

Cherry Cordials

Cherry cordials are a classic candy.  Homemade cordials really have the "wow factor" that amazes people, and it's not too complicted to make.  A substantial amount of work, but not complex.

Plus, there's some really cool chemistry at work here.

Yield: About 180 Candies

Peach Pie

This is a fresh, summertime dessert recipe that tastes great.  It's a bit of work, but well worth the effort.

Yield: 8 servings.

Thai Fries

These are a tasty twist on traditional french fries.  They are not as crispy as normal fries (because they aren't deep fried), but they have much more flavor.

Yield: 5 servings

Molasses White Bread

I made up this recipe because I wanted to try doing more than just plain-jane white bread.  It took a couple tries to figure it out, but I've finally settled on something I like.

Yield: 1 loaf

Chocolate Walnut Banana Bread

I love banana bread.  This time, I had some extra goodies in my cupboard that are leftover from past baking adventures, so they got thrown into the mix.  The results were pretty good.

Yield: 2 large loaves

Herbed Dinner Rolls

The aroma of these spices while baking?  Fantastic.

Yield: 16 Rolls

Sausage Primavera

This is a surprisingly fast and easy recipe that will fill everyone.

Yield: 10 servings

Cannoli Cake

This is a moist cake that combines a lot of great flavor.  If you have trouble finding mascarpone cheese at your local grocery, you can substitute neufchatel.  It doesn't taste quite the same, but it'll still be good.

Yield: 12 servings

Chili

This is an easy chili recipe that can be prepared in about 15 minutes and then just left to cook.  As written it's a medium-spicy chili, and you can tweak the spices as desired to change that.

Yield: 12 servings

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

A classic summertime pie, this is a great way to enjoy fresh fruit.  I recommend you leave room for dessert.

Yield: 9 servings

Blue Cheese Stuffed Steak

Blue cheese and steak -- does it get any better?  I submit that it does not.

Yield: 2 servings.

Anise Candy

If you aren't familiar with anise, it's very similar to black licorice.  Nothing beats homemade candy 😊.

Yield: 81 pieces

Beef Tostadas

If you can brown beef then you can make this easy and tasty dinner.

Yield: 8-10 tostadas

Rhubarb Cheesecake Pie

I love rhubarb, and I love cheesecake.  Now there's a way to combine their forces into a truly awesome dessert.  Enjoy.

Yield: 9 servings

Whole Grain Bread

I love fresh, homemade bread.  The smell; the taste; the texture.  Once you get accustomed to making it yourself, you'll never go back to store-bought bread.

Yield: 12 servings

Chocolate Mint Brownies

These add a fresh, minty flavor to the traditional brownie.  And since brownies are easy to make, that makes this a great way to spruce up dessert.

Yield: 16 servings

Cheese Bread

This is bread with some real flavor.  Proof that it's ok to experiment a little in the kitchen .

Yield: 10 servings

Broiled Pork Steak

Pork steaks aren't a common cut of meat, but prepared correctly they can sure be tasty.  A slow cooking in the oven or the grill is the perfect way to prepare this meat.

Yield: 4 servings.

Blueberry Rhubarb Pie

Everyone knows the classic combination of strawberry & rhubarb.  Well, here's a slightly different way to use the tart fruit: combine it with blueberries.  It turned out pretty well and definitely worth giving a try.

Yield: 8 servings