Combine chickpeas, artichoke hearts, 2 tablespoons reserved artichoke marinating liquid, and olive oil in a food processor. Discard remaining marinating liquid. Process until smooth, about 1 minute and 30 seconds, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Scrape mixture into a medium bowl, and season with salt and pepper; drizzle with oil. Serve hummus with pita chips, crackers, or cut vegetables.Makes 2 cups

Cut each artichoke quarter in half or in thirds. In a bowl, mix the artichokes, tuna, mayonnaise, lemon juice, hot sauce, garlic and the cheese. Season with salt and pepper; scrape into a small ovenproof skillet. Bake at 350º for 15 minutes, until hot. Turn on the broiler and broil 8 inches from the heat until browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve with crudités and chips.   Serves 4 as an appetizer.

Make sure the avocado and pepper are truly diced small or it will be too difficult to scoop up on crackers or chips. Mix all ingredients. Season with coarse salt and ground pepper. Serves 6

In a food processor, combine all ingredients. Process until smooth. Serve sprinkled with red-pepper flakes, if desired. Serves 6

Preheat oven to 400°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Unroll crescent dough. Press together any performations.

In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, onions, and poppy seeds, mixing well. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over crescent dough, leaving a 1-inch border along one long side. Roll dough over filling toward border, jelly-roll style. Place seam side down. Slice into 1/2-inch pieces. Place pinwheels 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake until lightly golden, 10 to 12 minutes. (Makes 24 pinwheels if you can cut them a 1/2 inch thick).

Heat the oven to 300 F. Combine all the ingredients in a 9x13-inch baking pan or on a rimmed baking sheet. Toss until the nuts are well coated with the oil and seasonings. Spread the nuts in a single layer. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the nuts are fragrant and toasted. Cool the nuts and store in a tightly covered container.

Preheat the oven to 450. Using a food processor, finely chop the coconut; transfer to a shallow bowl. Stir in the panko and season with salt and pepper. Place the flour in another shallow bowl.

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg whites until foamy, then stir in the coconut extract. Working in 3 batches, coat the shrimp in the flour, shaking off any excess. Dip in the egg white mixture to coat completely, then toss in the coconut-panko mixture. Place on a wire rack set on a baking sheet. Bake until golden and the shrimp are cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.

Serve shrimp with pineapple dip, or chutney, or your favorite dipping sauce.     Serves 6 as an appetizer or 2 for dinner

Place garlic in food processor container. Process until finely minced. Add kidney beans and lemon juice; process until smooth. Add olive oil, cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper; process until well mixed. Transfer dip to bowl. Refrigerate, covered, until chilled or overnight. Serve with tortilla chips or with cut vegetables.
Serves 8

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit. Drain all water from spinach. (After draining, I placed it between two paper towels and tried to soak up more moisture.) Mix all ingredients and bake in greased casserole for 30 to 40 minutes. Serve with butter crackers or bagel chips.

Layer ingredients in a 9x13-inch (had some room to spare, probably could have used a 7x10-inch) dish in the order given. Chill for several hours. Serve with torilla chips.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Defrost sheets of puff pastry for approximately 15 to 20 minutes and unfold. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Sauté walnuts in butter until golden brown, approximately 3 minutes. Stir in cinnamon, coating nuts well. Divide mixture in half. Slice brie in half (crosswise) to get two equal rounds. Divide nut mixture and place on the top of each Brie round. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over the mixture on each Brie round. Carefully place pastry sheet over one of the wheels of Brie (make sure Brie is centered). Gently pick Brie up with pastry hanging over edge and fold the pastry under Brie. Trim excess pastry with scissors so Brie lies flat, and seal all edges to prevent leakage (save extra pastry). Repeat process with second wheel of Brie. Brush beaten egg over tops and sides of covered brie wheels. Cut leftover pastry into heart shapes, flowers, etc., and place them onto the pastry on top of the Brie. Brush cutouts with egg. Place wrapped Brie wheels on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes until pastry is golden brown. Be careful not to tear pastry when removing from baking sheet or the melted cheese will pour out. Serve with top-quality crackers.

Combine all ingredients and mix until well blended. Serve with crackers. (About 8 ozs of crackers will be enough.)

For the Boil
2/3 cup baking soda
1 tblsp fine sea salt

Add the flour and yeast to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Turn the mixer to low and pour in the beer. (I put the flour and yeast in a large bowl and whisked together. Then I added the beer and used a wooden spoon to mix together.) Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed and mix until a dough begins to form. Mix in the melted butter and then the fine sea salt. Allow the mixer to knead the dough for 5 minutes. (I just jumped to kneading by hand for 5 minutes after the dough formed, until it was smooth and elastic.) Transfer the dough to a bowl that has been greased with butter or cooking oil, cover it, and let it proof until it's doubled in size, 60 to 90 minutes.

For the boil, fill a large soup pot with 10 cups of water, baking soda, and salt. Just before the pretzel dough is done proofing, bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Punch down the dough and cut it into 12 equal pieces. Roll each into a ball and then shape each ball into an oval shape. Working a few rolls at a time, carefully drop them into the boiling water. (I dropped 4 or 5 rolls.) Boil for 1 minute on each side. Remove them with a slotted spoon and transfer them to the prepared baking sheet.

Create the egg wash. In a small bowl, mix egg and 2 tablespoons water. Brush each roll with egg wash and sprinkle with smoked sea salt. Use a sharp knife to score each roll with two slits. Bake 20 minutes, until the rolls are golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.    Makes 12 rolls

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a food processor and pulse just to combine. Scatter in the cauliflower rice and butter. Pulse until the butter looks like small peas.

Whisk together the buttermilk and egg in a small bowl, then pour over the flour mixture in the food processor. Pulse just until the dough comes together; it will look a little crumbly. Add the cheddar and chives and pulse once or twice to incorporate. Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead a few times just to bring it together; don't overwork the dough. Press into a 5-by-8-inch (don't worry about being accurate) rectangle and fold in half. Gently flatten and fold once more, lightly flouring the dough as needed to keep it from sticking to the surface.

Gently roll out the dough until slightly more than 1/2-inch thick. Use a 3-inch round cutter to cut out as many biscuits as possible, then reroll the scraps and cut out more biscuits (about 8 total). (I must have rolled flatter, because I ended up with 12 rolls.) Arrange on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake until puffed and golden brown on the top and bottom, 13 to 15 minutes. (Took me 19 minutes.) Serve warm.    Makes 8 to 12 rolls

Add the flour and yeast to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. (I just used a whisk to blend dry ingredients). Turn the mixer to low and pour in the beer. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Increase the speed and allow a dough to form. Mix in the dill, salt, and onion powder. Once a dough ball forms in the center of the bowl, allow the mixer to knead the dough for 5 minutes. (I kneaded by hand for 5 minutes) Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead by hand for 4 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Form the dough into a ball and transfer it to a bowl that has been greased with cooking oil or butter. Cover the dough and let it proof to increase in size about 50 percent, 60 to 75 minutes.

Punch down the dough and cut it into six rolls, about 2½ ounces each. Roll these into balls and place them on a small baking sheet covered in parchment paper. Let them rise for 20 more minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F. Brush the rolls generously with egg wash. Lay a small sprig of dill on the top of each roll and press it down gently into the egg wash. Bake for 20 minutes, until the rolls are golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.    Makes 6 rolls

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Grease 10-inch cast-iron skillet. Whisk flour, basil, baking powder, and salt together in large bowl. Stir in 1 cup Parmesan, breaking up any clumps, until coated with flour mixture. In separate bowl, whisk milk, sour cream, and egg until smooth.

Put oil and garlic in 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Pour oil mixture into milk mixture and whisk to combine. Using rubber spatula, gently fold milk mixture into flour mixture until just combined, then fold in olives (batter will be heavy and thick; do not overmix). Scrape batter into prepared skillet and smooth top. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan.

Transfer skillet to oven and bake until loaf is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes , rotating skillet halfway through baking. Using pot holders, transfer skillet to wire rack and let loaf cool for 10 minutes. Being careful of hot skillet handle, remove loaf from skillet, return to rack, and let cool for at least 20 minutes. Slice and serve.   Serves 8 to 10

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 5-3/4-in. x 3-in. x 2-in loaf pan. In a small mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with banana. Fold in walnuts. Transfer to prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50 - 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.   Makes 1 mini loaf

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Process flour, potato flakes, chives, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in food processor until combined, about 15 seconds. Add chilled butter and shortening and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs, 7 to 9 pulses.

Transfer flour mixture to large bowl. Stir in buttermilk with rubber spatula until combined, turning and pressing dough until no dry flour remains. Turn out dough onto lightly floured counter and knead briefly, 8 to 10 turns, to form smooth cohesive ball. Roll out dough into 9-inch circle, about 3/4 inch thick.

Using floured 2½-inch round cutter, stamp out 8 or 9 biscuits and arrange upside down on prepared sheet. Gather dough scraps and gently pat into 3/4-inch thick circle. Stamp out 3 or 4 biscuits and transfer to sheet. Bake until biscuits begin to rise, about 5 minutes, then rotate sheet and reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees. Continue to bake until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. (I skipped the next step because I don't like greasy things.) Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter and brush on biscuit tops. Transfer biscuits to wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.   Makes 12 biscuits

Cook sausage, drain fat, and mix in basil or oregano. In a small bowl, beat egg white until stiff and set aside. Mix together dry ingredients and set aside. Combine egg yolk, milk and butter. Add to dry ingredients, mixing until just blended. Add meat and fold in with beaten egg white until just mixed. Do not overbeat batter.   Makes 4 waffles

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Whisk whole wheat flour, coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk eggs, oil, yogurt, granulated sugar and brown sugar in a large bowl. Add mango and stir to combine. Gently fold the flour mixture into the mango mixture. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups and sprinkle with coconut. Bake until the tops spring back when touched lightly and the coconut is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.   Makes 12 muffins

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425° degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Toast mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, nigella seeds, and fenugreek seeds in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat until fragrant, 2 to 4 minutes. (Instead, I microwaved on a plate for 1 minute, stirred, then microwaved for 1 minute more.) Transfer seed mixture to plate to cool, about 10 minutes.

Pulse flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in food processor until combined, about 3 pulses. Scatter butter evenly over top and pulse until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, about 10 pulses; transfer to large bowl. Using rubber spatula, gently fold 1 cup cream and seed mixture into flour mixture until dough begins to form.

Turn out dough and any floury bits onto lightly floured counter and knead by hand until rough, slightly sticky ball forms, 5 to 10 seconds. (Instead, I just kept mixing with the spatula until the dough formed.) Shape dough into 8-inch round of even thickness, then cut into 8 even wedges. Transfer wedges to prepared sheet, spaced 2 inches apart, and brush tops with remaining 1 tablespoon cream. Bake until scones are light golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Transfer scones to wire rack and let cool for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.   Makes 8 scones

Combine boiling water, 1 teaspoon rosemary, and honey in a large bowl, cool to 100° to 110°. Sprinkle yeast over honey mixture; let stand 5 minutes. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add 3¼ cups flour, 2 tablespoons oil, and 1 teaspoon salt to honey mixture, stirring to form a soft dough. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes, but stop sooner if dough is elastic); add enough of remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel sticky).

Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 45 minutes or until doubled in size. (Gently press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, dough has risen enough.) Pat dough into a 14 x 12-inch rectangle on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise 20 minutes or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 350°. Uncover dough. Make indentations in top of dough using handle of a wooden spoon or your fingertips. Combine 1 tablespoon oil, 1 teaspoon water, and egg yolk, brush over dough. Drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon oil, sprinkle with remaining rosemary and sea salt. Bake for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from pan, cool on a wire rack.   14 servings

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450°F. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, pepper, and salt together in large bowl. Stir buttermilk and melted butter in 2-cup liquid measuring cup until butter forms clumps.

Using rubber spatula, gently fold buttermilk mixture into flour mixture until just combined. Drop 12 scoops of batter 1½ inches apart on prepared sheet. Bake until tops are golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter and brush on biscuit tops. Transfer biscuits to wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.   Makes 12 biscuits

Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and rosemary. Using a pastry blender or fork, cut butter into dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add milk and oil and stir with a fork until evenly moistened. If dough is crumbly, add more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough comes together.

Gather dough into a mass and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface (I just kept working in the bowl until it came together), kneading as necessary to incorporate any crumbs but taking care not to overwork it. Press into a 1/2-inch-thick circle about 8 inches in diameter. Cut into 8 wedges. Arrange on baking sheet; brush lightly with oil.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until bottoms are lightly golden. Let cool for 2 minutes before serving. Leftover scones can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days; warm in a 350°F oven prior to serving.
Makes 8 scones

Stir the warm water and sugar together until dissolved, then stir in the yeast; set aside until foamy, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the flour, baking powder and fine salt in a large bowl. Add the butter to the flour mixture and work it in with your fingertips until the butter is in pea-size pieces. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the yeast mixture and milk. Stir with a wooden spoon until the flour is completely moistened and the dough looks like a shaggy ball, switching to your hands and gently kneading to bring the dough together, if necessary. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 1 to 1½ hours.

When the dough is almost ready, make the filling: Combine the cheese, chiles, parsley, thyme and lemon zest in a small bowl. Mash and stir together with a small rubber spatula until smooth and spreadable. Set aside.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and briefly knead until smooth, three or four times. Pat until about 1 inch thick, then fold into thirds like a letter and pat until 1 inch thick again. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and repeat folding and patting two more times. Divide into 2 equal pieces.

Lightly butter a rimless baking sheet. Roll out 1 piece of dough into an 11-inch round on a floured surface and transfer to the pan. Spread with the filling, stopping about 3/4 inch from the edge (fig. A). Roll out the second piece of dough into an 11-inch round and place on top of the first (fig. B). Pinch and press the edges of the dough together to seal.

Center the rim of a drinking glass (about 3 inches in diameter) in the middle of the dough; gently press to mark the center. At the 12 o'clock mark, cut through the dough with a very sharp knife from the glass to the edge, leaving the center circle uncut (fig. C). Repeat at the 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock and 9 o'clock points on the circle to make 4 quarters. Halve each quarter to make 8 equal wedges; halve those to make 16 wedges (fig. D).

Lift the edges of 2 wedges that are next to each other and twist them away from each other twice. Pinch the ends together to make a pointed tip. Repeat with the remaining pairs of wedges (fig. E). Remove the glass and cover the dough with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until the filling is firm and the dough has puffed and risen slightly, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400º. Uncover the dough and re-pinch any ends that came apart. Brush all over with the beaten egg and sprinkle with flaky salt (fig. F). Bake until golden brown all over, especially around the center circle, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool a few minutes on the baking sheet, then carefully slide onto a rack (star arms will be floppy) to cool completely. Serve at room temperature.   Serves 10

Process flour, yeast, and salt in food processor until combined, about 2 seconds. With processor running, slowly add oil, then warm water, and process until dough forms sticky ball that clears sides of bowl, 1½ to 2 minutes. (If, after 1 minute, dough is sticky and clings to blade, add extra flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed until dough clears sides of bowl.) Transfer dough to lightly floured counter and shape into tight ball. Place in lightly oiled large bowl, cover tightly with greased plastic wrap, and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 1 to 1½ hours.

Calzone
If creating a calzone, adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees. (Yes, that's right.) Cut one 9-inch square piece of parchment paper. Create filling (need to find a good one). Place dough on lightly floured counter. Press and roll dough into 9-inch round. Transfer dough to parchment square and reshape as needed.

Spread filling evenly over bottom half of dough round, leaving 1-inch border at edge. Brush edge with some of egg wash. Fold top half of dough over bottom half, leaving 1/2-inch border of bottom layer uncovered. Press edges of dough together and crimp to seal.

With sharp knife, cut 5 steam vents, about 1½ inches long, in top layer of dough. Brush with remaining egg wash. Slide calzone (still on parchment square) onto baking sheet, trimming parchment as needed to fit. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. (I didn't rotate and it baked fine.) Transfer calzone to wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes before sliceing in half and serving.   Serves 2

Chicken or Sausage and Broccoli Pizza
15 ozs diced tomatoes
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp pepper
2 cups Sargento 6 cheese Italian blend
1 cup broccoli, chopped small
3/4 cup cooked meat (chopped chicken or sausage)

Italian Sausage and Mushroom Pizza
8 ozs Italian sausage
1/3 cup marinara sauce
1 cup (4 ozs) shredded part-skim mazzarella cheese
1/2 cup thinly sliced mushrooms

Process flour, yeast, and salt in food processor until combined, about 2 seconds. With processor running, slowly add oil, then warm water, and process until dough forms sticky ball that clears sides of bowl, 1½ to 2 minutes. (If, after 1 minute, dough is sticky and clings to blade, add extra flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed until dough clears sides of bowl.) Transfer dough to lightly floured counter and shape into tight ball. Place in lightly oiled large bowl, cover tightly with greased plastic wrap, and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 1 to 1½ hours.

Chicken or Sausage and Broccoli Pizza
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees. (Yes, that's right.) Pulse tomatoes, Italian seasoning, garlic, pepper, and 1 tablespoon olive oil in food processor until coarsely ground, about 12 pulses. Place dough on lightly floured counter. Press and roll dough into 11-inch round. Transfer dough to baking stone or rimless baking pan.

Spread sauce over dough, leaving 1/2 inch border at edge. Sprinkle cheese over sauce. Sprinkle on broccoli and cooked meat. Bake until crust is brown and cheese is golden in spots, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove pizza and let cool for 5 minutes. Slice and serve.   Serves 2

Sausage and Mushroom Pizza
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees. (Yes, that's right.) Remove casings from sausage. Cook in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until browned; stir to crumble. Drain; pat dry with paper towels. Set aside. Place dough on lightly floured counter. Press and roll dough into 11-inich round. Transfer dough to baking stone or rimless baking pan.

Spread marinara sauce to 1/2 inch of edges. Top with sausage, mozzarella, and muishrooms. Bake until crust is brown and cheese is golden in spots, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove pizza and let cool for 5 minutes. Slice and serve.   Serves 2

Grill or broil green onions for 4 minutes until charred. Set aside to cool.
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Rough chop the grilled scallions.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together buttermilk and egg, and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Cut in the cold butter using your fingers until the butter is pea sized. Mix in scallions.

Stir the liquid mixture into the dry mixture until it forms a ball. With floured hands, work the dough on a lightly floured surface. Knead into a ball. (Without a time listed to knead for, I gave up quickly and it baked just fine, just looked rough.). Shape into a loaf, and place on the prepared baking sheet. Score the top of the loaf with a serrated knife. Bake for 40 minutes, covering the bread with foil halfway through the bake. Enjoy!
(Makes 1 large loaf)

Sift the flour with the baking powder, salt and baking soda into a large bowl three times (I just mixed really well rather than sift). Stir in the sugar. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the yogurt; mix until wet clumps form. Slowly add the milk and, using your hands, work the milk into the flour mixture until a smooth dough forms. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let rest 2 to 3 hours, or wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (the longer the dough rests, the softer the naan will be).

Heat a griddle or large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. And start broiler. Divide the dough into 8 pieces and form into balls. Flatten each ball into a disk and dust with flour. (I did not dust with flour. Instead I placed between plastic wrap and rolled out.) Using a rolling pin, roll each disk into a 1/4-inch thick oval. (Definitely roll out thin.) Brush the tops with water. Transfer the disks to the griddle, water-side down. Using foil or an upside-down stainless-steel bowl, cover the naan and cook until bubbles appear on the surface, about 2 minutes. Place in broiler, white side up for 2 minutes. Serve.   (Makes 8 naan)

Preheat to 350°F.

Place bread slices on baking sheets. With a pastry brush, brush each slice of bread with olive oil. Sprinkle with garlic salt and a smattering of fines herbes. Bake about 10 minutes, until the bread just begins to brown. Serve in a large basket. (I just placed a slice on each of our plates.)

Place a 10-inch cast-iron skillet in the oven; preheat to 425°F.

Combine 3 eggs, milk, all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a mixing bowl. Blend until frothy, about 1 minute.

Carefully remove the pan from the oven, add butter and swirl the pan until the butter is melted. Immediately add the batter. Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 4 eggs and cook sunny-side up until the whites are just set, about 2 minutes.

Whisk the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Add arugula and toss to coat. Serve the Dutch baby topped with a fried egg, arugula, Parmesan and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Serves 4: 1/4 Dutch baby, 1 egg and generous salad helping each

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pepper and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is in tiny flecks, about fifteen 1-second pulses. In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg until well combined. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and pulse a few times until the flour is just moistened and still crumbly. Add the spinach and sun-dried tomatoes and pulse until the mixture just comes together; do not overmix. The dough will be wet.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently pat into an 8-inch round about 1/2 inch thick. Cut the dough into eight wedges and use a bench scraper or spatula to transfer the unbaked scones to the prepared baking sheet, placing them about 1 inch apart. Bake until the scones are crisp and golden brown, and a skewer inserted into the center of one comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Serve the scones warm or at room temperature.     Makes 8 scones

(I do not have a mixer, so I've changed the recipe instructions to hand mixing.)

In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups flour, brown sugar, salt, and yeast.

In a small saucepan, heat milk, 1/2 cup water, and butter over medium heat until an instant-read thermometer registers 120°F to 130°F. Add warm milk mixture to flour mixture, and mix with wooden spoon until combined. Gradually add 2¼ cups flour, mixing just until combined and making sure to scrape sides of bowl. Use clean hands to continue mixing until a soft, somewhat sticky dough forms, 5 to 6 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. If dough is too sticky, you can add up to 1/4 cup more of flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. (I did not have to do this.) Shape into a smooth round. Lightly oil a medium bowl. Place dough in bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, 30 to 45 minutes. (With nothing in it, I ran the microwave for 1 minute, so it was warm inside. Then I put the bowl in there.)

Place a large piece of parchment paper on work surface. Set aside. On a very lightly floured surface, divide dough into 12 portions. Shape each portion into a 5-inch sub shape (kind of a flat football shape). Cover and let rise in a warm draft-free place for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a 4-quart stockpot, bring 8 cups water and baking soda to a gentle boil. Carefully drop pretzels, top side down, into boiling water mixture. Cook for 30 seconds.; turn, and cook for 30 seconds. Using a spider strainer, lift, and let excess water drip off, place on prepared pans.

In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolk and 1 tablespoon water. Brush egg wash onto dough. Using a sharp knife, score 3 lines on top of each pretzel. Sprinkle with sea salt (I did not do this, because I don't like chunks of salt). Bake until deep golden brown, 16 to 18 minutes. Let cool on pans fo 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 12 pretzel rolls

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cardamom, and sugar. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the butter, egg, milk, and vanilla. Stir the liquids just to blend (right in the well), then quickly stir them into the dry ingredients. Do not overmix. Drop the dough into 10 mounds on the baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden. Cool briefly on the pan, then transfer with a spatula to racks to cool to desired temperature. Serve warm or cooled, split and buttered.   Makes 10 bisquits

Preheat the oven to 350°F degrees. Grease one 9½ x 5½-inch loaf pan or three 5¾ x 3½-inch loaf pans.

In a large bowl, stir together the flours, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, stir together the yogurt and molasses. Blend the yogurt mixture into the dry ingredients and stir in the walnuts just until all the ingredients are moistened. Spoon into the prepared pan or pans. Bake 1 hour for the large loaf or 35 to 45 minutes for the smaller loaves, or until they test done. Remove from the oven, let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn onto rack to finish cooling.   Makes 1 large or 3 small loaves

Preheat the oven to 425°F degrees.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sage, honey, and salt. Add the butter and work it into the flour with your hands. The result should be like coarse sand. Add half-and-half and use a mixing spoon to work it fast into the mix. Don't overwork the dough; it should just hold together. I found it too wet and sticky to roll out and use cookie cutter, as suggested. Instead, it was way easier to scoop and plop 10 biscuits onto baking sheet. Bake until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Once biscuits are out of the oven, brush with melted butter. Cool on wire rack.   Makes 10 biscuits

Preheat the oven to 450°F degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the beer, buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingrdients into the well. With your fingers (felt gooey and bubbley, so I'd probably just use a mixing spoon) stir the batter from the middle of the bowl to the outside, until it's well mixed. It will look more like cake batter than bread dough.

Brush a 9 x 5 x 2½-inch loaf pan with melted butter. Pour the batter into the pan and sprinkle the top with oats. Put the bread in the oven, immediately turn the temperature down to 400 degrees, and bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn the bread out onto a baking rack and allow to cool completely. Slice and serve with salted butter.   Makes 1 loaf

Place all the ingredients into a microwave safe mug and mix well. Microwave on high for 90 seconds. Let the bread cool for a few minutes and then pop out of the mug and slice in half.   Serves 2

Poaching Liquid
8 cups water
1/4 cup amber beer
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup (packed) brown sugar
3 tblsps (about) vegetable oil
1 to 2 tblsps coarse sea salt

Place 1/2 cup warm water in medium bowl. Stir in yeast; let stand until dissolved, about 5 minutes. Add buttermilk, both sugars, and vegetable oil; mix well.

Mix flour and salt in processor. With motor running, add yeast mixture and process 2 minutes (or knead by hand). Spray large bowl with nonstick spray. Scrape dough into bowl (dough will be very sticky). Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Refrigerate dough until slightly puffed and light, about 1 hour.

Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper, then spray parchment with nonstick spray. Transfer dough to lightly floured surface. Spray hands with nonstick spray. Divide dough into 8 equal portions. Working with 1 portion at a time, roll into 8- to 9-inch-long rope. Tie in knot, leaving 1/2 inch of 1 end sticking up through center. Tuck other end under, if needed (each pretzel will be about 2¾ inches in diameter). Transfer pretzels to prepared baking sheets, knob side up. Cover pretzels with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until puffed and light, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Meanwhile, place 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 450°F. Bring 8 cups water, beer, baking soda, and brown sugar to simmer in large wide pot (liquid should reach depth of at least 1½ inches).

Spray 2 baking sheets with nonstick spray and set aside. Working with 2 pretzels at a time, carefully drop each pretzel into liquid in pot. Poach 10 seconds (you should see pretzels float to top). Using skimmer or slotted spoon, turn pretzels over; poach 10 seconds longer. Lift from poaching liquid, allowing pretzel to drain well. Transfer to prepared baking sheets. Brush with vegetable oil and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.

Bake pretzels 8 minutes. Rotate baking sheets; bake until pretzels are deep brown, about 7 minutes longer. Transfer pretzels to rack; let cool to room temperature. Can be made 8 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.   Makes 8 pretzel knots

Place the shredded potatoes in a medium bowl for 15 minutes, then drain. Beat the egg in a small bowl, add to the shredded potatoes, and mix to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Add olive oil to cast-iron skillet and heat on medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, carefully add the potatoes, pressing down in an even layer. Reduce heat to medium and cook until the bottom is crispy and golden brown; about 6 - 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cook eggs and veggies or whatever you plan to put on top of the potato pancake.

Once the potatoes are crispy to your liking flip to cook the other side and immediately top with cooked eggs and veggies. Cover so topping does not dry out, and continue to cook for 10 minutes.     Serves 2

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the milk, flour, 2 tablespoons of the mustard, 1 tablespoon of the oil and a generous pinch of salt. Let the batter stand for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400º. Set a steamer basket in a medium saucepan filled with 1-inch of water. Add the carrots, cover and steam over high heat until just tender, about 4 minutes. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to a 9-inch square baking pan and heat in the oven for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt the butter. Add the onion, garlic and a generous pinch of salt and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until the onion just starts to soften about 3 minutes. Add the haricots verts and cook, stirring, until the onion is lightly browned and the beans are just softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the carrots, tomatoes, basil, thyme, rosemary and remaining 1 teaspoon of mustard and cook, stirring, until hot, about 1 minute. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper.

Pour the batter evenly into the hot pan and scatter the vegetable mixture on top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until puffed and lightly browned. Cut into squares and serve.     Serves 4

Preheat oven to 350° F. In bowl, combine all dry ingredients. In another bowl, whisk together bananas, eggs, vanilla, and oil. Fold yogurt into banana mixture. Add raisins. Pour banana raisin mixture over dry ingredients and pour batter into a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan coated with no stick cooking spray and dusted with flour. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes. Cool in pan.    16 slices

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan or pie pan. If the tomatoes are dry-packed, cover them with the hot water and let steep for 5 to 10 minutes to soften.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk or an electric mixer until light. Blend in the oil, honey, and herbs. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, polenta or cornmeal, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir to blend. Stir the dry ingredients into the egg mixture alternately with the buttermilk or yogurt in 2 increments. Beat until smooth. Stir in the tomatoes and any liquid. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the nuts and 2 tablespoons of the cheese for the topping and stir the remainder into the batter. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and sprinkle evenly with the reserved nuts and cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then unmold right side up on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature, cut into wedges.   Serves 8-10

In a small saucepan, heat beer to 110° - 115°; remove from heat. Stir in yeast until dissolved. In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar, 1½ tsps. salt, yeast mixture and 3 cups flour; beat on medium speed until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky).

Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 - 8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 425°. Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide and shape dough into eight balls; roll each into a 24-inch rope. Curve ends of rope to form a circle; twist ends once and lay over oppostie side of circle, pinching ends to seal.

In a Dutch oven, bring water and baking soda to a boil. Drop pretzels, two at a time, into boiling water. Cook 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain well on paper towels.

Place pretzels 2 inches apart on parchment lined baking sheet. In a small bowl, whisk egg yolk and water; brush over pretzels. Sprinkle with coarse salt or other topping. Bake 10 - 12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool.  Makes 8

In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Whisk the egg, milk, pumpkin and butter; stir into dry ingredients until blended. Fold in pecans. Bake in a preheated waffle iron according to manufacturer's directions until golden brown.   Serves 2 - 3

Preheat oven to 425°F. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Stir together milk, butter, and egg; add to dry ingredients. Stir just until moistened.

Spoon batter into lightly greased or paper-lined muffin pans, filling two-thirds full. Sprinkle with oats, if desired.

Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from pans immediately.    Makes 8 muffins

Preheat oven to 400°F and grease muffin pan. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt; stir in cornmeal. Combine milk and egg. Add to flour mixture along with the chopped apples. Stir quickly just until dry ingredients are moistened. Fill greased muffin pans 2/3 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
Makes 12 muffins

In a large bowl, combine oats and buttermilk; let stand for 5 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda; stir into oat mixture. Add oil and egg. Fold in pecans. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Pour batter by 1/4 cupful onto greased hot griddle. Turn when bubbles form on top; cook until the second side is golden brown.   Makes 8 pancakes

10 tblsps (1 stick plus 2 tblsps) unsalted butter at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsps grated lemon zest
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda 2 cups fresh raspberries or other berries or pitted sour cherries

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 10-inch springform pan.

To make the streusel topping: In a medium bowl or a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, butter, and nutmeg. Cut in the butter with your fingers or process until crumbly. Stir in the almonds.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar with a wooden spoon or an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well. Add the vanilla, lemon zest, and buttermilk, beating just until smooth. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir to blend. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, beating just until blended. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Scatter the berries or cherries evenly over the batter and sprinkle evenly with the streusel.

Bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour, or until the cake is golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove the pan sides. Serve warm or at room temperature, cut into wedges. serves 10

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and stir until blended. Spoon into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour, or until it tests done. Remove from the pan and cool on a rack. Cut into thick slices while still warm.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Combine dry ingredients. Add milk and peanut butter. Pour into a greased 8x4x3-inch loaf pan. Bake for approximately 50 minutes.     Makes 1 loaf

In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, sugar, flour, baking powder and salt. Combine the eggs, milk and butter; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in pecans.

Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 400 F for 15 - 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Serve warm with pepper jelly.     16 muffins.

Glaze
1 tblsp heavy cream
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tblsps granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet and set aside.

In a large bowl, stir the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the margarine and beat with an electric mixer until well blended.

Gather the dough into a ball and divide in half. On a lightly floured board, roll into 2 circles, approximately 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. Cut each circle into 8 wedges.

To make the glaze, in a small bowl, combine the cream, cinnamon and sugar. Set aside.

Bake the scones on the prepared baking sheet for 12 to 15 minutes or until they are golden. Remove scones from the oven and brush with the glaze.    16 scones

Egg Glaze
1 egg white
1 tbsp water

In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, undissolved yeast and salt in a large mixing bowl. Heat milk, water and butter in a medium saucepan until very warm (120°F to 130°F). Gradually add to dry ingredients. Beat for about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, egg yolk and 1/2 cup flour. Beat for 2 minutes at high speed. Stir in enough of remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cover, let rest for 10 minutes.

Divide dough into 6 equal pieces; roll each into a 20-inch rope. Braid 3 ropes together; pinch ends to seal. Repeat with remaining ropes. Place braids on greased baking sheets. Cover; let rise in a warm (70°F to 80°F) draft-free place until doubled in size, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375°F.

After bread has risen, beat egg white and water until blended. Brush over dough. Bake for 25 minutes or until done. Remove and place on wire racks to cool completely.   Makes 2 loaves

In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Drain peaches, reserving 1/4 cup syrup (discard ramaining syrup). Finely chop 1 cup of peaches; set aside.

Place remaining peaches and reserved syrup in a blender or food processor; add eggs and butter. Cover and process until smooth. Stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in the pecans and chpped peaches. Pour into two greased 5-3/4-in. x 3-in. x 2-in. loaf pans.

Bake at 350º F for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.    2 mini loaves

Preheat your waffle iron.

Put the wheat germ into a large bowl, then sift the remaining dry ingredients on top of it. Stir the mixture to distribute the wheat germ. Add the buttermilk, butter, and eggs. Whisk until combined, but don't overmix—there should be many BB-size lumps left in the batter.

Pour the batter onto the hot waffle iron. The waffles will turn toasty-brown when they're done. Top them as desired.
serves 3 - 4

In a bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk eggs, buttermilk, and butter until blended. Stir egg mixture into flour mixture, then gently stir in blueberries.

Place a nonstick griddle over medium heat. When hot, coat griddle lightly with shortening.

Spoon batter onto griddle and cook until pancakes are browned on the bottom and edges begin to look dry, flip and brown other side. serves 3

Preheat waffle maker. In a medium mixing bowl, sift flour, sugar, soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat eggs until light and frothy. Blend in sour cream. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Blend in melted butter. Bake in a hot waffle iron.  
Makes 6 Belgian waffles

Preheat oven to 350º. In a large bowl, stir together self-rising flour, sugar and beer. Spoon into lightly buttered 5x9-inch loaf pan; pour melted butter over top of batter. Bake until loaf is golden brown and begins to pull from edge of pan, about 50 minutes. Remove bread and set on a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.     Makes 1 loaf

Adjust oven rack to top third position; preheat the oven to 350°. Coat 9x5x3-inch loaf pan with vegetable spray.

Thoroughly mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl.

Cream butter and sugar in large bowl with an electic mixer for 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then blend in bananas, sour cream, and vanilla. On low speed, blend in dry ingredients just until combined; do not ovrmix. Fold in nuts.

Spoon batter into prepared pan, smoothing it on top. Bake for 1 hour or until tester comes out clean. Turn out onto rack to cool completely.   Makes 1 loaf.

Preheat oven to 375°. In a small bowl, add yeast then pour the warmed water gently over it. Let sit 5 minutes. Stir in milk; set aside. In a bowl, mix 3 cups flour, baking powder, and salt. With a pastry blender or your fingers, cut or rub butter into flour mixture until fine crumbs form. Add milk mixture; stir until evenly moistened. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead until smooth, about 15 times; add flour to prevent sticking. Shape dough into a lumpy round loaf 5 to 6 inches in diameter. Place in greased 8-inch round cake pan. With a sharp knife, cut an X about 1/2 inch deep and 3 inches long across center of loaf. Bake on bottom rack of oven until well browned, about 55 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool on a rack for 5 to 10 minutes, then serve warm.   Makes 1 loaf.

Preheat oven to 400°. Coat 12-cup muffin pan with vegetable spray, including top edges; muffins rise above pan. Thoroughly mix flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl. Cream butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer for 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then milk. On low speed, blend in dry ingredients just until combined. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, dividing it evenly. Bake for 20 minutes or until tops are golden. Turn out onto rack and serve hot.   Makes 12 muffins.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a 9x9" or 7x11" baking pan with vegetable shortening. Stir the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl until they are thoroughly mixed. Add the milk, oil, and egg, and stir until everything is just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 22 to 26 minutes, until firm and just beginning to darken slightly.     (makes 9 pieces)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat 12-cup muffin pan with vegetable spray. Thoroughly mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl. In medium bowl, whisk eggs, buttermilk, butter, vanilla, and zest until blended. Pour liquid mixture over dry ingredients, and fold in with rubber spatula just until combined; do not overmix. Fill muffin cups a little less than 1/2 full with batter. With finger make small indentation in middle of each one and fill with 1 tablespoon marmalade. Top up each one with remaining batter--marmalade doesn't have to be completely covered. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden. Turn out onto rack and allow to cool a little before serving.     (makes 12 muffins)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray an 8x8-inch or 9x9-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Sift the cornmeal, flour sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. Make a well in the middle and add the yogurt, egg whites, and oil. Stir just until everything is combined, then spread the batter into the pan and bake for 20 to 26 minutes, until firm and just beginning to brown.   Makes 9 pieces

Adjust oven rack to top third position; preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 9x5x3-inch loaf pan with vegetable spray.

Thoroughly mix flour, baking powder, salt, and poppy seeds in medium bowl. Cream butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer for 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then milk, vanilla, orange extract, almond extract, and orange zest. On low speed, blend in dry ingredients just until combined; do not overmix. Spoon batter into prepared pan, smoothing it on top. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until tester comes out clean. Turn out onto rack to cool completely.   Makes 1 loaf

Preheat oven to 400°F. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt; stir in cornmeal. Combine milk and egg. Add to flour mixture along with the chopped apple. Stir quickly just until dry ingredients are moistened. Fill greased muffin pan 2/3 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.   Makes 12 muffins

Preheat oven to 325°F. Convect bake. Into a bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Add the provolone, scallions, parsley, rosemary, pepper, and sun dried tomatoes, and toss mixture well.

In a small bowl whisk together the shortening, reserved sun dried tomato oil, and sugar until mixture is smooth. Add the garlic, eggs, and buttermilk, and blend mixture until it is combined well.

Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture with the pine nuts and stir the batter until it is just combined. Divide the batter among 3 well-buttered 5¼ x 3¼-inch loaf pans, smoothing the tops. Bake in middle of oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until tester comes out clean. Let loaves cool in pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a rack.   Makes 3 mini loaves

Preheat oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, add flour. Sift in cocoa powder. Add sugar, baking powder, baking soada, and salt and thoroughly combine.

Whisk eggs with buttermilk, butter, and vanilla in medium bowl until blended. Pour liquid mixture over dry ingredients and fold in with rubber spatula just until combined; do not overmix.

Coat 12-cup muffin pan with vegetable spray, including top edges; muffins rise above pan. (Coat thoroughly. These muffins have a tendency to stick.) Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, dividing it evenly. Bake for 20 minutes or until tester comes out clean. Carefully turn out onto rack.
Makes 12 muffins

Preheat the oven to 400°F degrees. Grease a 9-inch pie pan. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, oil, egg, milk, and 1/2 cup of cheese. Stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened, the dough will be stiff but sticky. Transfer it to a 9-inch pie pan and, with floured hands, pat it evenly into the bottom. Drizzle with the melted butter and evenly sprinkle the remaining cheese and the poppy seeds over the top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until lightly brownd. Cut into wedges and serve hot.
Makes one 9-inch round loaf

Preheat the oven to 375°F degrees. Generously grease a baking sheet. Combine the cornmeal and salt in a bowl. Pour the boiling water over the mixture, stir, and cool.

Whip the egg whites until stiff and blend into the cornmeal mixture. Drop by teaspoonfuls on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the puffs are delicately browned and crispy. Serve hot with butter.
Makes 24 two-inch puffs

Adjust oven to top third position; preheat oven to 400°F degrees.

Thoroughly mix flour, baking powder, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg in medium bowl. Cream butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer for 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, then milk and vanilla. On low speed blend in dry ingredients and bananas just until combined; do not overmix.

Coat 12 cup muffin pan with vegetable spray, including top edges: muffins rise above pan. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, dividing it evenly. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden and tester comes out clean. Turn out onto rack and serve warm.  Makes 12 muffins

Preheat the oven to 450°F degrees. When it's reached that temperature, put the 1 tablespoon oil into a 9x9" baking pan or 10½-inch iron skillet, and put the pan/skillet into the oven to heat.

Whisk the dry inredients together until they're well combined and there aren't any lumps of baking soda visible. Separately, whisk the buttermilk, egg, and 1/4 cup oil together until they are smooth. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and stir until just combined

Remove the hot pan from the oven and pour the batter into the pan. The batter will sizzle as it hits the hot oil. Shake the batter into the corners of the pan and then return it quickly to the oven. Bake the cornbread for 18 to 26 minutes, until it's lightly browned. Serve hot.   9 pieces

In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, soda, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolks, buttermilk, lemon peel, lemon juice, and melted butter. In a deep bowl with a mixer on high speed, whip egg whites until they hold stiff, moist peaks. Pour buttermilk mixture into flour mixture, stir to blend. Add egg whites and fold gently to blend. Make pancakes. Serve with blueberry syrup.     Makes about 10 pancakes

Preheat oven to 350F. Coat 9x5x3-inch loaf pan with vegetable spray. Melt semisweet chocolate, unsweetened chocolate, and butter in microwave oven for 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute, then every 20 seconds until melted. Set aside to cool.

Thoroughly mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. Whisk eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, and chocolate mixture in medium bowl until well blended. Pour liquid mixture over dry ingredients and add white chocolate chips; fold in with rubber spatula just until combined; do not overmix. Spoon batter into prepared pan, smoothing it on top. Bake for 1 hour. Cool for 10 minutes in pan, then carefully turn loaf out onto a rack to finish cooling. Avoid cutting into it when warm or it crumbles.
Makes 9 slices

Lemon-Honey Syrup
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 of a lemon (not juiced)
1 tbsp honey

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottom of an 8-inch square baking pan. In a small bowl, mix nuts with 2 tablespoons sugar and set aside. Remove phyllo from package and trim to fit pan, leaving damp towel over it at all times when not using. Lay 10 sheets of phyllo in pan (keep remaining phyllo covered with a damp towel at all times), brushing each sheet with melted butter. Sprinkle half of nut spice mixture over phyllo. Lay on another 10 sheets of phyllo, brushing each with butter. Repeat with another layer of nut mixture and remaining phyllo. Cut, without cutting through bottom layer, into small squares. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until tops are golden brown.

Meanwhile, make lemon honey syrup: boil 1/2 cup sugar, water and the lemon half for 8 minutes. Remove lemon and add honey. Stir. When baklava has finished baking, pour warm lemon-honey syrup over it.
Makes 20 squares

Whisk together eggs, milk, and salt in a small bowl. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.

For each sandwich, place two slices of cheese onto one bread slice, followed by 1 tablespoon pepper jelly. Top with 2 slices of meat and another slice of bread. Trim crusts if desired. Generously brush tops of sandwiches with egg mixture.

Add butter to hot skillet; when it is melted and sizzling, arrange sandwiches in the skillet, egg side down. Brush the top of each sandwich with remaining egg mixture. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, then flip, cooking until both sides are golden brown. Cut sandwiches in half diagonally and serve.
Makes 4 sandwiches

Put the yogurt into a bowl. Beat lightly with a fork until smooth. Add the sugar, salt, cayenne pepper, and carrot. Mix.

Put the oil in a very small frying pan and set over medium-high heat. When the oil is very hot, put in the cumin seeds and mustard seeds. As soon as the mustard seeds begin to pop, (this just takes a few seconds), put in the raisins. Stir once and empty the contents of the frying pan, oil and all, over the bowl of yogurt. Mix.   Serves 4

Put the yogurt into a bowl. Beat lightly with a fork until smooth. Add all the remaining ingredients and mix well.   Serves 4

Butter the outside of each slice of bread. Layer the cheese, basil and tomatoes on four bread slices (non-butter side). Sprinkle tomatoes with salt and pepper. Top with remaining bread (butter side up). Cook in a preheated panini maker or grill until bread is browned on both sides and cheese is melted.   Makes 4 sandwiches

Place vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, add the Brussels sprouts and cook, stirring, until slightly wilted, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and toss withe the lemon zest, and pepper to taste. Wipe out skillet.

Divide half of the cheese between 2 bread slices; top with the Brussels sprout mixture, and the remaining cheese and 2 bread slices.

Melt the butter in the skillet over medium heat. Add the sandwiches and cook, pressing occasionally with a spatula, until the bread is toasted and the cheese melts, about 4 minutes per side, adding more butter to the pan if needed.   Makes 2 sandwiches

Prick bottom of pastry shell. Line the pastry shell with a double thickness of foil. Bake in a 450° oven for 8 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for 4 to 5 minutes more or until pastry is set and dry. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Place on a wire rack to cool slightly. Reduce oven temperature to 375°.

Meanwhile, cut tomatoes into 1/2-inch slices; drain on paper towels. Arrange tomato slices on melted cheese in the pie shell. In a food processor bowl combine the basil and the garlic; cover and process until coarsely chopped. Sprinkle mixture over tomatoes.

In a medium bowl combine remaining mozzarella cheese, mayonnaise or salad dressing. Parmesan cheese, and white pepper. Spoon cheese mixture over basil mixture and tomatoes.

Cover edge with foil. Bake in the 375° oven for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 5 to 10 minutes more or until top is golden brown and bubbly. Serve warm.   Serves 4

Preheat oven to 400°. Butter two 2-cup ramekins, coat with Parmesan, and refrigerate. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour; stir 1 minute. Add milk, whisking until thickened, 2 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Whisk in Gruyére, minced chives, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Whisk in egg yolks.

Whisk egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold into cheese mixture in thirds. Divide between ramekins. Bake on a baking sheet 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375°; bake until puffed, about 15 minutes.   Serves 2

Combine all and indulge.   1 serving

Mix oil, vinegar, parsley, pepper, thyme, and garlic. Cut baguette in half crosswise, then cut each portion in half lengthwise (if it's a long baguette then cut to sandwich size). Pull out soft interior to make bread shells. Brush interior of shells with 1/2 dressing. Mound cheese and tomato onto bottom shell. Drizzle equally with remaining dressing. Cover filling with baguette tops.   Serves 2

For each sandwich, fill two raisin bread slices with cheese and apple slices. Spread outside of sandwich with butter and grill until lightly browned on both sides.   Serves however many you make

Distribute cheese over half the tortilla to within 1/2-inch of edge. Sprinkle with Parmesan, add taco sauce and chicken if using. Fold tortilla over and brush top with melted butter. Turn over onto baking sheet and brush second side with butter. Broil about 3 inches from heat until top is lightly browned, about 2 minutes; Or you could grill on a pan or griddle, which avoids the quick burn.   Makes 1

Cut cooked chicken breast into 1/2-inch cubes. In a large saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the broccolini and cook, stirring, until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, salt, basil, rosemary, and chicken. Cook, stirring, until thoroughly heated through, about 2 minutes, then set aside on a plate.

Using a whisk or a blender, beat the eggs in a bowl until frothy. Then add 4 half eggshells of water (about 6 tablespoons) and beat until combined well. Set the mixture aside. In the same pan you used for the broccolini, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over low heat. Pour the beaten eggs into the pan, and gently cook, stirring continuously, until eggs are softly scrambled, about 5 minutes, sprinkling the avocado over the eggs during the last minute.

Spoon the hash onto a plate and top it with the scrambled eggs and avocado. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of seasoning over each serving.   Serves 2

In a medium pot, bring 2 quarts water and 1 tablespoon of the salt to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes. Cover and cook until they're just cooked through, about 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes and let cool. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and set aside.

Cut the woody ends off the asparagus, peel the rough layer off the ends of the stalks, and cut the stalks into thirds. Set aside.
In a large saute pan, melt the butter over medium heat, tilting the pan to coat the bottom. Arrange the potatoes cut-side down in the pan, sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon of the salt (WAY too salty for me, so I'd drop to 1/4 teaspoon), and cook for 2 minutes. Add the shallots, asparagus, remaining 3/4 teaspoon (1/4 teaspoon!) salt, and the pepper and cook for 2 minutes more. Gently toss the vegetables together, cover, and cook for 2 minutes more. Uncover, toss again, cover, and cook for 2 minutes more. Repeat until vegetables are tender, 4 to 6 minutes more. Serve on a large platter or individual plates, with the poached eggs on top.    Serves 2

Preheat the oven to 375°. Crack the eggs into a blender and give them a quick pulse just to whisk them. Add the herbs, scallions, turmeric, sumac, 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper and the yogurt. Pulse to chop the herbs, then blend on high speed until smooth.

Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium heat. Pour in the egg mixture, breaking up any clumps of herbs. Sprinkle with the walnuts and currants and cook until the eggs start to set around the edges, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the oven and cook until the center is set but still slightly jiggly, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit 5 minutes. Meanwhile, warm the pita in the oven.

Slice the kukyu sabzi and the pita into wedges and divide among plates. Serve with last ingredients. FOR BREAKFAST, I preferred just a dollop of yogurt with olive oil dripped into well in the yogurt. FOR DINNER, I'd also add either olives or marinated artichokes.    Serves 4

Preheat the oven to 425°. Microwave bacon for 3 minutes between paper towels on a microwave safe plate. After it cools a little, tear into small pieces and set aside. Place parchment paper in a 13x9, or slightly larger, rimmed baking pan (don't use foil, because it tears and ends up getting served).

In a medium bowl, toss sweet potato, red onion and bell pepper with olive oil, chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Pour onto prepared baking sheet and spread vegetables out into one layer. Bake until the vegetables are tender and browned, about 18 minutes.

Meanwhile, thinly slice the vegetables from the salad kit and transfer to a large bowl (my kit was already chopped, so I left in bag). In a small bowl, whisk the dressing from the salad kit with the sour cream and lime or lemon juice; set aside.

Stir the lime or lemon zest into the vegetables on the baking sheet and make 4 wells in the mixture; crack 1 egg into each. Bake until the egg whites are almost set, 6 to 8 minutes (8 minutes was too long). Sprinkle the eggs with the Mexican cheese blend and the shredded cheese from the salad kit to make 1 cup (there was no cheese in my salad kit, so I just used the blend for the full cup). Continue to bake until the cheese melts, 2 more minutes. Sprinkle the salad over the hash and drizzle with the dressing mixture (I opted to serve dressing on the side). Top with the tortilla strips from the salad kit and the bacon and cilantro. Serve with hot sauce, if desired.
Serves 2 to 3

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, garlic powder and pepper; stir in ham. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat (I used medium heat). Add egg mixture; cook and stir until almost set. Stir in avocado and cheese. Cook and stir until completely set.   Serves 2

Cut tortillas into quarters; place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400°F for 3 to 5 minutes or until crisp. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat 1 tablespoon butter. Crumble sausage into the pan; add jalapeno and garlic. Cook and stir over medium heat until meat is fully cooked; drain. Stir in tomatoes and Cajun seasoning.

In another skillet, heat remaining butter until hot. Add eggs; cook and stir over medium heat until completely set. Divide scrambled eggs between two plates. Serve with sausage mixture, tortillas and picante sauce.   Serves 2

Drop eggs into boiling water and boil for 10 minutes. Drain. Place hardboiled eggs in a bowl of ice water. Let them sit for 5 minutes. Peel eggs and halve lengthwise. Transfer egg yolks to large bowl. Using potato masher, mash yolks with mayonnaise, mustard, paprika, salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Whisk mixture until smooth. Mash whites slightly into yolk mixture and fold in chives. Spread on toasted bread.   Serves 4

Everything Bagel Topping
1/2 tsp dried minced garlic
1/4 tsp kosher salt
3/4 tsp poppy seeds
1 tsp sesame seeds
1/2 tsp dried minced onion

Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together 4 eggs until homogenous, then stir in the chives and mozzarella. In a large skillet, heat the butter over medium heat. Pour the egg mixture into the hot skillet and cook until the bottom is set. (She then goes on to make an omelette, but expects scrambled eggs, so I'd just scramble them). The eggs should still be quite wet, as they'll continue to cook in the oven. Season them with salt and pepper and a few shakes of Tabasco sauce.

On a work surface, roll out the puff pastry to a 10 x 15-inch rectangle. Cut it into six 5-inch squares. Top each of the squares with a schmear of scallion cream cheese and a spoonful of the scrambled eggs, distributing them evenly and leaving a 3/4-inch border around the edges.

In a smll bowl, beat the remaining egg with 1 tablespoon water to make an egg wash. Brush the edges of the puff pastry squares with the egg wash, fold them in half, and pinch the edges to seal them well. (I crimped edges with a fork.) Transfer them to the baking sheet, placing them 1 inch apart. Brush the tops with egg wash and top with the everything bagel topping (careful, to distribute well because the salt ends up at the bottom of the mix). Bake until golden brown. Begin checking for doneness at 30 minutes. Let cool slightly and serve with ketchup. Leftovers can be refrigerated and reheated in a toaster oven.   Serves 6

Heat oven to 325°F. Lightly butter an 8-inch square glass baking dish. Combine the milk and zest in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove the saucepan from the heat, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes.

Pour the milk through a strainer into a glass measure or bowl and add the cream. Let cool to room temperature.

Boil, or cook the corn, or just open a can of corn and drain well. I dried corn on a clean kitchen towel. With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, flour, sugar, salt, coriander, and cayenne in a medium bowl, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally, until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the milk mixture and beat on low speed just until smooth. Stir in the corn.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Gently stir to make sure the corn is spread out. Place the dish in a 9x12-inch baking pan. Meanwhile, fill a microwave-safe 2 cup measure with water and microwave for 4 minutes. You'll use this for the water bath.

Place the baking pan in the oven, and pour enough boiling water into the baking pan to come halfway up the sides of the baking dish.

Bake the custard for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve hot. Although, I enjoyed it cold for breakfast the next day.   Serves 6

Place a baking sheet on the lowest oven rack; preheat to 425°. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the chickpeas, spinach, scallion whites, coriander, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, tossing, until the spinach wilts, about 2 minutes. May want to add a tablespoon of water to help the spinach wilt if you need much more time. Transfer the mixture to a colander to drain; let cool slightly.

Whisk the eggs, half-and-half, lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a large bowl. Spread the spinach mixture in the pie crust and top with the cheeese; pour in the egg mixture. Bake on the hot baking sheet until the eggs are set and lightly browned on top, about 30 minutes.
Serves 4

Preheat the oven to 425°. Two options for cooking vegetables, steam or fry. Seemed healthier to me to steam. Steam vegetables for 8 minutes then drain. If you want to fry, combine the onion, sweet potatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a medium ovenproof nonstick skillet. Cover and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potatoes are tender, but not falling apart, 6 to 8 minutes.

Whisk the eggs in a large bowl and season with salt. Pour the potato mixture into the eggs and stir to combine. Stir in the cheese. Place the medium ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium heat; add the egg mixture and spread out the potatoes with a rubber spatula. Cook until starting to set around the edges, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until set, 12 to 15 minutes.

Remove the egg tortilla to a cutting board, cut into wedges and divide among plates.   Serves 4

Sauté sliced sausage and diced apple in 1 teaspoon of oil for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Remove from pan. Beat eggs and water untl blended. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in pan until hot, pour in egg mixture. Mixture should set at edges--tilt pan and move as necessary. Continue cooking until egg is set and will not flow. Over half the omelet layer sautéd sausage and apple mixture and add cheese. Fold in half and invert on plate and serve.   Serves 2

Put a baking sheet in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 425°F. Whisk the eggs, half-and-half, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the spinach, artichoke hearts and 2 pinches salt. Cook, stirring, until the spinach is wilted and the skillet is dry, about 1 minute. Remove the vegetables to a plate lined with a few layers of paper towels; let cool slightly. Carefully pull up the sides of the paper towels and squeeze out most of the liquid; stir the vegetables into the egg mixture. Scatter the goat cheese in the bottom of the pie crust. Pour in the egg mixture, then arrange the tomatoes cut-side up in the eggs. Season with pepper. Carefully place the quiche on the hot baking sheet and bake until set, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk the venegar and mustard in a medium bowl; whisk in the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil until smooth. When the quiche is almost done, add the salad mix to the bowl and toss with the vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper. Cut the quiche into wedges and serve with the salad.   Serves 3

Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium low, stir in the oats and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and thickened, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, fill a skillet halfway with water; place egg poacher in pan. Water should not run into the poacher. Bring water to a gentle simmer over medium-high heat. While water is heating, cook the bacon (see next paragraph). Carefully crack the eggs into the poacher. Place a lid on the pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon in microwave: place two paper towels on a plate. Lay 3 strips of bacon on the paper towels. Cover with two more paper towels. Microwave for 3 minutes. Repeat with remaining bacon.

In a frying pan, add the olive oil, garlic, 1 teaspoon thyme and the rosemary to the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the garlic is lightly toasted, 10 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes and 1/2 cup water. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is slightly thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Split the cooked oatmeal between two bowls. Top each serving of oats with the tomato sauce and parmesan. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 teaspoon thyme and top with the poached eggs and bacon.   Serves 2

Fill a medium bowl with ice water. In a large skillet, bring 1 inch of water to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer to the ice water to cool. Drain; pat the asparagus dry. Cut off the tips and then cut the stalks into 1/2-inch pieces. In a medium bowl, whisk the mayonnaise and hot sauce. Mix in the eggs and season with salt and pepper. Top the toasts with the sprouts and then the egg slad. Top with the asparagus slices and tips and the grated radish.   Serves 2

Whisk the vinegar, mustard and a pinch each of salt and pepper in a large bowl. Gradually whisk in 1 tablespoon olive oil until smooth. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ham and cook until browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove each piece to a plate. Reduce the heat to medium low. Working in batches, crack the eggs into the skillet and cook, without flipping, until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny, 4 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Divide among the plates. Add the bell pepper, mesclun greens and chives to the bowl with the vinaigrette and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Add the salad to the plates. Serve with the baguette.   Serves 4

The recipe didn't require it, but I cut the asparagus spears into 2 inch pieces. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high. Add the asparagus and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, turning the asparagus occasionally, until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Add the spinach and lemon zest. Cook, tossing, until spinach wilts, 1 minute. Divide among plates.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet; heat over medium. Crack in the eggs. Cook until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny, about 4 minutes; season. Top the vegetables with eggs and Parmesan.   Serves 2

In a bowl, beat the eggs with the parsley, tarragon, chives, salt and pepper until light. In a 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat the butter and oil until the butter begins to foam. Add the eggs and cook over moderate heat, shaking the pan and stirring constantly with a fork, until tiny curds form and the eggs begin to set. Stop stirring and allow the eggs to cook undisturbed for 1 minute. Shake the skillet to loosen the omelette and, using a rubber spatula, fold one-third of the omelette over the center. Tilt the skillet and turn the omelette out onto a large plate, folding it over itself as you release it from the pan. Cut the omelette in half and serve immediately.     Serves 2

Cook bacon beforehand and crumble into bits. Preheat waffle iron and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Whisk together eggs in a bowl; stir in cheese, half the bacon bits, and half the chives. When the waffle iron is hot, slowly pour in the egg mix and close. Cook for about 5 minutes or until cooked to your desired texture. Slowly remove and top with remaining ingredients and serve.     Serves 1

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, and spray foil with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until browned and crumbly; drain and set aside.In same skillet, cook onion and bell pepper, stirring occasionally, over medium-low heat for 10 minutes or until vegetables are soft and onion begins to brown. Transfer vegetables to a small bowl, and set aside. In same skillet, cook eggs, stirring ocasionally, over low heat until alrge curds form.

Arrange tortilla chips in a single layer on prepared pan, and top with sausage, vegetables, half of cheese, eggs, and remaining cheese. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes or until cheese melts. Top with tomato and avocado.    Serves 5

Cook the sweet potato in a microwave on high setting for 3 to 4 minutes or until limp. Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Add the sweet potato. Fold in the chopped scallions, cottage cheese, Swiss cheese, Worcestershire sauce, and parsley. Season with freshly ground pepper.

Spray a 10-inch glass pie dish or quiche dish with nonstick vegetable spray. Pour mixture into the dish. You can cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350º. Sprinkle the dish with ham or bacon. Bake for about 35 minutes or until done.   Serves 6

In a large, deep skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, peppers, and jalapeños and cook until softened and beginning to brown, about 7 minutes. Add tomatoes with their juices, vegetable broth, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper; lower heat and simmer for 20 to 22 minutes, or until thickened.

Crack eggs on top of sauce; cover and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, or until whites are set and yolks are thick but runny (if you like firmer yolks, cook for 1 to 2 minutes more). Sprinkle parsley and feta cheese over top and serve with warm bread.   Serves 3 to 4

Prick bottom of pastry shell. Line the pastry shell with a double thickness of foil. Bake in a 450° oven for 8 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for 4 to 5 minutes more or until pastry is set and dry. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Place on a wire rack to cool slightly. Reduce oven temperature to 375°.

Meanwhile, cut tomatoes into 1/2-inch slices; drain on paper towels. Arrange tomato slices on melted cheese in the pie shell. In a food processor bowl combine the basil and the garlic; cover and process until coarsely chopped. Sprinkle mixture over tomatoes.

In a medium bowl combine remaining mozzarella cheese, mayonnaise or salad dressing. Parmesan cheese, and white pepper. Spoon cheese mixture over basil mixture and tomatoes.

Cover edge with foil. Bake in the 375° oven for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 5 to 10 minutes more or until top is golden brown and bubbly. Serve warm.   Serves 4

Preheat oven to 400°. Butter two 2-cup ramekins, coat with Parmesan, and refrigerate. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour; stir 1 minute. Add milk, whisking until thickened, 2 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Whisk in Gruyére, minced chives, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Whisk in egg yolks.

Whisk egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold into cheese mixture in thirds. Divide between ramekins. Bake on a baking sheet 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375°; bake until puffed, about 15 minutes.   Serves 2

Preheat oven to 350°. Fry bacon until crisp, drain on paper towels, and crumble. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, bacon, pineapple, cottage cheese, and vanilla. Pour mixture into a greased 11x7-inch baking pan or casserole dish. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.   Serves 6 - 8

Whisk eggs, milk, cheese, tomato, and salt and pepper in a coffee cup. Microwave, stirring every 30 seconds, until the eggs are just set, about 1½ minutes. 1 serving

Mash avocado with garbanzo beans, cumin, salt, and pepper. Spread in toasted split pitas. Fill with 1 sliced hard-boiled egg, and a squeeze of lime. Fully fills 4 half pitas

Beat eggs with salt. Place a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, add butter and swirl to melt. Add the eggs and stir briefly with a rubber spatula, then let the bottom set. When the top is beginning to look drier, add the strawberry slices on one half of the omelette. Top with ricotta cheese. Fold the emtpy half of the omelette over the strawberries and cheese. Press a little and cook for 1 - 2 minutes, then serve. Serves 1

Combine the eggs, fish sauce, water, and tomato in a medium bowl and use a fork or a whisk to blend them well. Heat the oil in a medium skillet or a wok over medium-high heat until a bit of the egg mixture sizzles and blooms at once.

Pour in the eggs and as soon as they begin to set, pull the puffy edges gently toward the center, letting the uncooked eggs in the center flow out to the edges and cook. When the edges are golden and the surface is almost set, gently flip the omelette to cook the other side for 1 minute. Don't worry if it breaks; it will still be delicious.

Scoop the omelette out onto a serving plate, and serve at once with small saucers of Sriracha sauce. Serves 2

Coat 12-ozs. microwave-safe coffee mug with cooking spray. Add eggs and milk; beat until blended. Microwave on high 45 seconds; stir. Microwave until eggs are almost set, 30 to 45 seconds long. Top with cheese; season with salt and pepper. Serves 1

Heat broiler, with rack set 4 inches from heat. Place bread on a baking sheet, and brush both sides with 2 tblsps oil. Season with salt and pepper. Broil until golden, 1 to 3 minutes per side; set aside.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tsp. oil over medium. Add scallions and as much spinach as will fit; season with salt and pepper. Cook until wilted, tossing and adding more spinach as room becomes available, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain off excess liquid; mix in goat cheese. Transfer to a bowl; cover to keep warm. Set aside.

Wipe out skillet; heat remaining 2 tsps oil over medium heat. Gently crack eggs into skillet; season with salt and pepper. Cook until whites are almost set, about 1 minute. Cover, and remove from heat; let stand until whites are set, but yolks are still soft, about 3 minutes.

Top each piece of toast with spinach mixture and 1 egg; serve immediately.   serves 2, or 4 if you offer other things to eat

Drain artichokes, reserving 1/2 cup marinade. Set aside. Cut artichokes into slices. In a skillet, saute green onions and garlic in oil until tender. Remove from the heat.

In a large bowl, beat eggs well. Stir in the artichokes, mushrooms, cheese, crackers crumbs, onion mixture and the reserved marinade.

Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350º for 35 - 40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.     Serves 6 - 8

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Set aside. In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add mushrooms and green onions and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in chiles. Pour eggs over all and let set for 20 seconds. Stir until light and fluffy and almost dry, about 2 minutes. Add cheese and stir until blended and cheese is melted. Serve with salsa.     serves 2

Toss the avocado, tomato, and cheese together in a small bowl. In a second bowl, lightly beat the eggs with the chives. Melt the butter in an 8-inch pan over medium heat. When it has stopped foaming, raise the heat to high, and pour in the eggs. Allow the egg to cook. When the bottom is set, but the top is still slightly wet, spread the avocado mixture over half the omelette. Fold the remaining half over the avocado and cook until the filling is heated through, about 30 seconds. Slide the omelette onto a plate, and serve immediately.  serves 1 to 2

Spread butter over bread. Sprinkle with garlic powder and cheese. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 400º F for 5 - 7 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve warm.  serves 2

Cut bacon strips into 1 inch pieces. Place in skillet over medium heat. Cook until crisp.

Drain all fat except 1 tblsp. Break eggs over the bacon pieces and add salt and pepper to taste. Stir gently until eggs are set.

Open pitas to form pockets. Distribute bacon and egg mixture into each pocket. Add sliced tomatoes.   serves 2

Heat 1½ tablespoons oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers, saute until tender, 5 minutes. Mix in basil and garlic. Reduce heat to medium; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat; cover.

Whisk eggs, salt, and pepper in bowl to blend. Heat 2 teaspoon olive oil in 10- or 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add egg mixture. Cook until almost set, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle pepper mixture, Jack cheese and Parmesan cheese over half of omelette. Cook until cheese melts, 1 minute. Fold unfilled portion over filling. Cut omelette in half and slide onto plates.   Serves 2

In a high powered blender, place all ingredients. Blend on high until well combined.    Serves 2

In a high powered blender, place all ingredients. Blend on high until well combined.    Serves 1

Place all of the ingredients into the blender and run the Smoothie setting twice.    Serves 3

Place the apple, carrots, and mango in a blender and process to make a smooth puree. Add the orange juice and strawberries and process again. Strain well through a sieve, pressing out all the juice with the back of a wooden spoon. Discard any pulp left in the sieve. Pour into tumblers filled with ice cubes and serve immediately, decorated with a slice of orange on the side of the glass.    Serves 2

Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container. Use 1 teaspoon spice blend added to ground coffee when brewing 8 cups coffee.  

Blend all ingredients until smooth.   Yields 2 quarts

Blend all ingredients until smooth.   Serves 2

In a blender; mix all ingredients until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve.
Serves 2

If the chocolate syrup is not runny enough, warm it in microwave for 15 seconds. Swirl chocolate syrup around in a martini glass. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour eggnog, coffee-flavored liqueur, vodka, and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg over ice; cover and shake. Strain mixture into prepared martini glass. Garnish with a sprinkling of nutmeg.
Serves 1

Pour the crème de cassis into a wineglass. Add the wine and serve in a Champagne flute.    Serves 1

Combine first five ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously, then strain into a tall glass filled with ice. Garnish with an orange slice and a maraschino cherry. You can add a straw, if you like.
Serves 1

In a high-powered blender, place all of the ingredients. If you are not using the lime juice, add 1/4 cup more of coconut water. Pulse until thick.
Serves 2

Pour the Cognac, simple syrup, and lemon juice into a cocktail shaker and add the ice. Shake for at least 30 seconds (it's longer than you think!). Pour the mixture into 4 Champagne flutes to fill each glass about two-thirds full. Fill the glasses with Champagne, garnish with the lemon zest, and serve ice cold.   Serves 4

Using a small, sharp knife, cut the broccoli into pieces small enough to fit through a juicer funnel. Quarter the pear and carefully remove the core, then roughly chop the flesh into small chunks. Push all the ingredients through the juicer. Pour into 1 tall glass or 2 small tumblers and serve with ice cubes and sliced green grapes.   Serves 1 to 2

Heat cloves, star anise, cinnnamon sticks, and nutmeg in a small skillet over low, stirring often, until toasted and fragrant, about 5 minutes.

Transfer spice mixture to a large saucepan over medium-low; stir in wine, orange peel strips, vanilla bean pods, maple syrup, and honey. Slowly bring wine mixture to just below a simmer, stirring occasionally, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and let steep until spices bloom and infuse into wine, about 30 minutes.

Return saucepan to medium-low; stir in applejack, if desired, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Pour mixture (through a fine wire-mesh strainer, if desired) into a large heatproof bowl. Ladle mulled wine into glasses.   Serves 8

If you don't already have the cracked ice ready, place ice in a blender and crush to pebble size. Place crushed ice in a bowl and set aside. Process fresh pineapple in the blender until smooth. Add pineapple juice, vodka, coconut syrup, lemon juice and cracked ice. Blend well.   Serves 2

Stir with ice; strain into an ice-filled glass. Garnish with candied ginger.   Serves 1

Build all ingredients except sparkling water in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake to chill. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass or goblet, add fresh ice and top with sparkling water.   Serves 1

Build ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake thoroughly to chill. Double-strain into a chilled coupe glass. No garnish necessary, but a slice of pineapple can be used if desired.   Serves 1

Combine the rum, coconut cream, pineapple and lime juices, and simple syrup in a blender. Top with a roughly equal quantity of crushed ice. Blend to combine, starting at the blender's lowest speed and slowly speeding up. Once the blender is at top speed, slowly add more crushed ice until the drink starts to smoothly fold in on itself. Serve in a tiki mug or Collins glass. Garnish liberally with whatever garnishes please you.   Serves 1

Combine tea leaves and water in a heatproof cup. Steep 5 minutes. Strain; discard leaves. Cover and chill tea at least 30 minutes or up to 3 days. Divide cucumber slices among 4 glasses. Top each with 1 lemon wedge, and fill glasses with ice. Add 2 tablespoons Pimm's No 1, 1/4 cup tea and 2 tablespoons ginger ale to each glass; stir to combine. Garnish with mint and lemon wedges.   Serves 4

Place vodka and Kahlúa in a mixing glass. Add ice and stir to chill. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass and top with ice. Pour cream over a bar spoon into the finished Black Russian. Avoid adding the cream during the first step or it will curdle and ruin the look, but not the taste.   Serves 1

Build vodka, gin, and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake well. Double-strain into a large jug. Add orange juice, then cava. Stir briefly and add fresh ice to jug. Serve in champagne flutes or coupe glasses..   Serves 5

Whizz all except the soda in a blender until smooth and well frosted. Pour into a chilled highball glass and top up with soda water to taste.   Serves 1

Shake the crème de menthe, crème de cacao, and single cream over ice until a frost forms. Strain into a chilled wine goblet.   Serves 1

Put the cracked ice cubes into a cocktail shaker. Pour the crème de banane, crème de cacao, and single cream over the ice. Shake vigorously until a frost forms. Strain into a chilled wine glass.   Serves 1

Mix the Amaretto and vermouth in a chilled tall cocktail glass. Top up with wine to taste. Serves 1

Save two grapes for the glass. Crush or muddle the others in a small bowl to let the juice flow. Add ice and liqueur, stir well, and strain into a chilled champagne glass. Top up with champagne. Drop 1 to 2 grapes into the glass. Serves 1

Pour the rum and crème de banane into a chilled flute. Top up with champagne. Stir gently to mix, and dress with a slice of banana.     Serves 1

Shake the first three ingredients together well until frosted and pour into a flute. Top up with champagne.    serves 1

In a small skillet, toast the cardamom pods over moderate heat, stirring, until very fragrant and deep golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a heatproof bowl. Add the tea bags and 8 cups of hot water and let steep for 15 minutes. Strain the tea into a bowl and stir in the honey. Cover and refrigerate until cold. Pour the tea into 8 ice-filled glasses. Top each serving with 1½ tablespoons of heavy cream and 1 drop of rosewater.

Note: The strained cardamom tea can be refrigerated for 3 days.   Serves 8

Put the cracked ice into a cocktail shaker. Dash Tabasco sauce over the ice, pour in the vodka, rum, pineapple juice, orgeat, and lemon juice, and add the cayenne. Shake vigorously until a frost forms. Strain into a chilled glass and sprinkle curry powder on top.   Serves 1

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.   Serves 2

In a jar, steep the chai tea with bourbon for 1 hour. Strain and keep at room temperature for up to 1 month. In a cocktail shaker, combine 2 ounces of the Chai Bourbon, cream, maple syrup and Simple Syrup; shake well. Fill the shaker with ice and shake again. Strain into a chilled coupe.    Serves 1

Shake the brandy, Crème de cacao, and cream vigorously over ice until well frosted. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and dress with a sprinkling of grated nutmeg.
Serves 1

Mix the wine, cranberry juice, lime and sugar together in a pitcher. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then chill. Add seltzer when ready to serve.   Serves 4

Shake the peach schnapps and orange juice vigorously over cracked ice until well frosted. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.   Serves 1

Fill a large, tall glass two-thirds full with ice and pour in the Pimm's. Top up with lemonade and stir gently. Dress with the cucumber strip, sprig of mint and orange.   Serves 1

Combine lemon-lime soda, liqueur, orange slices, lemon slices, and cucumber slices, in a 5-quart pitcher; stir gently. Cover with plastic wrap, and chill 1 hour. Strain into 8 tall ice-filled glasses. Garnish each glass with fruit from pitcher.   Serves 8

Shake the gin, lemon juice, and sugar syrup vigorously over ice until well frosted. Strain into a tall chilled tumbler and top up with soda water. Dress with a slice of lemon.   Serves 1

Blend the first 4 ingredients in an electric blender until smooth, about 15 seconds, and pour into the glass.   Makes 1 drink

In the container of a blender, combine melon, cucumber, honey, mint, and lime juice; process until well blended. Add ice cubes, and process until smooth. Garnish each serving with cucumber and mint, if desired. Serve immediately.   Serves 4

Combine the rice and cinnamon stick with 4 cups water in a blender; pulse to coarsely grind. Transfer to a large bowl and add another 4 cups water; soak at room temperature for 3 hours.

Puree the rice mixture in a bledner in batches until smooth. Strain through cheesecloth or a fine sieve into a pitcher. Mix in the sugar; chill.

Stir the horchata well before serving. Pour into ice-filled glasses.   Serves 6

Combine the strawberries, mango, and guava nectar in a blender. Add the banana and optional coconut extract; blend until smooth. Serves 2

In each of two tall glasses, mix 3/4 cup milk with 1/4 cup syrup to blend well. With a long spoon stir the chocolate milk in one glass to create a vortex, and quickly add 1½ cups seltzer, or as much as necessary to nearly fill the glass, leaving just enough space at the top for the head. Quickly repeat the process with the chocolate milk in the second glass, and serve at once.

In a pitcher, combine lemonade concentrate and water; add apricot nectar and pineapple juice. Place in refrigerator until ready to serve. When ready to serve, add chilled ginger ale. Place ice cubes in glasses and pour lemonade over it.    
Makes six 8-ounce servings

Place tea bags and spices in a heat-proof glass bowl. Pour the boiling water over tea bags and spices. Cover, let stand 5 minutes. If desired, to remove spices, line strainer with coffee filter or 100% cotton cheesecloth, strain tea mixture over a bowl. Discard spices.

Stir in cranberry juice, cold water, orange juice, and lemon juice.
Makes 6 9-ounce servings.

Purée all ingredients in a blender until smooth.
Serves 2

In a blender or food processor, blend apricots and liquid from can until smooth. If you don't let it blend until smooth it can be a little gross to get a glop of apricot down your throat as you're drinking. Pour into a large saucepan. Add the pineapple juice, cider and orange juice.

Place the cloves and cinnamon sticks in a double thickness of cheesecloth; bring up corners of cloth and tie with a string to form a bag. Add to saucepan. (Or place loose spices in saucepan and strain before serving.) Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 15 - 20 minutes. Serve hot in mugs.     makes 2 quarts

Combine the mango and Gatorade in a blender. Add the banana and raspberries. Blend until smooth.
2 1/2 cups, serves 2.

Cut lemon and orange into 1/4 inch thinck slices, making sure that the end slices have fruit in them, not just peel. Place the four end slices from the lemon and orange in a saucepan; set aside remaining slices. For syrup, add the sugar and the water to the saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat; cool for 30 minutes. Squeeze juice from cooked fruit into the syrup. Discard cooked fruit. In a pitcher combine remaining fruit slices, syrup, wine, carbonated water and brandy. Serve over ice.  serves 6

Combine orange juice, avocado, banana and honey in a blender. Cover and blend until mixture is smooth. Add yogurt and process again until thick and smooth. Pour into tall glasses and serve.
2-3 servings

In a blender, combine all ingredients. Cover and process until smooth. Pour into glasses.    2-3 servings

Shake well over ice cubes in a shaker, and strain into a large highball glass over ice.    1 serving

Combine the wine and apple juice concentrate in a blender. Add the cherries and blackberries. Blend until smooth. serves 3

Combine all the ingredients and blend until smooth. serves 2

Shake the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and strain into a cocktail glass.    Serves 1

Preheat oven to 350°. Beat the first 3 ingredients at medium speed of a mixer 4 minutes or until well-blended. Add egg, and beat well. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; gradually add to sugar mixture, beating until well-blended. Stir in chocolate-covered raisins.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead lightly 7 times. Shape dough into a 12-inch long roll. Place roll on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; flatten to 3/4-inch thickness.

Bake for 25 minutes. Remove roll from baking sheet; cool 10 minutes on a wire rack. Cut roll diagonally into 20 slices. Place, cut sides down, on baking sheet. Reduce oven temperature to 325°. Bake 20 minutes (I baked 15 minutes). Remove from baking sheet; cool completely on wire rack.     Makes 20 biscotti

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Combine 1/3 cup flour mixture and candy bar for topping; set aside.

Stir baking powder and baking soda into remaining flour mixture in bowl; add yogurt, milk, rind, vanilla, and egg whites. Beat at medium speed of a mixer until blended. Spoon batter into an 8-inch round cake pan coated with cooking spray. Drop marmalade by teaspoonfuls onto batter; swirl together using the tip of a knife. Sprinkle topping over batter. Bake for 35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack.     Makes 8 servings

Preheat oven to 325°. Coat a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla until well combined. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda. Add the flour mixture to the brown sugar mixture and beat until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Stir in the walnuts.

Pour the batter onto the prepared baking pan and smooth it out with a spatula. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until browned at the edges and beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan. Let cool in the pan, then cut into roughly 2¼ x 3-inch bars. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for 6 months.     Makes 18 bars

Preheat oven to 350°. Butter and flour a 9-by-5-by-3-in loaf pan. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the shredded coconut. Set aside.

In a large bowl, with a hand mixer, blend together the butter, granulated sugar, egg, milk, coconut water, and vanilla until well combined. Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle the raw sugar over the batter. Bake for 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Loosen the bread from the pan by running a knife around the sides. Invert onto a wire rack. Flip the bread back over so it is sugar-side up. Allow to cool completely, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and let rest overnight. (We enjoyed without letting it rest.) Store wrapped tightly in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 5 days.    Makes 1 loaf

Preheat oven to 375°. Lightly grease baking sheets. Cream butter with sugars in processor. Blend in egg and vanilla. Sift together flour, salt and baking soda; add to processor and mix until just combined. Add almonds and chocolate chips and mix in using 20 on/off turns. Form dough into 2-inch balls and place on prepared baking sheets. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Cool on rack. Store in airtight container.    Makes 12 cookies

Batter
2 egg yolks from above
1/3 cup low-fat buttermilk, divided
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1½ tsps baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 tblsps unsalted butter, room temperature

Grease one 9 by 4- or 5-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with a rectangle of parchment. From the 1/2 cup of sugar listed under Dacquoise, scoop out 1 tablespoon and place in a food processor then set aside. Place the chocolate in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes. Toast the pecans by placing on a microwave safe plate and microwave for 1 minute. Stir and microwave for another minute. Cool completely.

Break away from making the Dacquoise and begin creating the cake batter. In a small bowl mix together the egg yolks, 1 tablespoon of the buttermilk and the vanilla just until lightly combinbed. Cover and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, place the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt and blend with a whisk for 30 seconds. Add the butter and the remaining buttermilk. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Raise the speed to medium and beat for 1½ minutes. The mixture will lighten in color and texture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Starting on medium-low speed, gradually add the egg mixture in two parts, beating on medium speed for 30 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients and strengthen the structure. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 325°. In the food processor, process, with long pulses, the 1 tablespoon of sugar, the pecans, and the chilled chocolate until finely ground. In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites on medium-low speed until soft peaks form when the beater is raised slowly. Raise the speed to medium-high and gradually add the remaining sugar listed under Dacquoise, beating until very glossy and stiff peaks form when the beater is raised slowly. Fold in the pecan mixture until evenly incorporated. Using a silicone spatula, scrape the egg white mixture into the prepared pan. Spread it evenly in the bottom and three-quarters of the way up the sides, creating a long rectangular hollow in the center to contain the batter. Set aside briefly while mixing the batter.

Spoon the batter into the dacquoise-lined pan and smooth the surface evenly with a small metal spatula. The batter will come just to the top of the dacquoise. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes (I had to bake 65 minutes), or until a wire cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lighly in the center. The dacquoise and cake batter will both rise, but toward the end of baking, the cake will dome a little above the dacquoise and split in the center.

Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack until the bottom is no longer warm to the touch (took about 45 minutes for me). Run a small metal spatula between the sides of the pan and the sides of the cake, pressing firmly against the pan, and invert the cake onto a serving plate. (Do NOT flip it back after inverting. The buttermilk cake should be on the bottom with dacquoise on top and sides.) Cool completely. Uncovered, the unfrosted cake will keep for 2 days at room temperature. If desired, decorate the cradle cake with diagonal strips of chocolate drizzle glaze.    Serves 8

Preheat oven to 325°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Finely grind 1 cup freeze-dried raspberries in a spice grinder (I just put the whole bag into a bowl and crushed into small pieces versus finely ground. Added a slight crunch.)

Whisk the egg whites in a medium bowl until frothy. (After this, I overrode the next part, and used a handheld electric beater to beat the egg whites, sugar, vanilla, and salt for 5 minutes to make the mix glossy, then I used a spatula to mix in the ground raspberries and coconut.) Whisk in the sugar, vanilla and salt, then add the ground raspberries. Fold in the coconut until evenly combined. Scoop the coconut mixture into 30 mounds (about a heaping tablespoon each), packing each into a 1-inch ball, then arrange 1 inch apart on the baking sheet. (They don't spread, so they can sit close together.)

Bake until the macaroons look dry and are lightly browned in spots, about 30 minutes (I recommend only 25 minutes). Let cool completely on the baking sheet.

Meanwhile, put the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring, until melted and smooth. Add the coconut oil and stir until combined; set aside to cool slightly. Set a rack on a rimmed baking sheet and generously coat the rack with cooking spray. Crush the remaining 1/4 cup freeze-dried raspberries (I skipped this since I added them all earlier.) When the chocolate is cool enough to touch, dip the macaroons in the chocolate to coat, one at a time, then transfer to the rack. When finished, sprinkle with the crushed raspberries. Refrigerate until the chocolate is set with a matte finish, about 20 minutes.    30 cookies

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Grind the almonds in a blender for 30 seconds. Add the sugar and blend for another 1 minute. Process until everything is finely ground.

Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks, then gradually add the powdered sugar, continuing to whisk the mixture until it is firm and glossy. Add the vanilla extract, mixing gently, then fold in the ground almonds a little at a time.

Use a teaspoon to scoop 1 inch mounds from bowl and place on baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. Dust with powdered sugar and let stand for 10 to 15 minutes.

Bake for about 15 minutes (I baked 17 minutes), or until puffed up and lightly browned. Remove and let cool completely, then remove them from the paper. They can be stored in an airtight container.    36 cookies

Preheat oven to 375°. Make the Filling: Toss peaches with 1/2 cup granulated sugar, cornstarch, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a large bowl; transfer to a buttered 9-by-13-inch baking dish and dot with 3 tablespoons butter. Cover with foil and bake until bubbling, 30 minutes.

Make the Topping: Whisk flour, cornmeal, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Work in 6 tablespoons cut-up cold butter until crumbly, then stir in creamed corn, heavy cream and vanilla; dollop over the peaches.

Bake the Cobbler: Return the baking dish to the oven and bake, uncovered, until the topping is golden and the peaches are tender, about 45 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream.    Serves 8

(Remember to place ice cream maker bowl into the freezer 24 hours before you plan to make the ice cream.)
Warm the milk chocolate and the heavy cream in a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until the chocolate is melted, then remove from heat and set aside with a fine-meshed strainer nearby. (I just microwaved 1 minute, stirred, then 1 minute more.)

In a saucepan, warm the milk with the sugar and salt. Stir together the egg yolks, then gradually add some of the warm milk to them. Pour the warmed eggs back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring and scraping the bottom constantly with a heatproof spatula, just until the custard thickens enough to lightly coat the spatula, 3 to 5 minutes. Strain the custard into the milk chocolate mixture and stir together. Stir in the cognac. Chill thoroughly.

Place the mixture in your ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions (Mine took 20 minutes). Stir in the cacao nibs or almonds 5 minutes before ice cream finishes mixing. Transfer to another bowl and place in the freezer.    One Quart

Make the filling: Peel the apples and slice 1/2 inch thick; add to a bowl and toss with the granulated sugar and lemon juice. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the apples and cook, stirring, until softened, 15 to 18 minutes. Add the flour, heavy cream, cinnamon and salt; stir until the juices thicken, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool. (The filling can be made up to 2 days ahead; cover and refrigerate once cooled.)

Roll out 1 disk of dough into a 13-inch round on a floured surface. Transfer to a 9½-inch deep-dish pie plate by rolling the dough back around the rolling pin and unrolling it over the pie plate; gently press into the pan.

Add the filling, mounding it in the center; dot with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Roll out the remaining disk of dough into a 12-inch round on a floured surface. Lay the dough over the filling and press the edges together. Fold the overhanging dough under itself and crimp. Brush with heavy cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Cut a few slits in the top crust to let steam escape. Chill at least 1 hour.

After 1/2 hour has passed, set a baking sheet on a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 425°. When ready to cook the pie, set it on the hot baking sheet, reduce the oven to 375° and bake until golden, rotating as needed for even browning, 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes. (Tent the edges with foil if browning too quickly.) Let cool on a rack until set, about 3 hours. I recommend serving the slices with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
8 to 10 slices

Place parchment paper in a baking sheet. Melt the melting wafers in microwave (about 1 minute). Dip half of each orange slice into the chocolate; roll dipped edges in nuts and place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Let stand until set, about 15 minutes. Store in an airtight container at room temperatyure up to 1 month.   16 slices

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil. (I used parchment paper.)

In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and salt; continue beating until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar and vanilla, beating until stiff but not dry (5 to 7 minutes). Fold in the coconut and 1 cup of the chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets, 1 to 2 inches apart. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the surfaces begin to crack (mine took 25 minutes). Cool completely before removing the cookies from the foil. Store loosely covered at room temperature.
Made 24 cookies, although the recipe indicated 48

Note: Humidity has an adverse effect on meringues. For best results, make this recipe on a day with low humidity.

In a large mug (I preferred a small bowl), whisk together the egg, oil, and matcha with a fork. Stir in the milk, vanilla, and sugar. Add the flour and salt. Beat the batter until smooth. Divide the batter between two mugs. Microwave separately for 1½ to 2½ minutes each until risen and firm (I microwaved 1½ minutes). Serve.   Makes 2 mug cakes

In a large skillet, bring apple juice and maple syrup to a simmer over medium heat. Cook until liquid has reduced slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Add apples and pears; cook and stir until just tender, 7 to 9 minutes. Remove from heat; add vanilla, lemon zest and juice. Cool completely.

Preheat to 400°F. On a lightly floured surface, unroll pastry sheets. Roll each sheet into a 10-inch square; cut each sheet into 4 squares. Divide filling for eight servings (about 1/4 cup each). Place each serving on half of each square. Moisten edges with water. Fold 1 corner over filling to opposite corner (forming a triangle). Press edges with a fork to seal. Transfer to greased baking sheets. Brush with egg; prick tops with fork. If desired, mix sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over tops. Bake until golden, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove to wire racks. Serve warm or at room temperature.
8 servings

Combine boiling water and fresh mint leaves in a small bowl, cover and steep 20 minutes. Preheat to 375°F.
Strain mint mixture through a fine sieve into a large bowl, discard the mint leaves. Add cocoa to water; stir well with a whisk.

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, stirring with a whisk. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in milk, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and salt, cook over medium heat 3 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir into cocoa mixture. Cool slightly.

Place egg whites in a large bowl, beat with a mixer at high speed until foamy. Add 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Gently stir one-fourth of egg white mixture into cocoa mixture, gently fold in remaining egg white mixture. Spoon into a 2-quart soufflé dish coated with cooking spray. Bake for 30 minutes or until puffy and set. Let stand 5 minutes (the soufflé will fall during standing). Sprinkle with the powdered sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature.
4 to 6 servings

Adjust the rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F.
Butter an 8-inch square cake pan or a 2-quart shallow baking dish.
Sift together the flour, 1 cup of the sugar, the 6 tablespoons cocoa, baking powder, and salt.
In a medium bowl, mix together the eggs, melted butter, milk, and vanilla.
Stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined.
Spread the batter into the prepared pan.
Mix together the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and the 1/4 cup cocoa powder and sprinkle evenly over the top. Pour the hot coffee over the cake batter, then bake for 25 minutes, until it appears just set around the edges yet still slightly jiggly in the center.     6 to 9 servings

Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter madeleine pans (enough for 24) and freeze for at least 5 minutes. Sift flour and sugar into a large bowl. Melt but do not brown butter; cool. Mix eggs into flour and sugar with a wooden spoon; gradually add cooled butter, salt, ground almonds, orange-flower water and vanilla. Half-fill chilled, greased pans with cake batter. Bake 10 to 15 minutes (I baked for 12 minutes) or until golden. Cool on a rack.
Makes 24 cookie-cakes

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter a standard (12-cup) Bundt pan, making sure to get in all the nooks and crannies. Dust with flour, tapping out any excess. In a bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soada, and salt.

In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat sugar and butter on medium speed until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then mix in mashed banana and vanilla. Add dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with two additions of milk, mixing until incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the deepest part of the pan comes out clean. Place pan on a wire rack to cool. When pan is cool enough to handle, invert pan over wire rack; cake should come out cleanly.   Serves 8 big slices

Preheat the oven to 350°. Use the tahini to "grease" the inside of a 7-inch savarin, tube pan, or square pan. Mix the black and white sesame seeds together and sprinkle them evenly into the pan (but if you're using a square pan, sprinkle the sesame seeds on top of the batter instead of underneath). In a large bowl, add the flour, semolina, turmeric, baking powder and sugar. Whisk to combine. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, oil and orange blossom water. Mix until you have a smooth batter and then pour into the prepared cake pan. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes in the pan before inverting it onto a rack to cool. Serve while still a little warm with a strong cup of coffee.   Serves 6 to 8

Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon into a medium bowl. Set aside.

Put the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium speed until smoothly blended, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix in the egg and vanilla until blended, about 1 minute. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture and rolled oats, and mix just until incorporated. Add the raisins and mix just until evenly distributed.

Divide the dough into two equal parts. Put each on a large piece of plastic wrap and form into 6-inch logs. Roll each back and forth to form a smooth cylinder, then wrap in the plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours (I only did 2 hours and they were great), overnight, or until firm.

When ready to bake the cookies, position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Use a large, sharp knife to cut each cold log into 12 slices about 1/2-inch thick. Place the cookies 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time just until the edges are firm but the centers feel soft if touched lightly, about 15 minutes.

Let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. Use a wide metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies can be stored in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Makes 24 cookies

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9½-inch tube pan (ring mold), and put it into the refrigerator. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Beat in the eggs gradually. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Fold the flour mixture into the butter and sugar mixture, then mix in half of the orange juice and all of the orange zest.

Pour the cake batter into the pan and bake for about 30 minutes. Remove, let cool a little, and turn the cake out onto a serving dish. Prick it all over with a toothpick (cocktail stick), then moisten the cake by pouring teaspoons of the remaining orange juice into the holes. Let cool, then serve.   Serves 6

In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 1/4 cup of cold water and let stand for 5 minutes to soften. Meanwhile, combine the soy milk, whole milk, sugar, and tea in a small saucepan over mediunm-low heat, and bring the liquid to a simmer, stirring constantly. Remove the pan from the heat, cover, and steep the tea mixture for 15 minutes. Strain with a fine mesh sieve, reserving the liquid.

Break up the milk chocolate and place it in a microwave-safe bowl. Add the heavy whipping cream and microwave for 1 minute. Let it sit a minute then stir until chocolate is melted and well combined with cream.

Strain the gelatin through a fine mesh sieve to remove any standing water (There was no extra water, and I did not strain. It worked, but the pudding did have a few tiny balls of gelatin.) Add it to the hot soy milk, whisking well to dissolve fully. Slowly add the chocolate mixture, and stir to combine. Divide the chocolate base between six ramekins (I preferred 4) and cover with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 5 hours and up to 4 days. Before serving, place the ramekins briefly in a warm water bath to unmold, and then invert the sweet tofu onto individual plates or a small bowl. (We ate right out of the ramekins.)   4 to 6 servings

Lightly grease an 8-inch square baking pan with oil; line with parchment paper, allowing 2 inches of overhang on 2 sides. Combine dried apricots, sugar and 1 cup wine in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and let stand until apricots are softened, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, place remaining 1 cup wine in a medium bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over wine, and let stand until dissolved, about 5 minutes. Transfer apricot mixture to a food processor, and puree until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Return mixture to saucepan, stir in gelatin mixture, and bring to a boil over high. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring constantly, until gelatin is dissolved and mixture is glossy, about 2 minutes (took me 3 minutes). Scrape mixture into prepared baking pan, and smooth top. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes. Cover pâte de fruit with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

Lift pâte de fruit from pan to a work surface. Discard plastic wrap and parchment. Using a sharp knife, cut pâte into 1-inch squares. Spread sugar for coating in a shallow bowl. Roll candy squares in sugar to coat. Rolling pâte de fruit in sugar keeps them from sticking together.
Made 32 candies

Cinnamon Whipped Cream
(I used Reddiwhip instead of creating the whipped cream)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Bake the pie shell according to directions. Let cool completely on a wire rack, about 1 hour.

Combine 2/3 cup sugar, cornstarch and salt in a large saucepan. Whisk egg yolks and milk in a medium bowl, then whisk into the sugar mixture. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until steaming and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 16 to 18 minutes. (Took me 14 minutes.) Whisk in amaretto (or almond extract) and cook, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and stir until melted.

Pour the filling into the cooled crust and let cool for 20 minutes. Press a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the filling and refrigerate until set, about 4 hours.

To create cinnamon whipped cream, beat cream, the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar, vanilla and cinnamon with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Serve the pie topped with the whipped cream and almonds.   Serves 8

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Butter the bottom sides, and rim of the six 6 ounce soufflé cups lightly but thoroughly.

In a small saucepan, melt the 1 tablespoon butter and add the 1/2 cup milk, rice flour, and salt. Whisking constantly, bring the mixture to a simmer and simmer gently for about 1½ minutes to cook the flour. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Scrape the mixture into a large bowl and whisk in the egg yolks, vanilla, and remaining 1 tablespoon milk. Set aside.

Combine the egg whites and cream of tartar in another large bowl. Beat on high with a handheld mixter until the egg whites are creamy white and hold a soft shape when the beaters are lifted. Gradually sprinkle in the 1/3 cup sugar and continue to beat on high speed until the egg whites are stiff but not dry. Fold one-quarter of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it, then fold in the remaining egg whites. Divide the mixture evenly among the cups, filling them at least three-quarters full. The soufflés may be prepared to this point, covered, and refrigerated for up to 3 days before serving.

Set the cups on the baking sheet and bake the soufflés for 15 to 17 minutes, until a bamboo skewer plunged into the center tests moist but not completely gooey or runny, The soufflés will rise and may crack on top before they are done.

Remove the soufflés from the oven. Serve immediately with a dollop of vanilla ice cream.   Serves 6

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place refrigerated crust in pie plate, or defrost frozen pie shell. Place in fridge while making filling.

While pie crust chills, peel sweet potatoes and chop into chunks. Place sweet potatoes in a large saucepan filled with cold water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high, and cook until tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Drain sweet potatoes, and mash in a large bowl. Set aside 2 cups mashed sweet potatoes. (Reserve any remaining mashed sweet potatoes for another use.)

Whisk together mashed sweet potatoes, sugar, and melted butter in a large bowl until smooth. Whisk in eggs, evaporated milk, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, and salt until thoroughly blended. Pour filling into prepared pie crust. Bake in preheated oven until filling is slightly puffed and set, about 55 to 60 minutes. Transfer pie to a wire rack, and let cool completely, about 4 hours. Serve with whipped cream. I also enjoyed a sprinkling of nuts on top for crunch.   Serves 8

Orange Frosting
3 tblsps unsalted butter at room temperature
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 tblsp thawed frozen orange juice concentrate mixed with 2 tblsps water (I used 2 tblsps frozen orange juice)

In a medium bowl, combine all the frosting ingredients and mix until blended.

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, 1 cup of the sugar, the salt, and baking powder and stir to blend. In anoher large bowl, combine the egg whites and cream of tartar and beat with an electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the remaining 1/2 cup (I used only 1/4 cup) sugar until stiff, glossy peaks form.

Add the egg yolks, orange juice, and vanilla to the flour mixture and beat on medium speed for 1 minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Stir about one-fourth of the egg whites into the yolk mixture, and then fold in the remaining whites until blended. Pour the batter into an unbuttered 10-inch tube pan and smooth the top.

Bake for 50 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown, springs back when lightly touched, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Invert on a wire rack and let cool completely. Unmold and transfer to a serving plate. Spread the orange frosting over the top and sides of the cake and let set for about 1 hour. Cut into wedges to serve.     Serves 8

Place 3 ounces of the chocolate, the coffee liqueur, and 3 tablespoons of water in a small bowl and place microwave safe plate on top. Heat the mixture in the microwave for 30 seconds, stir, then heat for another 15 seconds, continuing just until the chocolate melts. Stir until smooth and set aside to cool.

Place the egg yolks and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 3 minutes, until the mixture is thick like mayonnaise. With the mixer on low, add the cooled chocolate mixture, the cocoa powder, espresso granules, and vanilla.

Place the egg whites and salt in a clean, dry mixing bowl fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on high speed until the whites form soft (not dry!) peaks. Carefully fold into the chocolate mixture with a rubber spatula. In the same bowl (no need to clean it!), beat the cream on high speed until it forms soft peaks, then fold it into the chocolate mixture. Grate the remaining 4 ounces of chocolate (I placed in a small processor and ground up a little, but still had lots of little chunks for crunch) and fold it into the mousse with a rubber spatula.

Distribute the mousse into 9 six-ounce ramekins, cover and freeze for several hours or overnight. I didn't like the icy texture eating right out of freezer, so let it sit no more than 10 minutes on counter first, then enjoy. You can pipe whipped cream on top.   Serves 9

Five-Spice Pomegranate Glaze
Makes about 1/2 cup
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tbsp pomegranate juice
1/4 tsp Chinese five-spice powder

In a small bowl, whisk together all glaze ingredients. Add a little more pomegranate juice to thin, if necessary.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Butter and flour 20 madeleine pan wells. Freeze for at least 5 minutes.

In a spice grinder, place the peppercorns; process until finely ground (the original recipe just started with next step, but the peppercorns would not grind for me). Then place the ground peppercorns and granulated sugar in a food processor; process until finely ground. (The sugar will have the appearance of confectioners' sugar with flecks of peppercorns.)

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat sugar mixture and eggs at high speed until pale yellow and thick, about 5 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add milk and vanilla; beat for 1 minute. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, zest, baking powder, and salt. With mixer on medium-low speed, add flour mixture and butter to sugar mixture; beat for 1 minute. (Mixture will be smooth and creamy with some small butter chunks visible.)

Place about 1 tablespoon batter in each prepared madeleine well. (They should be between halfway and three-fourths full. Place batter in deep end of each well, not the middle. Do not smooth or flatten.) Place madeleine pans back in frezer for 5 minutes. Move directly from freezer to center of oven. Bake for 12 minutes. Let cool in pan for 1 minute. Remove from pan, and let cool compltely on wire racks. Sift with confectioners' sugar. Dip top edge of each cookie in Five-Spice Pomegranate Glaze. Do not let them touch each other or the glaze will pull off the top layer of the cookie beneath it. These cookies are best eaten the day they are baked. (I thought they were perfectly fine the next day too.)   Makes 20

Heat oven to 325°F. Let butter and eggs stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Meanwhile, generously grease a 10-inch fluted tube pan (Online suggestion: just before you're going to add the batter to the pan, melt shortening and use a pastry brush to cover every inside part of the pan. If a cake tends to stick, you can freeze it and it should come right out after that). Add cocoa powder. Shake and tilt pan to generously coat bottom, sides, and tube; shake out any excess cocoa powder.

In a medium bowl stir together flour, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl microwave unsweetened chocolate 1 to 2 minutes or until melted, stirring every 30 seconds. Cool slightly.

In a large bowl beat butter on medium to high 30 seconds. Add both sugars. Beat until combined, scraping bowl occasionally. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add melted chocolate and vanilla; beat until combined. Alternately add flour mixture and the water to chocolate mixture; beat on low after each addition just until combined. Pour into pan, spreading evenly. Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely on wire rack. Sift powdered sugar over cooled cake.
Serves 12

Warm the milk, sugar, 1 cup of the cream, and the salt in a medium saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the warm milk and add the bean as well. Cover, remove from the heat, and let steep at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Pour the remaining 1 cup cream into a large bowl (medium would be fine) and set a mesh strainer on top (Don't worry if the strainer ends up in the cream. You can just hold it up later, when straining.). In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks into the saucepan. Stir the mixture constanly with a heatproof spatula over medium heat, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula.

Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream. Put the vanilla bean into the custard, add the vanilla extract, and stir over an ice bath until cool. (Too much work for me, so I just let the bowl sit on counter to cool to tepid temp.) Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator (for 1 hour). When ready to churn, remove the vanilla bean, then freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions (mine was 20 minutes). (The following is my easier version of how to handle the chocolate.) Meanwhile, 7 minutes before the churning is complete, place the chocolate in a large microwave safe measuring cup. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir. Then microwave for another minute and stir until smooth. Use a hot pad to protect your hand from the hot handle and drizzle the warm chocolate in a very thin stream into the ice cream during the last 4 or 5 minutes of churning.   Makes about 1 quart

Preheat oven to 375°. Grease 2 nonstick madeleine pans (24 shells).

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat eggs, granulated sugar, and vanilla at medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in butter. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt. Stir flour mixture into batter with rubber spatula.

Spoon batter into prepared pans, filling each shell almost full. Bake until madeleines spring back when pressed, 10 to 12 minutes. Tap madeleines out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. In a small bowl, sift together confectioners' sugar and cardamom to remove any lumps. Sift over warm madeleines, and serve immediately. (I thought they were still good next day.)   Makes 24

Beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add both sugars; beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla. Whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda and sea salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating on low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover dough with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight (I only did 2 hours and it worked great).

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a deep-dish 9-inch pie plate with foil, with 3 inch coming up the sides to make handles. Lightly coat with cooking spray. Remove dough from refrigerator. Press small pieces of dough evenly into bottom of pie plate to form a crust. Cover with parchment paper (make parchment larger than bottom, so sides come up a little, or pie weights will roll and stick in soft cookie crust). Lightly coat parchment with cooking spray, and weigh down with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until golden brown and set, 20 to 25 minutes, removing parchment and weights after 15 minues. Cool completely on a wire rack, about 1 hour. Lift crust out of plate, using foil handles. Remove crust from foil, and place back in pie plate.

Place ice cream in a large bowl and stir with a rubber spatula until spreadable but not melted. Sppon into cooled crust, and smooth top. Cover with plastic wrap, and freeze for at least 4 hours to harden. Remove pie from freezer just before serving. Arrange berries in centerof pie. If using chocolate-hazelnut spread, use a spoon or pastry bag to drizzle chocolate-hazlenut spread on top of pie. Cut with a warm serrated knife, and serve immediately.    Serves 8

Crush the wafers in a food processor or in a plastic bag, using a rolling pin. Transfer to a small bowl. Finely chop the pecans, and add most of them to wafers, reserving the remaining nuts in a shallow bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients, and stir until well blended. Roll into 1 inch balls, and then roll in the reserved chopped pecans or cocoa powder, for serving.
Makes 8 balls

Preheat the oven to 325°. Butter and flour a 10-inch tube pan, or 2 six-count mini bundt pans. Beat the butter until light. Add the sugars, a little at a time, and cream very well -- until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating slightly after each addition.

Mix in 1/2 of the flour.

Mix together the sour cream and vanilla and add to the batter, mixing well. Combine the baking powder, soda, and salt with remaining flour and add to the batter. Mix well. Add the chocolate chips and the cup of pecans, incorprating well with the rest of the batter but being careful not to overbeat at this point.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes for tube pan, or 20 - 25 minutes for mini bundt pans, or until a cake tester or knife inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes before turning out onto rack. (If using mini bundt pans, remove immediately.) Cool completely before slicing.    Makes 1 large poundcake or 12 mini bundt cakes

Preheat the oven to 400°. Grease 2 (12-mold) madeleine pans or mini muffin pans. (Butter: original recipe indicated 12 tbsps butter, but that seemed like way too much and difficult to totally mix into the batter.) Microwave butter in a small microwaveable bowl on high until melted, 30 to 45 seconds; set aside.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Beat eggs, sugar, honey and zest with a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until pale and frothy, 2 to 3 minutes. Fold flour mixture into egg mixture using a spatula until just combined. Add melted butter; stir until just combined.

Spoon batter evenly into madeleine molds, filling each 3/4 full. Bake until golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool in pans 5 minutes; tranfer to a wire rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Microwave chocolate in a small microwaveable bowl on medium until melted, 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. Dip halves of cooled cookies into chocolate. Transfer to a plate lined with parchment paper; let chocolate set, about 30 minutes. (I had to put in fridge for it to set.)    Makes 24

Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter a 12-inch gratin or shallow baking dish. Spread the cherries in a single layer in the prepared gratin dish. In a blender, puree the half-and-half, eggs, flour, granulated sugar and a generous pinch of salt until smooth. Pour the batter over the cherries, then scatter the cubed butter on top. Bake the clafoutis for about 35 minutes, until puffed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (I had to bake for 52 minutes). In a large bowl, using a hand mixer beat the heavy cream, malt powder, confectioners' sugar, vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon of salt until stiff peaks form. Serve the clafoutis warm or at room temperature with the malted whipped cream.    Serves 6

Preheat the oven to 350°. Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and sesame seeds in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, brown sugar, vegetable oil, and sesame oil with a mixer on medium speed until creamy, 2 to 4 minutes. Beat in the water and vanilla until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the flour mixture until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop heaping tablespoonsfuls of dough 3 inches apart onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool on the pans.
Makes about 30

Preheat the oven to 375°. Brush a 9-by-4-inch loaf pan with butter. (I only had 8x4, which worked okay, though cake rose way over the top and it took much longer to bake.) In a medium bowl, whisk both flours with the baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, mix the 2 tablespoons of melted butter with the honey and vanilla seeds. Beat the egg yolks with 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar at high speed until thick and pale, about 5 minutes. Clean the mixer beaters.

In a large bowl, beat the egg whites at high speed until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on high, gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and beat until stiff, about 3 minutes more. Using a rubber spatula, fold a large scoop of the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk mixture to lighten it. Gently fold the egg yolk mixture into the egg whites until no streaks remain.

Sift the dry ingredients over the eggs, then gently fold them in. Fold in the butter mixture. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for about 25 minutes, until springy and browned. Let cool completely, then unmold onto a platter and dust with confectioners' sugar.   Serves 8

Whisk the egg yolks and 2 tablespoons coffee liqueur in a medium bowl. Whisk the milk, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch and salt in a medium saucepan until smooth. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk about 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture into the beaten eggs, then whisk the egg mixture into the remaining milk in the pan. Cook over medium heat, whisking, until thickened, about 4 minutes (the whisk should leave a thick trail when dragged). Remove from the heat. Add the chopped chocolate and whisk until smooth, then whisk in the butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Divide the pudding among 4 ramekins or small bowls. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of each and refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours or overnight.

Whisk the heavy cream with the confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl until soft peaks form. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon coffee liqueur and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and whisk until combined. Top the pudding with the whipped cream.    Serves 4

Preheat the oven to 350°. Lightly grease six 8-ounce ramekins and set on a baking sheet; set aside. Put the butter and milk in a medium microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals until the butter is melted. Add 1/2 cup granulated sugar, the vanilla and salt and whisk until smooth. Add the flour and baking powder and whisk until smooth. Divide among the prepared ramekins.

Combine the remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar, the brown sugar, cocoa powder and espresso powder in a small bowl; sprinkle over the batter. Pour the hot water over the batter in the ramekins (about 3 tablespoons per ramekin); do not stir.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush the tops with the liqueur, if desired. Lightly dust the top of each with the powdered sugar, if desired. Let stand at least 30 minutes before serving.   Serves 6

Place chocolate chips, coconut oil, and a pinch of salt in a microwaveable bowl. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave for 30 seconds more and stir until smooth and silky. Add the ginger and garam masala. Stir until well combined. Allow to cool slightly and then ladle a little over a scoop of ice cream. Be sure not to pour too much or it becomes super thick and difficult to break through. Wait about 30 seconds for the chocolate to harden and then enjoy!    Serves 8

Preheat the oven to 350º. In a bowl, beat together the shredded coconut, confectioner's sugar, softened butter, egg yolk and coconut milk. In another bowl, beat together the egg whites with the salt until they form stiff peaks, then gently fold into the coconut mixture. Grease and flour 4 ramekins. Divide the mixture between the ramekins, place 1 teaspoon Nutella® in the middle of each and press it down firmly into the mixture to prevent it from drying out and forming a crust on top when baked. Bake for 15 minutes or until tops are golden brown. (I had to bake for 17 minutes more.) Remove the coulants from the oven, leave to cool for 5 minutes then carefully unmould. (When I tried, the bottom stuck to ramekin and tore off, so I just left them in ramekins. Easier to serve and eat.)    Serves 4

In a food processor, pulse the nuts just until finely ground. Add the sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract and salt and pulse to combine. With the machine on, drizzle in the corn syrup and blend until the mixture comes together. Turn the mixture out onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and form into a 15-by-2-inch bar. Cut the bar crosswise into 15 equal pieces and freeze until firm, at least 15 minutes.

In a microwave-safe medium bowl, melt the chocolate in 30-second intervals, stirring, until smooth. Let cool to room temperature.

Using a fork, dip the nut candy into the chocolate to evenly coat, letting the excess drip off. (I found it easier to spread the chocolate on the candy with a knife). Arrange the bars on the baking sheet and top with sprinkles. Refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes. Serve cold.
Makes 15 candy pieces

Preheat oven to 325°F. Mix sugar and flour together in a bowl; add eggs, butter, pecans, chocolate chips, and vanilla, and stir. Pour into unbaked pie shell and bake for 45 to 60 minutes (I had to cook it for 67 minutes).
Serves 8

Combine the cream, honey, and orange blossom water in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whip until soft peaks form.
Enough to top 6 to 8 slices of cake

In a large mug, whisk together the butter and sugar with a fork. Whisk in the egg. Stir in the milk and vanilla. Add the flour and salt. If you're using the zest, add it too. Beat the batter until smooth. Fold in the berries. Divide the batter between two mugs. Microwave separately for 1½ to 2½ minutes each until risen and firm (I did 1 minute and 45 seconds).   Serves 2

In a large mug, toss together the butter (don't need to melt the butter first) with rosemary and grated apple. Microwave for 1 minute until the butter is melted and the apple is softened. Stir in the milk, vanilla, and sugar. Whisk in the egg with a fork. Add the flour and salt. Add zest, if using. Beat the batter until smooth. Divide the batter between two mugs. Microwave separately for 1½ to 2½ minutes each until risen and firm (I did 1½ minutes).   Serves 2

Sweetened Whipped Cream
1/2 cup heavy cream, well chilled
1/2 tblsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup chopped pistachios

In a large mug beat together the butter and sugar with a fork until smooth. Stir in the rose water, egg, and milk. Add the flour and salt. Beat the batter until smooth. Divide the batter between two mugs. Microwave separately for 1½ to 2½ minutes each until risen and firm. (1½ worked best for me.)

After cakes have cooked and are cooling a little, make the sweetened whipped cream. In a medium bowl beat the heavy cream, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract until cream creates stiff peaks. Divide whipped cream on top of each cake. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios.   Serves 2

Preheat oven to 325°. Spray a 10-cup Bundt pan with baking spray with flour. In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, and vanilla with a stand mixer at medium speed until fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, ancho chile pepper, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition. Stir in cocoa powder. Pour batter into prepared pan. Gently shake pan to evenly distribute batter.

Bake until a wooden pick inserted near center comes out with a few moist crumbs, 45 to 50 minutes (I had to bake for 60 minutes). Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Invert onto a wire rack, and let cool completely.

If you are using the glaze: In a small saucepan, heat cream over medium heat until bubbles begin to form. In the work bowl of a food processor, place chocolate. Process until finely chopped. With processor running, add hot cream in a slow, steady stream until chocolate is melted. Spoon over cooled cake.   Serves 8

In a small bowl, combine the sliced strawberries, lemon zest, and sugar. Toss them together and set the topping aside to macerate at room temperature while you prepare the cake. In a large mug, whisk together the egg and vanilla with a fork. Stir in the buttermilk and sugar. Add the flour and salt. Beat the batter until smooth. Divide the batter between two mugs. Microwave sparately for 1½ to 2½ minutes each until risen and firm. (I think it was best to cook for 1½ minutes then let cool in mug for 10 minutes. The mug is hot, so cake will continue to cook a bit longer.) Top the cakes with the reserved strawberries and the whipped cream.    Makes 2

Preheat the oven to 300°. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Beat the sugars and butter together until smooth. Mix in the egg, vanilla, and baking soda. Stir together the flour and salt, then mix them into the batter. Mix in the chocolate chips and nuts. Scoop the cookie dough into 2 tablespoon balls and place them four inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 18 minutes or until pale golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Makes 24 cookies.

Preheat the oven to 375°. Beat sugar, 1/2 cup butter, the vanilla, egg and unsweetened chocolate in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in flour and salt. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten cookies. Bake until set, about 8 minutes. Cool 1 to 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool cookies completely.

Mix the powdered sugar, 2½ tablespoons butter, milk, and peppermint extract until smooth and of spreading consistency. Spread on cooled cookies. Sprinkle the crushed candy on top of each cookie and gently press into the frosting.   Makes around 16 cookies.

Preheat the oven to 350°. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. In another bowl, stir the flours, almonds, cardamom, and salt together, and add to the creamed butter. Mix just until the dough starts to clump together.

Using your hands, form the dough into a smooth ball. Pinch off a tablespoon-sized portion of the dough and roll in your palms to form a perfect round ball. Flatten it slightly and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Continue with the rest of the dough, placing the cookies on the sheet 2 inches apart. You can use a small ice cream scoop to measure out the cookie dough if you'd like.

Bake in the middle of the oven until the edges of the cookies turn a very pale brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool on a wire rack, and store in an airtight container.   Makes around 25 cookies.

Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease an 8-inch-square cake pan. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and 1 cup of the sugar until creamy. Add the rava, almond paste, rose water, and brandy, and continue beating until light and creamy. Beat in the egg yolks 1 at a time. After adding the last egg yolk, beat for an additional minute to develop structure.

In a clean, dry bowl, beat the egg whites until frothy. Add the cream of tartar, and beat until soft peaks form. While beating, slowly add the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar, and continue beating until the egg whites are stiff. Add 1/4 of the stiff egg whites to the cake batter, and fold in with swift strokes. This will lighten the mixture. Now add the rest of the egg whites and fold in gently yet firmly, without deflating the mixture. Scrape into the prepared cake pan, smooth the top, and bake in the center of the oven till golden brown all over and a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean, approximately 20 minutes. (It took 30 minutes for me.) To serve it up as a dessert, place some fresh fruit alongside each serving, and garnish with a dollop of freshly whipped cream and some toasted slivered almonds.
Serves 8

Preheat the oven to 300°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it. In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, soda, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together eggs, vanilla and almond extract; stir into dry ingredients. Add almonds. Divide dough in half. May look gloppy, but drop one half onto parchment lined baking sheet, leaving room for second half. Use two knives to form the pile into a log. Do the same with the second half of dough. Bake for 30 minutes or until firm and lightly browned. Cool on a rack for at least 5 minutes. Cut logs on the diagonal into 1-inch slices. Return slices to baking sheet, leaving space around each slice, and continue baking for 15 minutes or until desired crispness. Cool completely on rack.
Makes 24 cookies

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Butter and flour four 6-ounce ramekins, tapping out the excess. In a double boiler set over simmering water, melt the butter with the chocolate. In a medium bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the whole egs with the egg yolks, sugar and salt at high speed until pale and thickened. Whisk the chocolate until smooth. Quickly fold it into the egg mixture along with the flour. Spoon the batter into the prepared ramekins. Set the ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes or until the sides of the cakes are firm, but the centers are soft. Let the cakes cool for 1 minute. Run a knife around the edge of each cake; cover with an inverted dessert plate and turn it over. Let the cakes stand for a few seconds before unmolding, then serve with ice cream or whipped cream. If you refrigerate the cakes in their ramekins, be sure to microwave for 30 seconds before removing the cakes to eat.   Makes 4

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat. Set aside. In a bowl, mix together the flour, confectioner's sugar and ground almonds. Beat in the egg whites, one at a time, then add the melted butter. Mix well. Grease 12 to 14 mini muffin moulds then half-fill each with cake mixture. Add 1 teaspoon Nutella® to each then cover with the cake mixture. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes.   Makes 12 to 14

Set an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9 by 2-inch round cake pan, top with a parchment round, then coat with baking spray. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg whites, 3 tablespoons of the coconut milk, the vanilla, and coconut extract just until lightly combined. In a food processor, process the sugar and unsweetened coconut until the coconut is powder fine. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater, mix the coconut mixture, flour, baking powder, and salt on low speed for 30 seconds. Add the butter and the remaining coconut milk. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Raise the speed to medium and beat for 1½ minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Starting on medium-low speed, gradually add the egg white mixture in two parts, beating for 30 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients and strengthen the structure. Using a silicone spatula, scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the suface evenly with a small offset spatula.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a wire cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake just starts to come away from the sides of the pan. It will be underbaked in the center if it is removed before it starts shrinking. The cake is so fluffy that it will not spring back readily when pressed in the center. Because it is wondrously tender, the top will dip slightly on cooling.

Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a small metal spatula between the sides of the pan and the cake and invert the cake onto a wire rack that has been coated lightly with nonstick cooking spray. To prevent splitting, reinvert the cake so that the top side is up. Cool completely.

To make the coconut whipped cream topping, in a mixing bowl whip the cream starting on low speed, gradually raising the speed to medium-high as it thickens, only until the cream mounds softly when dropped from a spoon. Mound the cream on top of the cake and sprinkle evenly with the flaked sweetened coconut. Serve immediately. Be prepared to swoon.   Serves 8

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a small saucepan, bring the half and half and sugar to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Place the chocolate and let stand for 30 seconds, stir until the chocolate is melted. Whisk in the egg yolks and vanilla until blended. Divide the custard among six 6-ounce custard cups. Place the cups in a high-sided baking pan half filled with water. Bake the custards in the water bath until they are nearly set in the center, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the cups from the water bath. Let cool a few minutes to serve warm and soft, or refrigerate for up to 24 hours.   Makes 6

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter sides and bottom of a 3-quart baking dish or 13x9x2-inch baking pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, chile powder, cinnamon, salt, and grated ginger; set aside. Place chocolate and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir, and microwave in 30 second increments, stirring between until chocolate and butter are melted. Add sugars, whisk until completely combined. Let cool to room temperature.

Add 3 eggs to chocolate mixture; whisk until just combined. Add the remaining eggs and whisk until combined. Do not overbeat the batter or your brownies will be cakey.

Sprinkle flour mixture over chocolate mixture. Using a spatula (not a whisk), fold until just a trace amount of flour mixture is visible. Pour mixture into prepared dish. Smooth top with spatula. Bake 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out with a few moist crumbs, rotating pan halfway through. Cool on wire rack.   Makes 24 brownies

Combine milk and cream in a large saucepan. Split vanilla bean and scrape inside into milk mixture along with vanilla bean. Stir in chopped pistachios. Heat mixture over medium until it steams. Off heat, cover and steep mixture 1 hour; chill until cold, about 2 hours.

Whisk sugar, cornstarch, and salt into chilled milk mixture until all lumps dissolve, then whisk in the egg yolks until incorporated. Heat mixture over medium, whisking constantly, until it begins to thicken, about 10 minutes. When the whisk leaves trails in the pudding, strain it through a fine-mesh sieve. Use a spatula to smoosh the mixture to get as much of the pudding into the bowl as possible. Discard pistachios and vanilla bean.   Serves 4

Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray a heavy, dark interior 10-inch bundt pan with Pam. (This kind of pan will ensure a dark, wonderful crust.) Place the first seven ingredients in a mixer and beat 10 minutes on high speed. Sift the flour and then add to the batter, 1 cup at a time, with speed on medium. Add the sour cream.

Bake the cake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes.   Serves 12

Place 1/4 cup of the milk, 1 teaspoon of the vanilla extract, and the banana in a blender and blend to mix thoroughly, about 30 seconds. Add the vanilla ice cream and pulse several times to begin breaking it up. With the blender motor off, use a flexible spatula to mash the mixture down onto the blender blades. Continue pulsing, stopping, and mashing until the mixture is well blended, thick, and moves easily in the blender jar, roughly 30 to 90 seconds. Pour the shake into a small pitcher, and refrigerate while making the other flavor.

If necessary, rinse the blender jar, shake out any excess water, and return it to the base. Place the remaining 1/4 cup milk, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, and the chocolate ice cream and sorbet in the blender and pulse several times to begin breaking up the ice cream and sorbet. With the blender motor off, use a flexible spatula to mash the mixture down onto the blender blades. Continue pulsing, stopping, and mashing until the mixture is well blended, thick, and moves easily in the blender jar, roughly 30 to 90 seconds.

Into one or two tall, chilled glasses, pour a layer of VanBan shake, followed by a layer of chocolate, another layer of VanBan, another layer of chocolate, and finishing with a last layer of VanBan on top. Serve at once.   Serves 2

Preheat the oven to 350°. Put the butter, 4 ounces of the chocolate chips and the unsweetned chocolate in a medium microwaveable bowl. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir, then microwave 30 seconds more. Stir until melted. Allow to cool for 15 minutes.

In a large bowl, stir (do not beat) together the eggs, coffee powder, vanilla and sugar. Stir the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and set aside to cool to room temperature.

In a medium bowl, sift together 1/4 cup of the flour, the baking powder and salt and stir it into the chocolate mixture. Toss the remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips and one tablespoon of flour together in a small bowl and stir them into the chocolate mixture. Spoon the mixture into 4 individual cast-iron skillets and place them on a sheet pan. Bake for 22 minutes exactly. Don't overbake! A toothpick inserted in the center will not come out clean. Let them cool for a few minutes, then top each skillet with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. Serve the skillets with hot pads, so people don't burn their hands.   Serves 4

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a bowl, toss the dried fruit with the liqueur. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, zest, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, allspice and cloves. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs. For the egg wash, transfer 1 tbsp. whisked egg to a small bowl and whisk in 1 tbsp. water. Whisk the butter and vanilla into the remaining eggs in the medium bowl; add to the flour mixture. Using an electric mixer, beat at low speed, occasionally scraping down the bowl, until just blended. Stir in the fruit mixture and pistachios. Divide the dough in half; form each half into a 12-inch loaf. Place the loaves 3 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush the loaves with the egg wash and bake until the tops are golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the loaves to a rack; let cool 30 minutes.

Cut each loaf crosswise into 1/2-inch thick slices. Stand slices, rounded side up, 1 inch apart on the same parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake the biscotti until lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the biscotti, on the parchment, to a rack; let cool completely.

If you want to dip or drizzle chocolate on the cookies, place three-quarters of the chocolate in a small microwabable bowl. Microwave on high in 15 second increments, stirring in between, until the chocolate is melted. Add the remaining chocolate; stir until smooth. Dip the biscotti into or drizzle with the chocolate; place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate until set, 30 minutes.    Makes 30 cookies

Icing
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 tblsp solid vegetable shortening
2 tsps water

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soada, ginger, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat together the oil and sugar for 2 - 3 minutes. Add the egg, molasses, and fresh ginger if using, and beat well. Add the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion. Sprinkle lightly with sugar. Bake for 12 minutes. Cool the cookies on the sheets for 5 minutes, and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the icing: Combine the sugar, shortening, and water, and beat until smooth and creamy. Cover until ready to use. When the cookies are completely cool, spread a very thin layer of icing on each cookie with a small knife or spatula. Let the icing set before stacking the cookies or they will stick together.    Makes 2½ dozen cookies

Preheat oven to 425º. Butter an 8x8" baking dish. Toast semolina in a large dry skillet over medium-high heat, stirring, until darkened and nutty-smelling, about 2 minutes. Let cool.

Whisk egg, coconut milk, half-and-half, sugar, salt, and 1 tbsp melted butter in a large saucepan. Gradually whisk in semolina and bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking, until mixture is very thick and pulls away from the sides of saucepan, about 4 minutes. Scrape batter into baking dish. Bake until golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 45 - 50 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack. Brush cake with remaining 1 tbsp butter (melted); let cool slightly. Serve with coconut ice cream.     Serves 12

Mix the milk, semolina, sugar, and egg white in pot over low heat until just bubbling and thickened. Add the rose water. Pour into greased 13x9 pan. Cool on counter. Add thawed Cool Whip and sprinkle on pistachios. Refrigerate.     Serves 10

Butter the bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan. Line with whole graham crackers. In bowl of an electric mixer, mix pudding with milk; beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Fold in whipped topping. Pour half the pudding mixture over graham crackers. Place another layer of whole graham crackers on top of pudding layer. Pour over remaining half of pudding mixture and cover with another layer of graham crackers.

For frosting, blend together sugar and cocoa. Add butter and milk, mixing well. Add corn syrup and vanilla. Stir until creamy. Cover cake with frosting and refrigerate for 24 hours.     Serves 10

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a bowl, add the almond meal, all-purpose flour and cardamom; mix and set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue mixing until soft peaks form. Slowly add the powdered sugar and continue mixing until stiff peaks form. With a spatula, fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Do not over mix.

Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Take a small scooper and scoop out some cookie dough. Place on the cookie sheet one inch apart. Place a whole almond in middle of cookie. Bake for 20 minutes until lightly golden brown. Remove and cool.   Makes about 30 cookies

Note: Using almond flour will change the texture of your cookie, making it whiter in color.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Microwave the walnuts for one minute on a plate. Stir and microwave one minute more. Let cool, then transfer to a food processor and pulse until finely ground.

Whisk the ground walnuts, 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, the flour baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the butter in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the egg yolk, maple syrup and maple extract until incorporated. Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low; add the flour mixture and beat until the dough comes together, about 2 minutes.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Form teaspoonfuls of dough into balls and arrange about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until golden, 18 to 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and brush the cookies with maple syrup; let cool 2 minutes on the baking sheets. Put the remaining confectioners' sugar in a shallow bowl; add the cookies in batches and toss to coat, then transfer to racks to cool completely.   Makes about 30 cookies

Preheat oven to 375°F. For filling, in a larg bowl combine pumpkin, maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add eggs; beat lightly with a fork until combined. Gradually add milk. Stir to combine. Carefully pour filling in pastry shell. To prevent overbrowning, cover edge of pie crust with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil. Bake about 25 to 30 minutes more or until a knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. Cover; chill 2 hours. Optional, to serve, top with salted pecan brittle.   Serves 10

Place the butter in a bowl and microwave it for 20 to 30 seconds until melted. Add the egg and whisk it in with a fork. Stir in the milk, vanilla, and sugar. Add the flour and salt. Beat the batter until smooth. Divide the batter between two mugs. Microwave separately for 2 minutes each until risen and firm. Mug will be very hot and cake will continue to cook, so don't overcook or the cake will get dry. Let the mugs cool before you add toppings and serve.   Serves 2

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and 1/3 cup cold water. Stir with a spoon to combine them well, dissolving any lumps.

In a medium saucepan, combine the chopped strawberries, sugar, and salt. Stir to combine the fruit and sugar, and then cook over medium heat until the mixture comes to a gentle boil. Cook, stirring often, until the berries create a pool of sauce, about 5 minutes.

Stir up the cornstarch-water mixture, and add it to the pan. Cook, stirring often, until the strawberry sauce boils again, thickens up, and the berries are soft, 3 to 4 minutes more. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla, and set aside to cool to room temperature.

Beat the cream in a large bowl until it is very thick and stiff. Stir in the strawberry jam mixture and gently fold the cream and jam together to make an even, rich mixture.

Pile the filling into the graham cracker crust and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours, until very cold and fairly firm. Serve cold, and if you have sliced strawberries, spoon a small pile of them alongside each piece of pie. Refrigerate any remaining pie for up to 1 day.   8 slices

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray three 8-inch cake pans with cooking spray and set aside. Beat cake mix, merlot, oil, eggs, and 1/2 cup preserves in a large bowl with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl and beat for 2 minutes on medium speed. Pour batter into prepared cake pans. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a tester inserted in the cake comes out clean. Remove and cool completely.

To make a ganache, heat cream and 1/2 cup preserves in a small saucepan over medium heat until just below a boil. Pour over chocolate chips in a medium bowl and stir with a rubber spatula until completely smooth.

To assemble, place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread with 1/4 cup of ganache, then repeat with second layer after placing it on top. Add third layer and frost entire cake with remaining ganache. Garnish slices with fresh blackberries.   Makes 10 servings

Preheat oven to 350°. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Combine milk and cream.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of milk mixture, and beating until combined.

To make chocolate batter, measure out 1 cup batter, and transfer to another bowl. Combine cocoa and the boiling water in a bowl. Stir into reserved 1 cup batter.

Fill prepared cups with alternating spoonfuls of vanilla and chocolate batter, filling each three-quarters full. Run the tip of a paring knife through batter in a figure-eight motion to make swirls. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until tops are golden and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers. To finish, dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving.   Makes 16, or 12 puffy ones

Grease cookie sheets; set aside. Preheat oven to 350°. For meringue, place egg whites in a large mixing bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Add the vinegar, vanilla, and salt. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form (tips curl). Add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high speed about 4 minutes or until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight) and the sugar is almost dissolved. Fold in the melted chocolate and nuts.

Drop mixture from teaspoons onto prepared cookie sheets. Try to make 24 of them so they stay smallish. The smaller size works better for the delicate cookie. Bake in oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are firm. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool.   Makes 2 dozen

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, beat butter and next 3 ingredients at medium speed with a mixer until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until smooth. Beat in flour mixture until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips, toffee bits, and almonds. Drop by 2 tablespoonfuls, 2½ inches apart, on prepared pans.

Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool on pans for 5 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.   Makes about 2 dozen

In a large saucepan, melt chocolate chips and butter over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from the heat; cool slightly.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, and vanilla until blended. Whisk into chocolate mixture. In another bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt; add to chocolate mixture, mixing well. Fold in chocolate chunks.

Drop by 1/4 cupfuls 3 inches apart onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake at 350º for 12 - 14 minutes or until set. Cool on pans for 1 -2 minutes. Remove cookies to wire racks to cool.  
Makes about 18 large cookies

Place hazelnuts on a microwave-safe plate and microwave 1 minute. Stir and microwave 30 seconds more. Set aside. Whisk the cornstarch into 1/4 cup cream in a bowl. Combine the remaining 1¾ cups cream, the chocolate-hazlenut spread, vanilla and salt in a small saucepan. Whisk in the cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring and scraping the sides of the pan with a rubber spatula. Once the mixture starts to boil, stir constantly until thickened, about 2 minutes. Pour into 6 small serving bowls. Refrigerate until set, about 1 hour. When ready to serve, sprinkle hazelnuts on top.  Serves 6

Adjust the rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 375°F. Butter a 12-cup muffin pan.

Place bittersweet and unsweetened chocolate pieces in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir. Repeat for 30 seconds at a time, stirring each time, until chocolate is melted.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the melted chocolate.

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt.

Stir the dry ingredients into the chocolate mixture in 3 additions, then stir in the chocolate chips. Fill each muffin cup with batter and bake for 18 minutes or until they still feel quite soft in their centers when lightly pressed with a fingertip. Do not overbake.

Remove from the oven, cool for 10 minutes, then remove the cakes from the muffin tin. These are best eaten the day they are made, but they're still good served the following day. Store at room temperature in an airtight container.
Makes 12 mini cakes

Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat butter and 2/3 cup sugar with an electric mixter at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes, then beat in vanilla. Add egg and beat well.

At low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, and mixing until just combined. Spoon batter into cake pan, smoothing top. Scatter raspberries evenly over top and sprinkle with remaining 1 tbsp sugar.

Bake until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool to warm, 10 minutes more. Invert onto a plate. Serve with vanilla ice cream, if desired.   6 slices

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. Beat eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Add flour mixture to egg mixture; blending well. Stir in vanilla, pecans and apples. Spread mixture in a greased 10-inch pieplate. Bake for 30 minutes. Cool; cut into wedges, and serve with vanilla ice cream, if desired.   6 slices

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners. Microwave chocolate and butter 30 seconds at a time until melted, stirring every 30 seconds. Let cool 5 minutes. Whisk in sugar and salt until mixture is smooth; whisk in eggs to combine. Gently mix in flour and cocoa just until smooth (do not overmix).

Spoon 1 heaping tablespoon of batter into each lined cup. Place 1 peppermint patty on top, gently pressing into batter. Top with 2 tablespoons batter, covering patty completely. Bake, rotating tin halfway through, until a cake tester inserted halfway in centers (above mint patty) comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, about 35 minutes. Transfer tin to a wire rack to cool 10 minutes, then remove cupcakes to wire rack to cool completely.   Yield - 12 cupcakes

Melt bittersweet chocolate chips and butter in microwave, 30 seconds at a time, stirring between each minute, until melted. Let it cool. In large bowl with electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar until thick; stir in chocolate mixture. In small bowl, stir together flour and baking powder; stir into chocolate mixture. Gently mix in semi-sweet chocolate chips and walnuts. Dough will be very soft. Place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour or until firm.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Bring bowl of dough out of refrigerator. If it is too hard to scoop, let it sit 10 minutes. Scoop a tablespoon at a time and place 1½ inches apart on greased or parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until shiny crust forms on top, but interior is still soft.

Cool on baking sheet.   Yield - 2 dozen cookies

In a small bowl, combine lemon juice and 1/4 cup cold water. Sprinkle gelatin on top and let sit until softened, 2 minutes. Fill a medium bowl with ice water. In a small saucepan, combine gelatin mixture, sugar, and pinch of salt over medium heat and stir until gelatin and sugar dissolve, about 4 minutes. Pour gelatin mixture back into small bowl and set in ice bath. Stir until mixture reaches room temperature, about 1 minute.

In a large bowl, whisk cream until soft peaks form. Pour cooled gelatin mixture into whipped cream and whisk until soft peaks return. Divide evenly among four 8-ounce dishes or cups and place in freezer until mousse springs back lightly when pressed, 10 minutes. (If you are making dessert ahead of time, then let the mousse set in the refrigerator for 1½ hours.) Serve topped with blackberries. Serves 4

In a saucepan, bring the sugar and 2 cups water to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the sugar is dissolved, 5 minutes; remove from the heat. Add the tea bags and mint; let steep for 10 minutes. Discard the tea bags and mint. Stir in the peach nectar.

Divide the mixture and the peaches among the molds, using a small knife to arrange the fruit in the liquid. Freeze until partially frozen, about 1 hour. Redistribute the chopped peaches to suspend them, if necessary. Insert the ice-pop sticks and freeze until solid, about 4 hours. Run warm water over the molds to remove the pops.  Makes 10 popsicles

Grease a 9x2-inch round cake pan and place round parchment on bottom then grease that.

Preheat oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the lower third of the oven.

Have ready a 2-cup heatproof glass measure, greased.

In a medium heavy saucepan, with a silicone spatula, stir together the brown sugar, 3/4 cup of the milk, and the butter. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Stop stirring and boil until an instant-read thermometer registers 238°F (the soft-ball stage). (Tilt the pan to get enough depth for an accurate reading.) It will take about 10 or more minutes to reach this stage, and the mixture will look slightly curdled. When the sugar reaches temperature, or a few degrees lower because the temperature will continue to climb, immediately remove the pan from the heat and pour the mixture into the prepared glass measure to stop the cooking. You should have 1 cup (if less, add cold water to equal 1 cup). Scrape the mixture into a medium bowl and gently whisk in the remaining milk. (Don't worry if some of the liquid crystallizes on the bottom, it will dissolve during baking.)

Place the bowl on a wire rack and allow the mixture to cool until it is no longer warm to the touch. It will take about an hour, but to speed cooling, its fine to set the glass measure in a bowl of ice water. If desired, stir the mixture a few times while cooling in order to equalize the temperature.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and vanilla just until lightly combined.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt for 30 seconds. Add the butter and the cooled caramel. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Raise the speed to medium and beat for 1½ minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Starting on medium-low speed, gradually add the egg mixture in two parts, beating on medium speed for 30 seconds after each addition. Using a spatula, scrape the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth the surface evenly with a small offset spatula.

Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until a wire cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in the center.

Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a small metal spatula between the sides of the pan and the cake, pressing firmly against the pan, and invert the cake onto a wire rack that has been coated lightly with nonstick cooking spray. To prevent splitting, reinvert the cake so that the top side is up. Cool completely. Serves 8 - 10

Preheat oven to 325°. Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan.

Heat 2 cups root beer, the cocoa powder, chocolate and 1 stick butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts. Add the granulated and brown sugars and whisk until dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool.

Combine 2 cups flour, the baking soda, allspice and 1 tsp salt in a bowl. Whisk the eggs into the root beer mixture, then gently fold in the dry ingredients (the batter will be slightly lumpy).

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean, 55 minutes to 1 hour, rotating the pan halfway through. Transfer to a rack. Gently poke the cake all over with a skewer and pour 1/4 cup root beer over the cake; let cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then invert the cake onto a serving plate and let cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the glaze; Whisk the remaining 1/4 cup root beer, a pinch of salt, the confectioners' sugar and vanilla in a bowl until smooth. Drizzle over the cake. Serves 8 - 10

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 13x9-inch baking pan with heavy duty aluminum foil, letting foil extend over sides of pan. Spray foil with nonstick baking spray. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add sugars and beat until fluffy. Add sour cream and vanilla, beating to combine. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating at low speed until blended. Stir in chocolate chips and 1 cup nuts. Spread batter evenly in pan.

Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack.

In a small bowl, combine chopped chocolate, cream, and corn syrup. Microwave on high for 1 minute and stir until smooth. Spread on top of blondies, and top with remaining 1/2 cup nuts. Let stand until chocolate is set, about 1 hour. Avoid putting in fridge or you'll need a saw to cut through the ganache.
Makes 24

In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer or whisk, beat heavy cream, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract until stiff peaks form. Serve immediately.

Preheat oven to 350°. In a bowl, whisk together flour and baking soda; set aside. In a large bowl, using an electic mixer, beat peanut butter, butter, and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture, beating just until combined. Stir in chocolate chunks.

Drop dough by heaping tablespoons, 1-inch apart, onto two large baking sheets. Bake until golden, 13 to 15 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool. Makes about 30 cookies

Whisk flour and salt in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter, sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla in a large bowl, occasionally scraping down sides, until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg yolks; beat just to blend. Reduce speed to low, add flour mixture and beat, occasionally scraping down sides, just to blend. Divide dough in half; roll each half into a 10"-long log about 1¾" in diameter. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, about 1 hour. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.)

Arrange racks in lower and upper thirds of oven; preheat to 350°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap 1 dough log. Using a sharp, lightly floured knife, cut log into 1/4"-thick rounds. Transfer to prepared sheets, spacing 1" apart.

Bake until cookies are firm and golden brown around edges, 16-18 minutes. Let cool for 1 minute, then transfer to wire racks and let cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough log, using cooled baking sheets and new parchment paper.

For icing: whisk sugar and 2 tbsps. juice in a small bowl, adding more juice by 1/2-teaspoonfuls if too thick. Spread or drizzle icing over cookies. Sprinkle sanding sugar on top or decorate as desired. Let stand until icing sets, about 10 minutes. Makes about 30 cookies.

Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark pan). Grease and flour bottom only of 9x5-inch loaf pan. In large bowl, beat sugar and butter with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy.

Add eggs, milk, vanilla and bananas. Beat about 30 seconds or until well blended. Add all remaining ingredients except candy. Mix just until moistened. Reserve 2 tablespoons cut-up candy. With spoon, fold in remaining candy. Pour into pan.

Bake 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. remove from pan to cooling rack. Finely chop the reserved 2 tablespoons candy, sprinkle on warm bread. Cool completely, about 2 hours. (High altitude (3500 - 6500 feet): Decrease baking powder to 1 teaspoon.)

Heat oven to 350°F (or 325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Grease bottom only of 13x9-inch pan.

In large bowl, beat all cake ingredients except carrots and coconut with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes. Stir in carrots and coconut. Pour into pan.

Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Stir in frosting until well mixed. Spread frosting over cake. Refrigerate 30 minutes before serving. Store covered in refrigerator.

Combine cookie crumbs and butter; press onto the bottom of a greased 9-inch springform pan. In a small bowl, combine the coffee granules, water and cinnamon; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and flour until smooth. Add eggs, beat just until combined. Stir in vanilla. Divide batter in half. Stir melted chocolate into one portion, pour over crust. Stir coffee mixture into the remaining batter; spoon over chocolate layer.

Place pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil. Securely wrap foil around pan. Place in a large baking pan; add 1-inch of hot water to larger pan. Bake at 325º for 45 - 50 minutes (may end up much longer if the water bath is too deep) or until center is just set and top appears dull. Remove springform pan from water bath. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight.

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips and butter. Stir until smooth. Spread over cheesecake. Remove sides of pan. Garnish with coffee beans along the edge of the cheesecake.

In a small heavy saucepan, melt unsweetened chocolate, 1 cup chocolate chips and butter with coffee granules; stir until smooth. Remove fromt the heat; set aside to cool.

In a small mixing bowl, beat sugar and eggs for 3 minutes or until thick and lemon-colored. Beat in the chocolate mixture. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to chocolate mixture. Stir in remaining chips.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 F for 10 - 15 minutes or until puffed and tops are cracked. Cool for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks.     Yield: 28 - 36 cookies

In a small bowl, combine wafer crumbs and sugar; stir in butter. Press onto the bottom and 1-1/2 inches up the sides of a greased 9-in. springform pan. Place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

In a microwave, melt chocolate chips, stir until smooth. Cool. In a small mixing bowl, combine egg yolks, cream and vanilla. Gradually stir a third of the cream mixture into melted chocolate until blended. Fold in remaining cream mixture just until blended. Pour into crust.

Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen, cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight.

Melt butter in a 9x12 pan. Layer the following ingredients evenly over pan, in this order: graham cracker crumbs, condesned milk, chocolate chips, toffee chips, pecans. Press down on mixture to incorporate pecans. Bake at 350° F for 35 minutes. Mixture will be gooey. Refrigerate.

Chocolate Glaze (Make this when cake is cooling from oven.)
In a medium saucepan, bring 3/4 cup heavy cream to a boil; add 8 ozs chopped semisweet chocolate. Remove from heat; whisk until smooth (as little as possible, to minimize air bubbles). Let cool until slightly thickened.

Cake
Preheat oven to 350 F, butter and flour a 12-cup tube pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda; set aside.

Place chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave 40 seconds more. Stir until smooth.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 4 minutes. Add eggs on at a time, beating well after each addition; mix in vanilla.

With mixer on low speed, alternately add flour mixture in three parts and sour cream in two, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until incorporated (do not overmix). Add to melted chocolate; fold to combine. Fold in cranberries.

Transfer batter to prepared pan; tap pan on countertop to level batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 60 to 75 minutes. Cool cake in pan 30 minutes, then turn out of pan, and cool completely on a rack.

Set cake (still on rack) over a baking sheet or waxed paper. Pour glaze over top, allowing it to drip down sides; let set about 30 minutes.

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips and vanilla extract and mix again.

Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts (high). The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and eat out of the mug or tip out onto a plate if desired.   Serves 1 - 2

Line a small 9x13 inch baking sheet with aluminum foil; refrigerate. With vegetable peeler remove zest from half the orange (reserve orange for another use). With a sharp knife, cut zest into very thin strips, each about 1-inch long.

Place chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave for 30 seconds more and stir until smooth. Mix in half the zest and half the almonds. Immediately, pour onto prepared baking sheet; with a flexible rubber spatula, spread into an 8- by-10-inch rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle with remaining zest and nuts. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. To serve, break into pieces. To store, transfer to an airtight container, and refrigerate up to 3 days.   Serves 8

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans. Line bottom of each pan with a round of parchment paper; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and yolks, one at a time. beating well after each addition; beat in chocoalte and vanilla. With mixer on low, alternately add flour mixture in three parts and buttermilk in two, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Divide batter between prepared pans; smooth tops. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool in pans 15 minutes; run a knife around edge of each pan, and invert cakes onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Place one cake on a plate, and spread top with 1/2 of Dark-Chocolate Ganache. Place second cake on top, and spread remaining ganache over top and sides of cake.

Dark-Chocolate Ganache
In a large saucepan, bring 2 cups heavy cream, 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, and 1/8 tsp salt to a boil. Remove from heat; add 1 pound bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped, and let stand, wtihout stirring for 1 minute. Whisk just until combined. Refrigerate, stirring occasionally, until spreadable, not too runny or too stiff, about 1 hour or more.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, spices, baking soda, and salt; set aside. With an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in molasses and egg. With mixer on low, add dry ingredients; mix just until a dough forms. Divide dough in half; place each half on a piece of pastic wrap; pat each half into a 4-inch square. Wrap well, refregierate 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Working with one half at a time (keeping other half in refrigerator) place dough on lightly floured parchment or waxed paper; press out to 1/4-inch thick. Cut out shapes, and transfer to baking sheets. If the dough starts to get too soft to work with, put it into the freezer for 5 minutes, then continue.

Bake until firm and edges just begin to darken, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool completely on sheets. Repeat with second batch in refrigerator.

In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin, eggnog, sugar, eggs, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Pour into pastry shell.

Bake at 375 F for 60 - 65 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate until serving.

Preheat oven to 350. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, mash banana. Add oil, egg yolks, vanilla, and 3/4 cup cold water; mix to combine. Add to flour mixture, and whisk batter until smooth.

In a large bowl, place egg whites and cream of tartar; using an electric mixer, beat until stiff peaks form. With a rubber spatula, gently fold into batter just until combined (do not overmix.) Pour into a 10-inch angel-food cake pan with legs. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Invert pan onto legs over counter; let cool completely. Reinvert pan, and run a thin metal spatula around edge to release onto platter. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with waxed or parchment paper; set aside. Place chocolate chips in a microwave-safe dish. Microwave on high 1 minute. Stir. Continue microwaving in 30-second increments, stirring after each, until chocolate is just melted. Remove, stir until smooth.

One at a time, roll one end of each pretzel rod into the melted chocolate and using a spoon or knife, coat each 3/4 of the way up.

Place pretzels on prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes.     Makes 18 - 20

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt butter; add remaining ingredients. Pour into pie shell. Bake until firm, about 45 to 60 minutes.

Combine the wafer crumbs and butter; press into an ungreased 9-in. pie pan. Freeze until set, about 20 minutes. Combine ice cream, crushed malted milk balls and 1 tblsp milk; spoon into crust. Freeze for 1 hour.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the malted milk powder, marshmallow creme and remaining milk. Add cream; whip until soft peaks form. Spread over ice cream layer. Freeze for several hours or overnight.     serves 6 - 8

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients in order listed, except strawberries and whipped cream. Beat with mixer on low speed, scraping bowl constantly, for 30 seconds. Beat on high speed, scraping bowl occasionally, for 3 minutes. Pour into greased and floured 13x9-inch pan. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes. Cool cake completely. Cut into squares. Place 2 or 3 squares in dessert cups and layer with small amount of strawberries and whipped cream. Garnish with more strawberry slices.     serves 15

In a small bowl, combine the wafer crumbs, 1/2 cup nuts and butter. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of a greased 9-in. pie plate. Bake at 350 F for 8 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar until smooth. Add chocolate and vanilla; mix well. Stir in the remaining nuts. In another mixing bowl, beat whipping cream until soft peaks form. (If you're using Cool Whip skip to folding into the chocolate mixture.) Gradually add the remaining sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Fold into the chocolate mixture. Spoon into crust. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Using electric mixer, beat butter, 1/3 cup sugar, both extracts, spices, and salt in medium bowl. Beat in flour, then stir in almonds.

Using hands, roll dough into tablespoon-size balls. Place on large baking sheet. spacing apart. Bake until pale golden, about 25 minutes. Cool on sheet 5 minutes. Place remaining sugar in large bowl. Working in batches, gently coat hot cookies in sugar. Cool cookies on rack.     makes about 20 cookies