Ingredients:

Tiramisu. The decadent combination of coffee and alcohol that translated means "pick me up." Made well, it's not for kids.

So many times you see this cool-whipped version of tiramisu that only hints at the greatness that it could be.

Let's face it. It has 2 cups of Espresso. Espresso! That will wake you up - and then 1/4 cup of rum. Now we're talking. You could literally pass out while having the shakes.

Instructions: You make this like a lasagna. It has three basic parts. The Espresso and rum mixture, the filling, and the lady-fingers (savoiardi).

Starting with the Espresso. Make 2 cups of espresso. No cheating with coffee or bottles. Make it from scratch. Set aside.
Then, in a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a simmer and dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat. Stir in the espresso and rum and set aside to cool. You can do this no more than 1 day in advance if you would like.

The filling: Get a pot ready to use as a double boiler. So simmer some water in the bottom of it. Meanwhile, the top half you are going to get the yolk mixture ready. So, use a heatproof bowl to mix the 1/3 cup sugar and egg yolks until the sugar has dissolved. It should be pale yellow and creamy after about 2 minutes. Once it is dissolved, place it on the double boiler and use a hand-held mixer to beat it until it triples in volume - it takes about 6 minutes. Remove the bowl from the heat and let cool completely. But while it's cooling, you need to stir it frequently.

Do you see why you shouldn't give this to children? Too much caffeine, too much alcohol, too much work. If they want tiramisu - doesn't Jell-O brand make something for kids?

While that is cooling and you are stirring it, get another bowl and whip up that cream until you make whipped cream (stiff peaks). Set aside.

Now that the yolk mixture has cooled, mix in the mascarpone and vanilla until well blended. Finally, fold that into the whipped cream until just combined.

So on yet another platter, spread briefly dip the ladyfingers in the espresso mix and set aside. Then transfer the first 15 to a square 9" pan and spread 1/3 of the creamy filling over the top. Repeat that 2 more times. Tap pan on the counter to help settle it and then wrap it in plastic and put it in the fridge overnight or at least 6 hours.

When you are ready to serve it, dust it with cocoa powder and serve from the pan. But don't serve it to the children. They get Jell-O.

 Ingredients:
Dave Hampton

Most people just don't get hot cocoa.  They think you buy powder in a container and add hot water. Yuk.
Have you ever looked at the ingredients on a typical "Just add water" Hot Cocoa Mix? Here, let me show you:

Nasty right?
So how do you make your own? First - your mix should just be cocoa, sugar, and vanilla. That's it. That way you add fresh, warm milk.
Now, what type of Cocoa Powder?  There are two basic types. Natural Cocoa Powder and Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder. For hot cocoa, you want the Dutch Processed (sometimes called "Dutched.")
What is Dutch Process? It's when they wash the cocoa with a (natural) alkaline solution to reduce the acidity. The rule of thumb is that you can use regular cocoa if your baking it with something that will temper the acidity for you - like baking soda. Otherwise, use Dutch process.
Obviously, Hot Cocoa has no Baking Soda. Or lemon. Or vinegar...  So use Dutch.
What brand? I'm partial to Valrhona or other high-end cocoa. They usually have more cocoa butter in them and a stronger, smoother, better flavor. I stay away from the lower end brands.
You can mix this up in advance and store it for at least a year. If not more. Just keep it in a cool dry place.

Instructions:
In a nutshell, it's 4 parts sugar to 3 parts cocoa. Mix and Store. The amounts in the ingredient list give you just over 3 cups mix.
Most people say that you should use vanilla sugar. Although easy to make (just drop a vanilla bean in two cups of sugar for a few weeks) - That adds two weeks to the time table. We take a short cut approach here. Just add the vanilla bean to the mix - and make sure you shake it around before using it.
To prepare the vanilla bean, slice the bean down the back to expose the really tiny seeds on the inside. scrape out the seeds and mix with the cocoa and sugar. Place the remainder of the whole bean in the cocoa mix as well.
Make sure you mix the seeds into the mix. The reason you need to mix it around is that cocoa is denser than sugar - and most of the vanilla flavor will be absorbed by the cocoa and sugar closest to the bean. Mixing it up helps to distribute the flavor.

Making A Mug: Add 2 heaping teaspoons to an empty mug. Then add enough boiling water to turn it into a syrup (about a tablespoon - think the consistency of maple syrup.) Add any Vanilla or Peppermint drops (see below) and top with warm milk and stir.
Everyone likes a different amount of cocoa mix to milk ratio - so you'll have to experiment to find out what makes you happy.

Ingredients:

So, a friend of mine that is a chef in Dallas was working as a sous chef at a restaurant that did "Down Home Cooking." You know, the decadent comfort food of the South that tastes like a lil' slice of heaven.

The Rolls at the restaurant were - Okay. He couldn't help but remember his Grandmas' Rolls when he went home to Indiana. Soft.  Really soft. Slightly sweet, with just the right amount of yeastiness that made them go down easily.

So on his next visit, he picked up the recipe.  When he got back, he whipped up a batch for the staff at the restaurant.  After just one taste,  the restaurant switched over to Grandma's recipe.

So now it's your turn to switch. Instructions:
In a small pan, heat the milk until bubbles form. Add sugar, salt and butter and stir until dissolved.
While this is going on, in a separate bowl - perhaps a measuring cup, sprinkle the yeast over warm water to dissolve and get started.

Combine: Cool the milk mixture and, along with the beaten eggs, add to the water/yeast mixture.

Now a good stand mixer is best, but you can do it with a regular mixer and then finish by hand if you have to.  Dump the mixture into a mixing bowl, add 2 cups of the flour and mix for about two minutes, until the mixture is smooth.

Now with a mixer its easy, but it'll take more work doing this by mixer/hand.  Gradually add the remaining flour, beating until the mixture is stiff and cleans the side of the bowl.  What that means is that the dough should pull any stuck dough off the sides of the bowl.  It's cool when you see it and makes sense.

Turn it into a large greased bowl and brush with a little melted butter.  Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

To use, pinch off the amount needed and shape as desired.  I just go for "round." Let rise for 2 hours at room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 375.  Then bake for 12 minutes until golden brown. Makes 2-4 dozen, depending on the size.

Ingredients:

It's Biscuit Time!  Warm out of the oven with homemade jelly-jam-preserves.  Nothing beats em.  They're a staple around the cottage and worth trying at home.
Biscuits are an art.  So consider the instructions a jumping off point for practice.  You won't need to vary the ingredients, but you will need to hone your technique over time.
Instructions: Pre-Heat the oven to 425 right away.  You'll want it nice and hot.  You can put the butter you need to melt in the oven for a few minutes as well.  Or use a microwave.  But melting butter in the microwave sometimes results in a butter bomb going off and coating the inside of your microwave...

Get a baking sheet out and line it with parchment paper.  Put the flour, salt, baking soda and sugar in a mixing bowl and mix it up with a whisk.  You just need to blend it.  Slowly add 1 cup of the cream to the mixture, stiring constantly.  When it begins to hold together and feels soft, yet firm - it's got the right amount of cream.  Depending on the type of cream, the type of flour, and the humidity - you may end up using more or less than a cup.  This is the part about honing your skills I was talking about.

Place the dough on a lightly flour board and knead for a minute.  One minute.  Now press it out in the shape of a square about 1/2" thick.  Then cut it into 9, 12, 16 pieces - depending on the size of biscuit you want.  You can cut them apart with a knife, but its best to use a pizza cutter.  Now brush it with that melted butter. Now place the biscuits about 2" apart on the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown on top.  Smaller biscuits less time, bigger more time.  But golden brown is what you're after.

 Ingredients:

I hate Cole Slaw.  But, I'll eat this.  I don't know why.  It's a magic, light combination of tangy, not too creamy deliciousness.  I'm also a cabbage whore.  So there's that.

I think I hate Cole Slaw because of Wal-Mart.  They sell Cole Slaw that is really just Mayonnaise with specs of cabbage and carrots.  It's disgusting.

Ingredients:

Finding the Chocolate for a Peppermint Mocha is easy.  Finding the Peppermint Syrup, a bit more difficult.

This recipe makes a smaller amount than the Vanilla Syrup Recipe, because odds are, you'll use much less.