1,400 silk recipes

Handmade chocolate truffles with brandy-soaked cherry centers, rolled in cocoa and powdered sugar. Dense, rich, and intensely chocolatey. Makes 50 pieces for gifting or holiday candy trays.

Cherry cordial chocolate balls made with kirsch-soaked candied cherries wrapped in a buttery milk and dark chocolate shell, rolled in cocoa and powdered sugar. A luxurious homemade candy.

A moist chocolate chip cake made with instant mashed potatoes, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Baked in a 13x9 pan with a powdered sugar finish, it travels beautifully to any potluck or picnic.

Rich chocolate layer cake with cocoa, hot coffee, and a hint of almond extract. Colette's recipe bakes into two moist 9-inch layers that are begging for your favorite frosting.

Soft cocoa oatmeal cookies with plump raisins, made with egg whites instead of whole eggs. A lighter chocolate cookie that stays chewy and satisfying for days.

A big-batch chowder with chicken, pearl barley, crumbled bacon, potatoes, carrots, corn, and peas in a creamy evaporated milk broth. One pot, feeds a crowd, and warms you to the bone.

Kasha-Patate Sucree from Montreal's Le Commensal: fluffy buckwheat groats topped with sweet potato puree and a savory tamari-garlic sauce. A hearty vegetarian dish with deep, earthy flavors.

Oatmeal peanut butter drop cookies with plumped raisins, cinnamon, and vanilla. A hearty, old-fashioned cookie packed with oats and peanut butter flavor. Makes 3 dozen.

Homemade power bars with whole wheat flour, peanut butter, molasses, sunflower seeds, raisins, and wheat germ. A dense, chewy energy snack that stores for days.

Low-calorie bran muffins made with whole wheat flour, applesauce, prunes, and egg whites instead of whole eggs. High fiber, lightly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg.

Hearty spaghetti sauce with ground beef, garlic, carrots, celery, and onion simmered in milk before the tomatoes go in. A Bolognese-inspired technique for a richer, smoother meat sauce.

Double chocolate drops with cocoa powder dough and semi-sweet chocolate chips, using butter-flavor shortening for thick, chewy cookies loaded with walnuts. Big bakery-style cookies in 35 minutes.

Hearty wholegrain coffeecake with Bisquick, rolled oats, brown sugar, and cinnamon with a crunchy oat-nut-butter streusel layered through the middle and on top. Served warm for breakfast.

Carrot pineapple muffins made with whole wheat flour, grated carrots, crushed pineapple, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Moist, lightly sweet, and lower in fat than typical muffins.

Oat date nut bread for the bread machine with rolled oats, chopped dates, toasted walnuts, applesauce, and cinnamon. A moist, naturally sweet breakfast bread with no added fat.

Whole wheat apple date muffins with bran, cinnamon, and grated fresh apple. Naturally sweet from dates and brown sugar with a hearty, tender crumb.