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When I was growing up, chocolate milk was a treat, and the chocolate milk that ended up in a bowl of Cocoa Puffs when I had those for breakfast was the biggest treat of all. This soup is chocolate milk made cool and grown up, with quality ingredients and a contrast of textures. It reminds me of home.

This recipe is a great one to impress guests at your next cocktail party (though you'll have to multiply it). It's really quick and simple, yet it looks very decadent and time-consuming. To make the roll-ups extra elegant for entertaining, wrap the roast beef close to the bottom of the spears, then stand them on a platter.

People think of truffles as such a luxurious item, yet they couldn't be easier to make. Pop one in your mouth for a mid-afternoon snack or serve as a small delicious bite at the end of a large meal. There is so much buzz out there lately about the good effects of chocolate—hey, think of it as health food!

These rich treats aren't cookie-jar cookies—they're best the day they're made.

No soiree is complete without a scrumptious dessert, and these low-cal treats are diet-approved, so dig in—twice!—without the guilt.

For this colorful and festive starter, be sure to grate the peel from the tangerines before cutting off the rind and slicing them into rounds.

If making the candy ahead, let it stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.

Sweet, savory and anti-aging! Just one serving meets more than your daily need for vitamin A, which keeps skin aglow.

Kids will get a kick out of these cake pops. Let them help and make messy monsters.

Cookies and candies create cute hats to top off these Halloween treats.

Cake balls are bite-sized balls made of crumbled cake mixed with frosting and covered in candy coating. They are super-easy to make and form the basis of endless variations of decorated cake pops, cupcake pops, and cake bites.

Walkers Shortbread comes as close to a homemade cookie as anything you'll find in a supermarket aisle. It's made with the same pure ingredients—flour, butter, sugar, and salt—that you would use yourself. And when you dip these cookies in chocolate and coat them with nuts and toffee, well, you can imagine how tempting they are. Sometimes you can find Walkers Shortbread discounted at the warehouse clubs or at Target. If you do, grab as many boxes as you can (Walkers says its shortbread will stay fresh, unopened, for more than a year). That way you'll be prepared for any cookie swap invitation that comes along.

The matzoh layers are soaked in coffee and though softened, they dry out when chilled and hold the dessert together. The first version of the recipe was made in a loaf pan and served ten but I quickly realized that on Passover, the crowds are bigger. To serve ten, just halve the recipe and prepare in a 12-inch loaf pan.

B&O's menu offers everything from juicy steaks to local seafood, but our money's on the brick-oven pizzas (or flatbreads, as they're called at the restaurant). Savor the arugula, asparagus, and fried egg version while taking in the scene at the restaurant's downstairs bar.

Brownie-like cakes are layered with malt-fudge sauce, chocolate-malt crumbs, and charred marshmallows in this Dr. Seuss-like dessert. To help support the sweet structure, the dessert is assembled in a springform pan. Timing note: The assembled cake needs to chill overnight and has to stand at room temperature for a few hours before serving.

Rhubarb adds a touch of tangy sweetness to simmered red cabbage. If you like, seared chicken breast can be used in place of the roasted salmon.

A restaurant-worthy dessert: Oval-shaped scoops of decadent chocolate mousse and tangy whipped crème fraîche are served atop a puddle of Port-spiked ganache.