recipes

Bonnie Nelson of Bend, Ore., was searching for a recipe she has misplaced for making a cheesecake with two distinct layers, with the top layer consisting of sour cream and sugar.

This is the time of year when it's nice to have some quick and easy recipes on hand, and simple dishes that can spark your interest and make the effort of cooking worth it.

Crepes are a favorite special at the Havre de Grace Ritz Gourmet Cafe, where chef and owner Stephanie Anderson fills them with everything from cheese to vegetables to crab ¿ perfect for summertime. She loves this recipe for a chicken-and-mushroom filling but encourages home cooks to be creative.

Many people have discovered that the local farmers market is the ultimate natural pharmacy.

Sue Dexter from Baltimore was looking for the recipe for the chilled tomato soup with crabmeat that is served at the Baltimore Country Club. I contacted the club on her behalf and unfortunately they were not willing to share their recipe for the soup.

The dessert is ideal for summer entertaining; it is light and fresh tasting and can, and should, be made in advance.

The combination of the salmon and the tuna with the addition of chopped olives really gives this dish some zing.

This is the first in an occasional series in which we explore the stores that cater to specific regions or cuisines.

"Sunset Salad" comes from a recipe booklet, "Joys of Jell-O," published by the General Foods Corp., one of the free recipe booklets that were commonly produced by many of the larger food companies in the '50s, '60s and '70s.

There are nearly as many versions of Italian-style ricotta pie out there as there are Italian grandmothers, but I thought this one was particularly good.

This is a very satisfying and hearty vegetarian dish. Serve this with a nice green salad and I bet no one will be missing the meat that night.

This recipe, like many other breakfast casseroles, has bread as the base. But unlike the more typical strata-type casserole in which the eggs and liquids are mixed into the bread and baked altogether, the bread is used as a nest for the eggs.

This dish is perfect for a weeknight family supper or a potluck dinner.

Mini dessert likes these are all the rage now — not only for weddings but for just about any occasion. Give these a try and I'll bet you can't eat just one.

The dish features traditional pizza ingredients inside the dough rather than on top

Guacamole, the avocado-based dip that dates back to the Aztecs in Mexico, is extremely common in modern Mexican cuisine and has been fully embraced by Americans as a dip, condiment or salad ingredient.

In his first solo cookbook, ¿Home,¿ local food superstar Bryan Voltaggio highlights the Mid-Atlantic cuisine of his youth, turning his creative precision to classic dishes using regional ingredients. This asparagus-and-barley dish, which appears in the book and is also on the menu at Aggio, Voltaggio¿s Italian restaurant in Power Plant Live!, welcomes spring in Maryland with the fresh flavors of white and green asparagus.

Regardless of the number of layers you end up with, when put together with the delectable frosting you will have an impressive looking and delicious layer cake perfect for any special occasion.

This Americanized version of chop suey is surprising good and simple to make without a lot of fancy or pricey ingredients or time-consuming prep work.

Executive Chef Aaron Musinski¿s traditional take on the wintertime favorite is chock-full of vegetables and chicken, soaked in just a bit of cream and topped with golden brown biscuits.

"This is the kind of eggplant Parmesan that can make anyone an eggplant lover."

Keep the long johns, space heaters and any other way to stay warm in the winter. For our money, a finely made cocktail from a Baltimore-area bar is the most effective -- or at least the most fun way to thaw our minds and bodies.

The world of flavor seems fickle sometimes. One minute, everyone's talking about chipotle. The next, they've moved on to Sriracha. This year, according to Hunt Valley-based McCormick & Company, it'll be Japanese and Middle Eastern spices setting everyone's tongues ablaze.

Osso buco has a reputation for being difficult and time consuming. But while it is true that, like most braises, it requires slow, gentle cooking to become tender, it is also quite forgiving.

Thanks to the cake mix base, this simple recipe makes a super moist and delicious chocolate cake in under an hour.

The cookies were "delicious and so flavorful," as the label promised, and had a wonderful chewy texture right out of the oven.

What could be better than a hearty, versatile one-pot dish that is both good and good for you and ready in less then half an hour?

The recipe for the delicious cheese bread that was served in the tearooms at Hutzler's department stores back in the day.

A home-cooked holiday meal means something different for every family. We all have our favorites, from the stuffing only Mom makes the right way to green beans with onion straws that must come from a can. Here, five local chefs share recipes for the foods they cook around the holidays ¿ and the stories behind those dishes that make their meals special.

A fun Mexican fiesta for dinner is welcome any time of year ¿ but especially during the long, dark nights of December. At Plaza Mexico, Chef Ricardo Morales is known for his capable takes on south-of-the-border classics. His chiles campana con carne ¿ or beef-stuffed bell peppers ¿ are packed with flavor and simple enough to make for a weeknight meal.

As foolproof recipes go, there is nothing much simpler than tomato jam — just combine all the ingredients in a heavy, nonreactive pot and cook them down until they are thick and sticky.

The cake is very rich, so cut the slices on the small side and don't forget your glass of cold milk.

This pie tastes surprisingly like an apple pie, only slightly tarter. I would never have imagined that hard, unripe green tomatoes could make such a delicious dish.

This pie is so luscious, I don't see any reason why you have to wait until Thanksgiving to bake one.

Don't let the convenience of store-bought frozen waffles prevent you from taking the extra time once in a while to make them from scratch. There simply is no comparison.

I baked up a batch of these salty, sweet and delicious cookies, using Utz potato chips, of course, and I'm missing Hutzler's department store all over again.