I own all of Todd Wilbur’s ‘Top Secret’ cookbooks and use them quite frequently. This one, Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 was in published in 2006 and features 150 recipes.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Mr. Wilbur, he is referred to as the ‘King of Clone Recipes’. He brings the restaurant to you… no tip required. If you tend to eat out a lot, these cookbooks can save you a bundle.

This edition will teach you to make signature dishes from eateries such as Applebee’s, California Pizza Kitchen, The Cheesecake Factory, Chili’s, Hard Rock Café, IHOP, Olive Garden, Outback Steak House, Red Robin, T.G.I Friday’s and more.

The thing I like best about all of Todd’s recipes is the fact that they call for common ingredients and are pretty darn simple to prepare. For example, do you know that you can make Twinkie molds out of aluminum foil? (There is no need to purchase the $25 pan, made specifically for this purpose.)

If you love Buffalo Wild Wings and Sauces, this is the cookbook for you! Recipes include: Spicy Garlic Wing Sauce, Medium Wing Sauce and Hot Wing Sauce. YUM!!

Do you own any of these cookbooks? If so, what is your favorite recipe? We’d all love to know.

I’m not much of a coffee drinker, but my husband can’t get enough. So, I’m seriously thinking about getting him a coffee press, for Christmas.

This particular model, the Bodum 10573-16 Chambord 8-Cup Coffee Press, comes with a bonus 4 minute timer. If you enjoy Bistro style coffee, it is definitely worth your consideration. (There are smaller, as well as, larger models available… ranging from 3 – 12 cups.)

Because of its double wall construction, your coffee will stay warm for up to two hours. The Bodum Coffee Press features a gold plated titanium filter, so paper filters are not necessary.

(This type of filter allows only essential oils to pass through, leaving the unwanted grounds behind.)

The press is a wonderful way to make ‘pour over’ coffee, in a pot that is quite nifty looking… great to use when entertaining a small group. It has a rubber base, which prevents tabletop scratches.

Coffee lovers will be the first to tell you that pressed coffee is much better than that brewed in a traditional drip coffee maker.

Have you had the opportunity to try this type of coffee? If so, please tell us what you thought about it. If it’s as good as all of the reviews I’ve read all I can say is… move over Mr. Coffee!

I’ve never owned a cookie press and I really can’t tell you why. They have always intrigued me, especially around the holidays. (I guess I’ve always envisioned myself pumping out dozens of cookies, just like Martha Stewart.)

The Wilton Cookie Master Plus Cookie Press is cordless, so I’m thinking rechargeable batteries would be the way to go… making sure they are fully charged before starting your baking session. Requires 4 AAA batteries.

It features reverse action technology, which means there is no need to take it apart to refill it. Pretty handy!

It comes with 12 aluminum disks, in standard and seasonal shapes. The set also includes four filling/decorating tips and two recipe booklets, showcasing both sweet and savory dishes. Can you say appetizers?

Besides cookies, I think it would be great for filling deviled eggs and maybe even making snazzy cheese topped crackers, if the cheese wasn’t too stiff to fit through the disks. You could even use the decorating tips to fill doughnuts. YUMMY!

Those of you who have used this cookie press with success are more than encouraged to share any tips and hints you might have. Your favorite recipes are welcome, as well. After all; there is no such thing as too many cookies.

With the Upright Chicken Cooker, you can make ‘beer can’ chicken without a barbeque grill OR can. You don’t even need the beer! (There are other ingredients you can use in its place to make your bird just as tasty.)

As you might have already guessed, this cooker WAS inspired by the first beer can chicken recipe. It can be used year round and is microwave and dishwasher safe.

Personally, I think I’d opt for oven baking, when using this dish. I like my chicken skin a bit on the crispy side and yes… before I get a ton of emails; I know the skin isn’t good for me. Of course, it’s up to you to decide.

The dish has a well in the center, where you conveniently place whatever marinade, herbs and spices you will be using to jazz up your chicken. The cooker is deep enough to use when baking a number of side dishes, as well.

(Depending on the size of your bird, you could probably get away with baking both at once.)

If you have used a similar type of baking dish, what do you think of it? We’re dying to know how the chicken actually turned out.

Airplanes and reindeer and stars, oh my! Now, you can be the most creative pancake maker on the block, without breaking the bank.

Honestly, I’ve never realized until now how many different pancake molds are out there. They would all make great stocking stuffers… especially the ‘winter themed’ ones. Perfect, for the gadget lover who has everything, don’t you think?

I think I’ve mentioned before that I’ve always had a difficult time making pancakes. Either they’re not the right color (I can almost hear my sons voice… Mom… are pancakes SUPPOSED to be black?) or they turn out looking something like puzzle pieces. I really think these molds would help.

The molds pictured are stack and fill molds. How cool is that? The finished product yields a flower tower, three tiers high with a yummy surprise oozing down through the middle. (At under $20 a set, they’re a steal of a deal.)

Whether you decide to fill them with blueberries and whipped cream, chocolate chips and bananas or apples drizzled with caramel and streusel topping the outcome will be a resounding YUM!

I’d love to hear about your favorite pancake topping or toppings. Tips and tricks for the perfect pancake are also welcome. It’s never too late to learn how to do it right!