I make tapes by hooking a 3.5mm stereo cable with two RCA jacks attached, directly from my headphone/audio output on my laptop, to a cassette deck.
I listen to the tapes on an old boombox I have in my basement, while I work out or while I'm working in my garage.
Here's the type of cable I use...
Amazon.com: SF Cable, 12 feet 3.5mm Stereo Male to Two RCA Male Splitter Cable: Electronics
You'll need to get a decent recorder/deck with RCA inputs, though.