Flour

Hot pepper jelly is an unexpected taste that picks up the sweetness of the corn and cornmeal. Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 1 3/4 hr

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

A versatile dish for the family or for casual entertaining. The chili is also good without the cornmeal topping, served with corn bread alongside.

This heirloom recipe was given to Kathy by her grandmother. It's best when served right from the oven.

The following recipe - which cannot be halved successfully - makes twice the batter necessary for the Egg and Bacon Crêpes or the Egg and Spinach Crêpes . Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

When our executive food editor, Zanne Stewart, was growing up, her family spent summers in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. This recipe was inspired by a dish of chicken and dumplings she remembers well from those vacations.

Whether you use store-bought applesauce or make your own, this lovely, moist cake will make it hard to stop after one piece. It's very important to beat the eggs and sugar until they are thick, as this, along with the baking powder, is what gets the cake to rise nicely. This cake makes a great gift — it can be made ahead, cooled, glazed, then frozen.

To many people living in the middle of the country, celebration cakes must be chocolate cakes — especially German chocolate cakes. This one embellishes the tradition, using unsweetened chocolate instead of sweet chocolate, a luscious caramel-coconut filling between the layers and lots of creamy chocolate frosting. (By the way, German chocolate cakes have nothing to do with the immigrants who settled in the heartland; the name actually comes from the fact that the cakes were first made with Baker's brand German's sweet baking chocolate.)

It is no coincidence that the method used to bake this bread, steaming, is similar to one used by the native Indians of New England, who taught us how to use corn as a grain for bread. The most famous of our region's breads, this wholesome blend of wheat, rye, and corn flours is suitable for our diets today as it was 300 years ago.

Similar to polenta, this mixture either bakes atop the chili in the Chili-Cornmeal Skillet Pie or makes a great side dish for huevos rancheros at breakfast or for meat loaf with gravy at dinner.

Crunchy hazelnut praline adds a touch of sophistication to this rich cheesecake. Begin preparing the cake a day before serving.

Called limpa in Sweden, this impressive bread is flavored with a combination of molasses, orange peel, crushed aniseed, and caraway and fennel seeds.

If I had to choose among all my cakes, this one would win first place because it is delicious by itself yet versatile enough to accommodate a wide range of buttercreams. The cake combines the soft texture of white cake with the buttery flavor of yellow cake. Using all the yolks instead of whole eggs produces a rich yellow color, fine texture and delicious flavor.