Rice & Grains

"My grandmother was a reporter in New York before she got married and moved to Montana to start a new life on a ranch," writes Joyce Litz of Albuquerque, New Mexico. "At the time she didn't know how to cook, and learning wasn't easy — the place didn't even have running water. Still, she appreciated good food, so she persevered and became a great cook. Later my grandmother taught me ranch-style cooking, a lot of which involved getting simple but flavorful, hearty meals ready in a hurry." Serve with diced cucumber mixed into yogurt.

These delicious waffles will propel you guilt-free through the morning.

"I'm from India," writes Hema Kundargi of Cupertino, California, "and I enjoy the foods of my homeland. My children are the opposite — they like 'American' food. But I haven't given up trying to make Indian meals that the whole family will like. This recipe pleases everyone."

The oatmeal and nut mixture in this dessert is usually baked on fruit; here, it is cooked on its own, then layered with currants and a pudding made with Baileys Original Irish Cream.

"The crisp little pieces of turkey skin called 'cracklings' were another annual Thanksgiving treat of mine. They reminded me of bacon, and I could never get enough. My buttermilk corn bread—which is sweet and savory, moist inside and crunchy outside—puts some real bacon into the feast." Start preparing this one day ahead.

"I grew up in the middle of Croatia, near Zagreb, where the cuisine is very heavy — lots of meat and potatoes," writes Snjezana Hercigonja of Raleigh, North Carolina. "But when I was young, it was customary to vacation on the Mediterranean coast in the summer, where you go to the market every day to see what's good, and everything is really fresh and light. Even the fat is good, since it's usually olive oil. This recipe is based on dishes from that region. Select peppers that are flat on the bottom — they stand up better while cooking. Mashed potatoes would be a perfect side dish.

"This is a recipe I created on a snowy night when my family needed a little warming up," writes Rebecca Averill of Beverly, Massachusetts. "I combined the spices of India with the flavors of the Southwest, and added bulgur to give the chili a meaty texture. "

Lemon juice and peel offer a double punch of flavor in this delicious dish. Serve the risotto Italian-style as a first course, or American-style as a main course.

"We lived in New York for several months, long enough to learn to love the creamy polenta at Union Square Cafe," says Ross and Karen Martin of Pasadena, California. "If you can't get their recipe, we might need to fly across the country to have the dish again." This polenta gets its richness from being cooked in a milk-cream mixture instead of the usual water or broth.

The fine bulgur in this recipe might seem like a specialty ingredient, but it is actually in most supermarkets, near the rice, under the name Near East Taboule Wheat Salad Mix (you won't need the seasoning packet). Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 2 hr

Serve this curry with condiments such as dried currants, sliced green onions, shredded coconut and toasted slivered almonds.

A salad of snow peas, bean sprouts, chopped peanuts and rice vinegar dressing is a good side dish. Fresh pineapple topped with coconut shavings ends the meal nicely.

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 1 hr

Raw sugar can be found in the baking aisle.

Of course, I don't believe this dish is Spanish at all, but rather Cajun from Louisiana. I made it quite often in the 1960s. Then — as now — in home cooking, one had to watch the cost, and rice was an inexpensive way to fill out a meal; after all, rice feeds half the world. In most American homes at the time, rice was served buttered with salt and pepper. This recipe gave rice a little style, made it a delicious "fancy" side dish to serve alongside grilled meat or chicken. I always look forward to having any leftovers as a cold salad for lunch the next day. If you like a little added spice, put some hot pepper sauce on the table.

Risotto, by definition, is made with rice. But other grains—like the barley in this main-course recipe—can be prepared in the same style with equally terrific results. Toasting the barley enhances its nutty flavor and keeps it from getting soft and mushy.