Flour

"I tried a fabulous fig and fennel bread at Clarke's restaurant while I was in London," writes Nancy Shrier of Rydal, Pennsylvania. "I'd love to have the recipe." Do as the restaurant does and serve this slightly sweet bread with unsalted butter or with a variety of cheeses.

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 9 hr

Active time: 35 min Start to finish:50 min

"A few weeks before my best friend’s wedding in San Francisco, I flew into town for her bridal shower," writes Constance Stevenson of Portland, Oregon. "The luncheon was catered by Thymes Two Catering. For dessert, they served an elegant blueberry and lemon layer cake with a tangy lemon frosting."

If you make these as a side dish for the southern fried catfish, you can fry them in the same oil, but cook the hush puppies first because the fish will flavor the oil.

It's important to make this tender fresh pasta into pansoti as soon as you have cut the dough into squares: The squares dry out quickly and become difficult to seal.

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 40 min

Begin making this one day before serving.

Just about every book we've ever seen on southwest cooking includes a recipe for one of the spicy cornbreads of the region. Once you've tasted one, you'll know why — they are really delicious. This version is more of a pudding than a bread because it is quite moist and cheesy in texture. It makes a wonderful side dish to replace potatoes or rice, or it is quite satisfying eaten as a light entrée or lunch with a salad of fresh young greens.

If you're bored with corn on the cob, this is an excellent way to use fresh corn. The fritters alone would also be delicious for breakfast, topped with maple syrup, or as a side dish for a ham dinner.

This breakfast treat is from Migis Lodge.

To prevent the caramelized peaches from sticking to the parchment paper, unmold these flavorful little cakes while they're still warm. Active time: 50 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr

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.