Fall

A pastry bag and large rosette tip are optional for the whipped cream topping, which can also be spooned over the trifle.

Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

"When autumn comes to Chicago, I love going to Lucca's to enjoy a big bowl of pumpkin soup while sitting outside on the patio ," writes Tom Cove of Chicago, Illinois. "Can you get this terrific recipe?" A medley of exotic spices plus coconut milk and banana add complexity and rich flavor.

Goat cheese and truffle oil add rich flavors to the humble sweet potato.

Garnish with orange slices, if desired.

Wendy Popp of Richmond, Virginia, writes: "My job as a physical therapist and my hobby, horseback riding, keep me pretty busy. But my sons — Sammy, two, and Weston, four — keep me moving the most, which has changed my cooking style. I used to be much more experimental, but now I need low-maintenance, tried-and-true recipes that will please the boys (including my husband, Jim) and impress dinner guests." This moist Bundt cake is a slight variation on a local award-winning recipe. After Wendy started making it, the dessert quickly became a family favorite.

You can also serve blini topped with salmon roe. Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 2 1/2 hr

This hearty soup is served at Belvedere Mansion in Staatsburg, New York.

These delicious strudels can be put together one day before baking.

You'll need six baby loaf pans for this recipe. Look for disposable ones at the market.

With his supersize grill, Chris Schlesinger cooked a whole ham—and scored the skin for a real showstopper presentation—but he suggested a shank half for cooks with standard grills. In order for the flavor of the rub to really penetrate the meat, we removed the skin and most of the fat. Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 days

"One evening my husband took me to a marvelous restaurant, Al Biernat's, in nearby Dallas," says Janice E. Bryant of Irving, Texas."I had an innovative salad—greens tossed with grilled pear slices, walnuts, blue cheese and a terrific vinaigrette."

Wolf Blitzer's family serves this moist, not-too-sweet Bundt cake as a side dish. A warm slice would also be delicious for breakfast. Use the large holes of a box grater to prepare the carrots.

Strong beef broth and garlic, not sugar, make a true Ukrainian borscht delicious. Fresh root vegetables and roasted beets provide plenty of sweetness which is balanced by an acid edge of lemon.

This moist sweet corn bread is a nice addition to breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Pumpkins are grown throughout the middle states, and Missouri is the world's largest supplier of black walnuts. The pumpkin gives the finished biscuits a golden color and moist texture, and its taste is complemented by aromatic spices. To go alongside, mix butter with honey and then lace it with ground cardamom.