Molasses

This is the Rolls-Royce of bran muffin recipes. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Serve these sensational ribs with an avocado, citrus and red onion salad, some cold beer - and plenty of napkins.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Anadama bread recipes, which date back to pre-Revolutionary New England, all call for molasses and cornmeal for substantial- and delicious- results. This contemporary rendition is no exception.

A colorful dish that has great texture and deep, rich flavors.

American spice: Powdered-sugar icing decorates these crisp gingerbread-like treats.

If you are making the creamed grilled corn and are using a charcoal grill, grill the corn first, then add more briquettes to keep the fire hot while you finish up the corn dish on the stove. Then keep the corn warm, covered, over low heat while grilling the grilled scallions with lemon and pork.

Instead of serving coffee, alter the usual dessert routine by offering a glass of Cognac or dry Sherry with these apples.

Ann Colton of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, writes: "Just as T. S. Eliot's J. Alfred Prufrock measured out his life with coffee spoons, I like to measure out my days with interesting meals. Since I started teaching English literature to junior-high students about a year ago, I've had less time to cook because of all the papers I have to grade. I'm still a firm believer, though, that food makes life more fabulous, and I get such pleasure from tasting and experimenting. Sometimes I'll honor requests from my students and whip up new treats for them. My baked goods, like these scones, are the most popular." These oversize wedge-shaped scones have a light muffin-like texture.

Nan Buchanan, Kemah, Tex.
"This cookie is versatile, so I adapt the shapes and decorations to the season — jack-o'-lanterns at Halloween and eggs at Easter."

Working on this book has taken us new places, and also back to explore taste memories from the past and from travel. Sometimes we've stumbled on childhood tastes, and sometimes we've gone looking for them. This dark gingerbread is from scribbled notes I found in an old cookbook of my mother's. I don't know where she got the recipe, but I do know that she made it regularly, especially in winter, when its rich, warm scent would draw us into the kitchen at dinnertime. Serve it as a snack or for dessert.

These Christmas cookies are topped with white icing and silver dragées for added elegance. Look for the dragées in the cake decorating section of your supermarket.