Corn

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Here's a zesty, colorful-and lighter version of clam chowder that brings new life to an old favorite. Accompany the chowder with a salad of lettuce, carrots and pickled beets; the muffins; and beer or lemonade. Purchased apple pie with cheddar cheese makes a terrific finale.

Corn kernels, cornmeal and sour cream combine in this very easy recipe, resulting in tender muffins with great corn flavor. These are extra good with the Apricot-glazed Turkey with Gravy and the New England Sausage, Apple and Dried Cranberry Stuffing

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Serve the frittata with chunky salsa, and put together an avocado, jicama and red onion salad with cumin vinaigrette to have alongside. Melon wedges and pine nut cookies are just right for dessert.

Delicious with orzo or rice.

Here's a terrific salad with the bold tastes of cilantro and cumin. Cold beer is the ideal beverage go-with.

Margaritas and some guacamole with chips and/or vegetable "dippers" would start this Mexican-style dinner off right. Ladle out black bean soup to precede the tamale pie, and serve a Caesar salad with it. Finish by teaming lime sorbet with orange segments that have been marinated in tequila.

My grandmother Mignon Smith estimates that this tamale pie recipe is at least 40 years old. She's been making it for us for years.

The name Indian pudding comes from the addition of cornmeal here — early colonists called most everything made with corn "Indian." Originally the pudding was cooked in a pot over the open hearth and was very dense. This is a lighter version baked in a modern oven, but we kept the traditional step of pouring milk or cream over the top of the pudding before cooking it.

A simple corn and cornmeal topping makes these halibut fillets a party entrée.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Remove the kernels from the cobs by holding each ear of corn upright on a flat surface and running a chef's knife along the cob and cutting downward, as close to the cob as possible.

This recipe originally accompanied Roast Turkey with Bourbon Glaze . Here are two southern favorites in one colorful stuffing. Prepare the corn bread one day ahead so that it can dry out overnight. (This lends a nice texture to the stuffing.)

This meatless dish can do double duty as a main course or a side dish.

Sweet corn shows up at New York City's Mesa Grill in many guises, including, at meal's end, a memorable ice cream created by pastry chef Wayne H. Brachman. Our version of chef Brachman's dessert differs from the original only in texture (we opted for a smooth ice cream rather than a kernel-studded one).