Corn

This recipe can be increased to serve any number of hungry people as a main course or appetizer. Chopped olives, chopped red or green bell peppers and kidney beans are also good in this dish.

Adapted from a recipe by Chef Robert McGrath of Windows on the Green, Phoenix, Arizona.

Nice with the chicken, as a side dish for burgers, or on its own as a snappy vegetarian main course.

Brussels sprouts sautéed with bacon are good served alongside. Pour a Zinfandel, Syrah or Chardonnay during the meal.

If you have cooked lamb, beef, or turkey on hand, use it instead of the chicken.

Throughout World War II, everyone who had even a little plot of land was encouraged to grow a vegetable garden. Back then, this comforting soup would most frequently be made from water and contain no chicken, which was a Sunday treat. For convenience, you can skip the first part of this recipe and use six cups of stock or canned broth and omit the chicken altogether. But if you want to make the stock from scratch, be sure to do so a day ahead.

"When I was a kid, corn was often served with the turkey dinner in our house," says Jim Fobel, cookbook author. "Even though corn season was over, my mom thought that it seemed appropriate for the meal. Here, I've used corn to make little pancakes. The good news is that they can be made a day ahead and then rewarmed in the oven just before serving."

These Colombian corn pancakes do a good job of soaking up the juices from the pork.

Chilies and corn—staples of the southwestern diet—are the hallmarks of this stuffing. Its intense corn flavor comes from a mixture of corn bread, corn chips, corn kernels and cream-style corn. It gets its zip from poblano and jalapeño chilies.

For extra eye appeal, use tricolor pasta in this fresh-from-the-garden salad.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

In the state of Yucatán in southeastern Mexico, lime soup is served on even the hottest days. The fresh taste of the cilantro and the sourness of the lime combine to give the soup plenty of zing.

Market tip: Go for Dungenesse crab from the Pacific coast or blue crab from the Gulf of Mexico or Atlantic coast.