Flour

The heartland is known for its grains and its pork; this first course features two of the region's best products—corn and bacon.

Ken Haedrich, cookbook author, says, "Since moving to New England nearly twenty years ago, I've heated the house with wood-burning stoves. And because our big Thanksgiving gatherings put oven space at a premium, I've often pressed those stoves into backup duty. That's how steamed breads—which can be cooked on top of the stoves — came to be a regular part of our feast. This steamed pumpkin bread provides another way to bring good pumpkin flavor to the meal, too. I also serve my special crescent rolls on the big day. One year, my kids let it be known that they wanted croissants on Thanksgiving, but that seemed like a bit more work than I could handle. Instead, I came up with these sesame crescents—croissant-like rolls with savory onion filling. I guess they did the trick, because nobody says much about croissants anymore. Plus, I can make the crescent rolls two weeks ahead and freeze them. That way, they don't take up any of that precious oven space." Note that this bread needs to cook in an empty 28-ounce food can (such as the kind used to hold whole tomatoes).

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Fries, coleslaw and lemonade are the requisite accompaniments. Complete the menu with watermelon wedges and sugar cookies.

This moist bread is best fresh from the oven, but it can also be made ahead and reheated.

If you can't find Italian Moscato, substitute Essencia, the Muscat-based dessert wine made in California. Serve this rich custard with the raisin-studded cookies featured here.

Chocolate cake, chocolate ganache, and chocolate mousse team up with fruit in this incredible dessert. Begin making the cake one day ahead. Enjoy the extra mousse later.

The following corn bread is not to be eaten on its own; it's meant for stuffing, so we've deliberately made it dry.

These pretty rolls are baked side by side in cake pans. To serve, turn the rolls out of the pans, and let your guests pull them apart.

Rosemary Leicht of Bethel, Ohio, writes: "I've been a finalist in the Pillsbury Bake-Off three times, so I'm something of an expert at cooking with prepared doughs and bread mixes. Even though these items are simple to use, many people don't venture beyond the package directions. For each contest, I experimented with dozens of recipes, and some of my favorites have been breakfast dishes and desserts. Nowadays I don't enter as many competitions as I used to, but my family still looks forward to my latest creations." A quick breakfast using prepared dough.

These no-bake bites can be made two hours ahead and are designed to taste best at room temperature, making them perfect for parties.

Similar to zuppa inglese (an Italian trifle), this impressive dessert layers an amaretti-and-cream filling and orange segments between syrup-soaked sponge cake. Many of the components can be made ahead; start with the filling so that it can chill overnight.

Chef Susan Goss says that the secret here is in her cast-iron skillet. Nonstick pans produce anemic, soft corn bread. This recipe also works well with corn-stick or muffin molds, as long as they’re well-seasoned cast iron. If your pan is hot enough, the batter will immediately rise and start to cook around the edges. (The restaurant’s skillets rarely leave the oven.) At Zinfandel, the corn bread is served with a wonderful spread. To make it, combine 1 stick of softened unsalted butter with 2 tablespoons buckwheat honey (another honey or pure maple syrup can be substituted).

Saint André, a French triple-cream cheese, would also be nice here instead of Brie.

Cornmeal in the crust gives a nice contrast to the creamy filling in this dessert.

One bread that Swedish settlers brought to the heartland was limpa; these twists are a nice twist on that classic.