Truck stop corn chowder.

I mean, c’mon: Who wouldn’t love a recipe called Truck Stop Corn Chowder? This recipe, which I presume my Grandmother Dorothy clipped from the Indianapolis Star and stashed in her recipe file, is a real winner.

Seasonal vegetable gratin.

This recipe is a take on traditional succotash—the combination of beans and corn—and it calls for both green beans and shelled beans like limas or favas. A great vegetarian main or hearty side for grilled meat.

Black rice and butternut squash fall salad.

I’m loving the a) fall flavors, b) varied textures and c) Halloween-ish color scheme going on with this Black Rice with Butternut Squash Fall Salad. Perfect as a side for roasted chicken, even better for lunch. Get the recipe over on writes4food.com!

Pretty fall cut out cookies.

Thanks to comfortable, albeit dry, weather over the past five weeks or so, fall leaf color around here is amazing. The maples are especially glorious. So naturally they prompted me to bake these: beautiful fall cut …

Awesome appetizers for your Thanksgiving feast.

If you stop and think about it, it’s kind of absurd to even consider appetizers before Thanksgiving dinner. But let’s not stop and think about it, shall we? Because all the while the turkey’s in the oven roasting, it’s emanating the most delicious smells from the kitchen. Tummies will invariably rumble. So, yeah: appetizers are a good thing. But you’ll want simple nibbles that aren’t too fussy or difficult to make. Like these. Get my favorite Thanksgiving appetizer recipes over on writes4food.com.

Fabulous Thanksgiving side dishes.

Rob and I are heading to the beach in South Carolina over the Thanksgiving week, leaving our loving family in Indiana wondering what the hell is wrong with us. So it’ll be shrimp and grits for us on Thanksgiving day. Figuring you’re planning something a bit more traditional, I’ll share my favorite Thanksgiving sides, salads and breads to inspire your Turkey Day menu. See the collection of holiday recipes on writes4food.com.

The Dorothy Project: Arizona Mountain Soup.

This recipe for Arizona Mountain Soup was tucked into my grandmother’s “Kitchen Klips” file of old-fashioned recipes. With hearty beans and rice, this almost chili-like soup is super easy to put together and hearty enough for these first cold nights of the season. Do as the recipe’s originator, Arizona mountain resident Bennie Bennet, does and serve it with cornbread. Get the recipe on writes4food.com.

Double carrot risotto.

In my kitchen, ingredients often give rise to recipes instead of the other way around. Recently, I had a bunch of leftover carrot juice from another dish. I had some garden carrots in the “rot drawer.” Carrot juice + carrots became Double Carrot Risotto. It was a hit! With its seasonal flavor and beautiful orange color, it’s the perfect recipe for this time of year. Get the recipe on writes4food.com!