All in all, November is a delightful month in the Southeast. Hot weather is history, and serious cold spells are yet to come. Crops are in from the fields. Football’s still going strong. Families gather to celebrate Thanksgiving. And the holiday season officially gets under way.

As if all that weren’t enough, November is also National Peanut Butter Lovers’ Month, with this year’s observance marking the 105th birthday of America’s favorite food.

Throughout November, fabulous food is in demand. You’ll rise to the occasion with any of the great recipes that follow.

Commemorate the product of the month, for instance, with delicious Peanut Butter Banana Bread or chewy Peanut Surprise Bars. Both are perfect for holiday gift-giving, too, as are Spiced Nuts and Another Kind of S’Mores, the blue-ribbon winner in the Alabama Farmers Federation’s 2000 Heritage Cooking Contest.

When Thanksgiving arrives, you can greet your overnight holiday guests with hearty Breakfast Sausage Pizza and then wow them with a feast that features rich-and-creamy Cherry Salad, perfectly seasoned Squash Dressing and an out-of-this-world deep-fried and spicy Cajun Turkey.