In recent weeks readers have e-mailed me with food for thought and some interesting questions. It seemed a shame to keep this correspondence to myself.

Following last week’s column featuring a simple but reliable cheesecake recipe, I received an inquiry from reader Diane Darwin.

“While on a trip, I ate a piece (of cheesecake) that was made with pumpkin. It was delicious,” she wrote. “Do you have any idea how much canned pumpkin could be mixed in with the cream cheese and still have a moderately firm cheesecake?”

This is an astute question. While I suggested last week that readers take liberties with the recipe by adding chocolate flavoring or chocolate chips, adding a random amount of pumpkin could alter the consistency of the cheesecake. Because pumpkin is such a wild card, I would suggest ditching my cheesecake recipe and trying ones made specifically for a pumpkin cheesecake. Experiment until you find one that approximates the cheesecake you remember.

Here’s a place to start: www.goodhousekeeping.com. Type in “pumpkin cheesecake” in the search engine, and choose the first recipe under “iVillage Content.” This recipe from Good Housekeeping is for a pumpkin cheesecake made in a 9-inch springform pan. Like my recipe, it calls for two 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, but it also uses sour cream, 16 ounces of canned pumpkin and other ingredients. This will be a deeper cheesecake than one made in a pie plate.

¢ Last month another reader, K. Howick, reported mixed results using dried green tomatoes and asked for suggestions on how to use them. I have to admit that I am stumped.

“I decided to experiment this year,” the e-mail read. “We had an exceptional crop of San Marzano tomatoes that were green at the hard freeze. I made fried green tomatoes and enjoyed them thoroughly. I tried freezing some (hard to do – impossible to peel even after scalding) and then tried drying some in my dehydrator. Easy to deseed, they just scoop out with a grapefruit spoon before drying. I have tried the dried ones in soups and stews and some Indian dishes. They are great in curries. You have to soak them like any dried tomato. I use water and a little balsamic vinegar. I like a ripened dried tomato chopped with olives and onions then sauteed in olive oil over penne pasta, but the green ones are not good for this recipe. Do you have any ideas?”

So how about it, green tomato fans? Send me your suggestions, and I will forward them on.

¢ The final reader e-mail is hilarious. My mother would have giggled, too. I reproduce the note in its entirety:

“Dear Ms. Mellinger,

“I read your terrific article on prime rib this morning, and it sounds delicious. However, I must point out what I believe to be an error. In describing the gravy-making process, you say your mother used a ‘flour roue.’ The dictionary defines ‘roue’ as ‘a man devoted to sensual pleasure.’ I believe the word you wanted was ‘roux,’ a mixture of flour and fat used to thicken sauces.

“On the other hand, your mother may indeed have had a man devoted to sensual pleasure in the kitchen helping her make the gravy. If so, my apologies. It’s no wonder you have such fond memories of prime rib. Can you tell me where your mother obtained her roue, and if they have any left?

“Keep up the good writing!”

– Violet Forsyth