Seeking best local recipes

Now that the holidays are in the books and you’ve got (a little) more time, dig out your best regional recipe for The Spokesman Review’s Flavors of the Inland Northwest Recipe Contest.

Help us create the ultimate Inland Northwest menu with recipes that show off the best foods this area has to offer. Entries must be received at The Spokesman-Review’s downtown offices, 999 W. Riverside Ave., by 5 p.m. on Jan. 14.

Winners in each of the four categories – appetizers, salads/side dishes, entrees and desserts – will demonstrate their dish or participate in a cook-off at The Spokesman-Review’s annual Cooking Expo on Feb. 25. Professional chefs will use the winning recipes to demonstrate a four-course Ultimate Inland Northwest Meal at the Expo on Feb. 26. The person with the winning recipe in each category will receive $500 worth of cash or prizes. Second-place winners will receive $250 worth of cash or prizes.

The appetizer category is being sponsored by the Dairy Farmers of Washington and entries must use at least two varieties of cow’s milk cheeses. Entries in the other three categories must simply focus on Inland Northwest cuisine. Official rules and entry forms are available at all Spokesman-Review offices, 999 W. Riverside Ave., 13208 E. Sprague Ave. or 608 Northwest Boulevard, Suite 200 in Coeur d’Alene; Everyday Gourmet, 2829 E. 29th Ave.; or online at www.spokaneiscooking.com.

For more information, call 459-5446.

Winter Wine Dinner

Tickets are on sale for The Inland Northwest Culinary Academy’s Winter Wine Dinner.

Students and faculty in the culinary arts program at Spokane Community College will prepare a four-course meal and Vino proprietor John Allen will provide commentary on the food and wine pairings. The dinner will be held at 6:30 p.m. on March 4.

During the dinner there will be a silent auction to benefit the school’s Knowledge Bowl Team. The five-member team travels each year for competitions on culinary knowledge.

Tickets to this popular dinner are $60 per person and sell out fast. Call 533-7283 for information or to pay for tickets by credit card.

Cooking Light contest

Cooking Light magazine has launched its first reader recipe contest.

The magazine is looking for recipes that reflect what you serve when feeding friends and family at supper clubs.

Cooking Light editors will choose 12 finalists to compete in an on-site cook-off in the Cooking Light Test Kitchens in Birmingham in August. Each recipe must contain one or more of the following products: Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Whole Wheat Pasta Blend; 3-A-Day milk, cheese or yogurt; Swanson Broths; or Hellman’s mayonnaise. Recipes also must be light.

For official rules and more information, visit CookingLight.com/recipecontest or see details in the January/February issue. The deadline is April 30.