Food

Ready to get wild in the new year? Tickets to the 10th annual Wild Game Feast are on sale through the North Idaho College Alumni Association.

Vegetable side dishes are minutes away with the new Valley Fresh Steamers from Green Giant. Food panel members liked the flavors inside the new microwave steamer bags, giving highest marks to the roasted red potatoes and green beans in rosemary butter sauce, and cheesy rice and broccoli. Both received three-and-a-half-star ratings on a five-star scale.

The winter cocktail menu at the newly refurbished Pyramid Restaurant & Bar in the Fairmont Dallas includes this Christmassy cocktail that’s made even more festive with a frosting of crushed peppermints. Peppermint Crush

Still searching for holiday gifts? Don’t despair. Cookbooks are the perfect solution for food lovers. Many foodies love to curl up with a good cookbook – some actually cook from them, too. To get your hands on any of these books, first call your favorite local bookstore and see if they have one in stock. They can generally get one to you pretty quickly.

Women’s and Children’s Free Restaurant - Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 4:15-5:45 p.m. and Fridays, 12:30-2:30 p.m. with take-out from 1-3 p.m. St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 1620 N. Monroe St. (509) 324-1995. Tasteful Thursdays - Hosted by the Moscow Food Co-op. Held every Thursday in December. Enjoy live music while sampling the co-op’s wine and beer, fruits, veggies, entrees, baked goods and more. 5-7 p.m., Moscow Food Co-op Cafe, 121 E. Fifth St., Moscow, Idaho. (208) 882-8537.

We have a couple of restaurant requests this week. First up, Ron Roper of Spokane called about the mushroom soup he’d enjoyed recently at Cyrus O’Leary’s. Could we get the recipe?, he wondered.

Food plays a central role in our holiday traditions. It just isn’t Christmas if there’s a certain cookie missing from Santa’s plate or there is no marzipan to share (and hoard). Perhaps your Hanukkah rituals would feel hollow without the flavors of a familiar recipe passed down year after year. One taste or smell and memories of past celebrations come flooding back. Tell us about your favorite holiday foods and we may use the information in an upcoming story. Send a note, no later than Thursday, about the tastes and traditions that make your holidays complete to: lorieh@spokesman.com or Lorie Hutson, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210. Call (509) 459-5446 or fax to (509) 459-5098.

Main Market Co-Op organizers inviting support for downtown venture

Maybe some things really are as simple as they seem. Take the Main Market Co-op slated to open in downtown Spokane sometime around fall 2009. Based on a basic doctrine that everyone deserves good and healthy food, the Main Market Co-op will, as part of their mission statement says, "nourish the community ... and contribute to a healthier and more resilient Inland Northwest."

Main Market Co-op Membership Promotion

Women’s and Children’s Free Restaurant - Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 4:15-5:45 p.m. and Fridays, 12:30-2:30 p.m. with take-out from 1-3 p.m. St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 1620 N. Monroe St. (509) 324-1995. Tasteful Thursdays - Hosted by the Moscow Food Co-op. Held every Thursday in December. Enjoy live music while sampling the co-op’s wine and beer, fruits, veggies, entrees, baked goods and more. 5-7 p.m., Moscow Food Co-op Cafe, 121 E. Fifth St., Moscow, Idaho. (208) 882-8537.

When you head out to those holiday parties, don’t go hungry. An empty stomach makes those high-fat appetizers and sweets even more tempting, but eating a bowl of this healthy, hearty soup beforehand can help curb your appetite and leave you some calories to spare.