Food

Dear Recipe Doctor: I'm tired of making white flour waffles for my family every weekend. Do you have a healthy waffle recipe you could share with all of us? One that I can feel good about feeding my family? A: How about a waffle recipe that includes some whole-wheat flour, some oats, and some ground flaxseed? OK, that's technically two grains and one seed… but "Three-Grain Waffles" just sounds better. I use a tablespoon of canola oil in the batter and some canola cooking spray on the waffle iron. The flavor gets a boost from the low-fat buttermilk, light pancake syrup or maple syrup and the vanilla extract.

A Spokane Valley reader called saying she misplaced a recipe for strawberry pie she clipped some 40 years ago from The Washington Post. Although, I couldn't find anything similar to the recipe she described, we pieced this one together from what she could remember about the pie and ideas inspired by some of the recipes I found. We also added a layer of chocolate, just for good measure.

Rockin' B Ranch Cowboy Supper Show - Thursdays-Saturdays, 5:45-9 p.m., through Sept. 30. Fun-filled family atmosphere with fiddlers, a cowboy shoot-out, a kids' posse and, after dinner on the main stage, western music by the Riders of the Rockin B. Reservations required. 3912 Spokane Bridge Road, Liberty Lake; (509) 891-9016. Washington State University Field Day – Farm-fresh snacks, a presentation and a tour of the WSU's three-acre organic farm, Thursday, 9 a.m.-noon, inside the Tukey Horticultural Orchard on Airport Road, Pullman; free. (509) 432-3716.

Washington Spokane Farmers' Market – Saturdays, 8 a.m.-1 p.m., through Oct. 28 and Wednesdays, 8 a.m.-1 p.m., through Oct. 25, Second Avenue, between Division and Browne streets; (509) 455-4266.

Nothing can beat simple huckleberry pie with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, but these recipes are delicious additions to any collection. The first is a recipe that appeared in Pacific Northwest Magazine. I discovered it last year while searching for a huckleberry topping for ice cream or cheesecake.

The Washington State University organic farm will welcome visitors Thursday from 9 a.m. to noon. Families may explore the three-acre organic farm located inside the Tukey Horticultural Orchard on Airport Road in Pullman. The farm offers a community supported agriculture program, and shareholders especially are invited to "see their farm," said manager Brad Jaeckel, according to a news release. But anyone is welcome for a tour of the farm, snacks, and a presentation.

A Mediterranean-inspired dish, this baked chicken is simple to make, lively in taste and guilt-free for diners watching their fat intake. The recipe is from "The New Holly Clegg Trim & Terrific Cookbook" (Running Press, 2006, $29.95), an updated edition of a 2002 book with a working family background.

Summer is the best time to enjoy wine as a simple, refreshing, social beverage. Leave the '82 Mouton for some dreary winter day – it won't do anything special for those burgers you've got going on the grill. Summer wines should be party wines. What's a party wine? It's a wine that looks, feels and tastes like a party. A wine that kick starts the conversation, that easily accommodates the food, and that makes no special demands on purse or persons. A wine that's a pal, not a problem.

Reader food panel tasters have earned a reputation for being finicky when it comes to drinks. POM Wonderful's new Pomegranate Black Tea is the closest they've come to liking a new beverage in awhile. Tasters gave the tea three-and-a-half stars out of five for flavor.

Is there no end to cooks' enthusiasm for taking a good thing one step further? For giving a recipe one more tweak? In pursuit of perfection, no less? This colorful variation on the chocolate-chip oatmeal bar cookie is fresh from the kitchen experimenting of AP photo editor Carolyn Chappo. Starting with a package of M&M's rainbow-hued mini baking bits, but not ending there, Chappo developed this version of the crunchy bars, taste-tested by colleagues.

There is more to a great marinade than simply soaking a hunk of meat overnight. Jim Tarantino doesn't stop at great recipes, in "Marinades, Rubs, Brines, Cures and Glazes." He explains the science behind the art of infusing food with different flavor combinations in his revised and updated book.

"Marinades, Rubs, Brines, Cures & Glazes"

Tilapia is the gently flavored, nutritious and low-fat centerpiece of these tacos. Dress up the fish with tasty vegetables, smartly seasoned. The easy recipe is from the "superfast" section of Cooking Light magazine's July issue.

Hillyard Senior Center Ice Cream and Strawberry Social - Includes sweet treat and entertainment. RSVP required. Today. 1-3 p.m., Hillyard Senior Center, 4001 N. Cook St. $3. (509) 482-0803. Ice Cream Social - Benefits scholarship fund, with games, car show and cake walk. Bring a folding chair. Sponsored by Orchard Prairie Homemakers. Today. 5:30-8 p.m., Orchards Prairie School, 7626 N. Orchard Prairie Road. (509) 466-0156.

Get the taste of soft-serve ice cream whirled with toppings without driving to Dairy Queen or another drive-through window. Breyers' new Cyclone ice cream is meant to simulate blended treats such as Blizzards and McFlurries straight from your freezer at home.