Adriana Janovich

“And I had but one penny in the world, thou shouldst have it to buy gingerbread.” – William Shakespeare, “Love’s Labour’s Lost,” 1598 Getting gingerbread just right can be difficult, especially if you want to build a gingerbread house.

Poached pears make for an elegant, subtly sweet and simple dessert. The gentle flavor of the aromatic tree fruit combines with the spices and poaching solution for a light and uncomplicated – yet sophisticated – indulgence.

Family-owned Latah Creek Wine Cellars, founded in 1982 in Spokane Valley, debuted Conway’s newest cookbook during this year’s Holiday Wine Festival. I recently made the book’s Roasted Beet Salad with Tarragon Vinaigrette for a holiday dinner, where it went over well. I wanted to emphasize the fresh herbs, so I doubled the amount of tarragon and included whole leaves of the fresh herb. For extra color, texture and flavor, I topped the salad with goat cheese crumbles.

Like pecan pie, its walnut cousin is rich and nutty. While pecans are slightly sweeter, walnuts – known for being mildly bitter – are typically cheaper. They’re also higher in omega-3 fatty acids and copper, and super-rich in B vitamins.

Title: “What To Drink With What You Eat.” Quick Look: This comprehensive guide, a companion to all cookbooks, dishes expert advice on ideal food and beverage pairings – from aquavit to zinfandel, artichokes to zucchini blossoms. Based on suggestions from chefs and sommeliers at dozens of America’s best restaurants, it’s easy to read, educational and incredibly useful.

Heat things up this winter with a little habanero in your Christmas caramels. Cowgirl Caramels, made by Alyson Paredes and her daughter Demi Paredes, are now for sale at the temporary To Market kiosk in River Park Square in downtown Spokane. The holiday kiosk opened Nov. 1 and keeps mall hours through Dec. 31.

Patty Gamon and her sister tag-teamed Thanksgiving dinner for more than 20 years before they threw in the turkey and started a new tradition. These days, their celebration includes no cleaning, no shopping, no prepping and – most importantly – no stressing.

Volstead Act doesn’t have the old-school ambiance of a bygone era. The new downtown Spokane bar, named for the law that launched Prohibition, has a look that is semi-industrial and elegant, but – by design – not pretentious.

The turkey typically gets all the attention – maybe even more so when it’s basted with a maple, bourbon and brown sugar glaze. But the turkey alone isn’t enough to complete a Thanksgiving table.

Quick Look: With 450 “foolproof” recipes, this is a must-have bible for bakers. Its 15 comprehensive chapters cover everything from cookies, quick breads and scones to cakes, crêpes, croissants and custards. The extensive collection of well-tested recipes and handsome, hand-drawn, how-to illustrations combine to form a trustworthy and thorough reference that aims to demystify the art and science of baking. What’s Inside: Successful baking, according to the cookbook’s promotional materials, relies not only on ingredients but “proportion, mixing method and temperature – all of which need to work in harmony to produce a perfect tall and fluffy biscuit, a handsome loaf of fine-crumbed pound cake, or a plate of thick and chewy chocolate chip cookies.” This authoritative, user-friendly, encyclopedia-like guide shows you how.