Adriana Janovich

The butternut squash had been sitting on my kitchen counter for a couple of weeks. I was beginning to feel like it was watching me, pleading with me to be used, made into something savory and sweet, something that tasted like autumn, warmth and cinnamon.

It’s simple – just egg whites and sugar. But the result is crisp and airy, a lightly sweetened, fat-free foam that can be molded into spooky shapes just in time for Halloween.

Between the plastic pumpkins, faux cemetery signs, and bits of bite-sized, factory-processed candy, it’s no surprise Halloween can seem highly commercialized, overly complicated and somewhat stressful. A couple of old-school – and simple – recipes for homemade sweets might help slow down the orange-and-black cyclone that can take over Oct. 31.

“... for if he show us his wounds and tell us his deeds ...” – William Shakespeare,“Coriolanus,” Act II, Scene 3

Quick Look: In an industry in which 70 percent fail within 10 years, Rick Browne explores the stalwarts, 100 restaurants, inns, taverns and public houses that have survived a century or longer. He offers a culinary history through America’s oldest dining rooms and their dishes, including one of Coeur d’Alene’s favorite burger joints. What’s inside: Browne, who traveled more than 46,000 miles while researching the book, includes restaurants in 44 states and the District of Columbia. The oldest – White Horse Tavern in Newport, R.I. – opened in 1673; the youngest – Pleasant Point Inn, in Lovell, Maine – started in 1911. The part-recipe, part-history book features black-and-white vintage photographs juxtaposed with colorful, modern-day images of entrées. It also discusses the origins of each establishment – from famous guests and chefs to signatures dishes – and reminds readers how much older the East Coast is compared to the West Coast. Browne offers short reviews of menu items he sampled – from the $2.50 Smoked Pork Sandwich at Jones’ B-B-Q Diner, established in 1910 in Marianna, Ark., to the $99 Orca Platter at Old Ebbit Grill, established in 1856 in Washington, D.C. With eight seats, Jones’ B-B-Q Diner is the smallest eatery included in the cook. The largest – Columbia, established in 1905 in Tampa, Fla. – holds 1,700.

When The Shack opened 80-some years ago, it was a simple sidewalk stand. But the hamburger joint evolved, adding The Shanty cocktail lounge in 1949, remodeling in 1962 and becoming a popular diner-by-day and hot-spot-by-night.

These days, the fries at No-Li come with orange carrot ketchup instead of the traditional tomato variety, and the signature American Kobe beef burger is topped with a harissa pepper sauce. The loaded tri-tip chili comes with chipotle sour cream, red onion brûlé, Tillamook smoked cheddar and scallions on top of everything else: black beans, tomato, jalapeño, Anaheim peppers and an Amber Ale beer biscuit.

These days, the fries at No-Li come with orange carrot ketchup instead of the traditional tomato variety, and the signature American Kobe beef burger is topped with a harissa pepper sauce. The loaded tri-tip chili comes with chipotle sour cream, red onion brûlé, Tillamook smoked cheddar and scallions on top of everything else: black beans, tomato, jalapeño, Anaheim peppers and an Amber Ale beer biscuit.

The late Ivar Haglund began selling clam chowder from Seattle’s Pier 54 in 1938. Today, most Ivar’s locations are in Western Washington. Spokane Valley is one of two cites east of the Cascade Mountains – the other is Kennewick – to have an Ivar’s Seafood Bar. To mark the regional chain’s 75 years, the Spokane Valley Mall location is offering $7.50 dining deals through Nov. 17 on Super Clams and Cole Slaw, three-piece Sole and Chips with Coleslaw, and Shrimp Caesar Salad and a drink.

‘The Escoffier” sits front and center, occupying a place of honor above the copper-plated bar. “That’s the bible,” Daniel “Pops” Hart said of the classic cookbook, which contains 2,973 recipes by the father of modern French cooking.

Craft beer and cheese are two of my favorite things. So I opted to try a quick and easy recipe from “The American Craft Beer Cookbook” that combines them.

From Tim’s Cascade Potato Chips in Auburn to a dairy farm in Zillah – and about a dozen Spokane locations – a new Northwest Cable News series explores food production in Washington. “Washington Grown,” produced by Spokane’s North by Northwest and developed by Washington agriculture groups, premiered Sunday. It aims to educate people about farming practices and connect consumers with farmers and other food producers.