Festival in park an opportunity to pig out

Don’t forget … the pigs are in the park a few days earlier this year.

The unofficial end-of-summer bash Pig Out in the Park begins today at noon and lasts through Labor Day. Riverfront Park will be packed with more food, music and people than you can shake a chocolate-dipped-cheesecake- on-a-stick at.

There are more than 45 food booths, and the music begins each day at noon. The festivities wrap up each night at 10 p.m. And there are three different places to quaff a cool one.

So, what will you pick up at the park? A dish of Mary Lou’s famous ice cream? Chocolate-drenched anything from Boehm’s? Some Taste of India curry? Funnel cakes? Italian sausage? Garlic fries? Corn on the cob?

Everything costs less than $7.25.

We’d tempt you with a rundown on the music, but, hey, this is the food page. You’ll find it at www.spokanepigout.com, along with a listing of the food booths if you’d like to plan your attack.

So, is Pig Out in the Park about the food or about the music? You decide.

Local pancake mix hits shelves

Valleyford’s Grandma Dottie likes to tinker in the kitchen. It’s how Dorthea Sausele, a retired school librarian, created her oatmeal pancakes.

“It’s my own recipe,” she says. “It took many attempts to get it right. Luckily my husband was happy to have pancakes often.”

She gave the mix to friends and family as a Christmas gift, and many encouraged her to market it. Since retirement afforded her the time to work on the project, Sausele decided to give it try.

She even created a Spiced Apple Syrup to complement her Oatmeal Pancake Mix.

The mix and syrup, which sell for $6 and $5 respectively, are available at the Made In Washington store in River Park Square, at Scalawags Restaurant, 113 W. Indiana Ave., and Gifts a la Carte, 820 W. Garland Ave.

BakeSpace.com launches

Need some baking buddies? Check out BakeSpace.com.

Launched last week, the free site offers recipes and message boards for cooking enthusiasts whether the microwave is your primary cooking tool or you like to whip up a gourmet feast for friends.

BakeSpace members “can post, search and share recipes, customize their own ‘online kitchen,’ raid the site’s ‘virtual pantry,’ make friends, create blogs, upload photos and video, download coupons, and communicate in real-time with other members via instant messaging and chat.”

It’s MySpace for foodies.