Blue ribbons result in green

There were more than blue ribbons to be had at the Spokane Interstate Fair this year. For some lucky entrants, their prize-winning recipes also received a cash reward.

In the Ghirardelli Chocolate Championship, Spokane baker Shawn Lusarreta won the $150 first-place prize for Ghirardelli Chocolate Sin Bars. Virginia Warren of Spokane placed second with her Double Chocolate Bundt Cake and Penny Westfall of Medical Lake took third with Chocolate Carrot Cake.

Fleischmann’s Yeast gave Westfall the $150 first prize for her Apricot Ladder Loaf. Marty D’Arrigo of Spokane placed second with Cranberry Walnut Sweet Rolls, and James Westfall of Medical Lake received the third-place prize for Garlic Pull-Apart Bread.

In the Great American Spam Championship, the blue-ribbon winner was Karin Gilchrist of Spokane with Easy Spam Wraps. She’ll receive $150 and compete for a national grand prize of $2,500.

Second place went to Spokane’s Diane Harper for her Spamington a la Montmorency. And 11-year-old Alex Engelbrecht of Cheney was the third-place winner for Spam Flour Taquitos.

The winner of the Hidden Valley “Family Friendly Food” Contest was Heidi Larson of Spokane for Grilled Hidden Valley Salmon. She’ll receive $200 and compete for the $1,000 national grand prize. Second place honors were awarded to Pamela Mackey of Spokane Valley for her Zucchini Puff hors d’oeuvres. Martha Metz of Medical Lake placed third with Stuffed Ranch Potatoes.

Look inside today’s Food section for the blue-ribbon recipes from each competition.

Get your Greek on

Starting tomorrow, the Holy Trinity Green Orthodox Church will host its annual Greek Festival at 1703 N. Washington St.

The festival, which runs from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, features the traditional dinner menu each night for eating in or take-out. It includes beef kapama, beef braised in a Greek-spiced tomato sauce and orzo tossed with browned butter and myzithra cheese. Dinners are $12 for adults or $6 for children under age 12.

Dinner is served each day beginning at 4:30 p.m. Lunch is served at 11 a.m.

While diners wait for meals, the honey-drenched pastries offered for sale will surely test their willpower. The church dinner is famous for its diples, baklava and loukoumades and other desserts.

Greek deli items can also be purchased at the event, including Greek cheeses, olives, appetizers and other import items. Also, Greek beer, wine and authentic coffee are served. For more information, call (509) 328-9310 or go to the church’s Web site at www.holytrinityspokane.org.