Siiri Sampson 2011

​Last weekend was the perfect chance to get outta Dodge and head for the hills, or the mountains. So head we did, right over to Leavenworth and Chelan for a weekend full of Oktoberfest shenanigans and farm trolling. After the copious amounts of spilled beers, soft pretzels, and brats came the walking through the rows of raspberry farms, apple orchards, and pumpkin farms. That's all it took to inspire this week's final Three-Way.

For the last whirl around the stove top, we've hand picked some of central Washington's finest squash to transform into three completely different renditions of heartwarming, perfect-for-sharing dishes you'll want to make over and over again. The big winners this week are (from left to right in the picture): Winter's Luxury Pie Pumpkin, Long Island Cheese Squash, and Sweet Dumpling Squash. Each has its own unique thumbprint of texture and therefore is best for a particular way of cooking. We hope you take these dishes, make them your own, and report back.

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Siiri Sampson 2011

​Apples are seemingly a boring, common little fruit that serve as a background staple, but frequently get passed up for something a little more flashy. But with a sordid past (Adam and Eve, anyone?!), the apple has been around the block a few times, and has over 7,500 varietal offspring to prove it.

Among the thousands of pomaceous siblings is the 20-year-old Honeycrisp. It's just tart enough to eat on its own, holds its firmness for what seems like a lifetime, and bakes up with the best of them. Coming into season in the nick of time for crumbles, crisps, and fritters, this week gives you a few different ways to slice it. Apples aren't just for breakfast and baking--although if that's how you're cooking it when we come over, we're still asking for seconds.

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Siiri Sampson 2011

​Fall brings about all sorts of changes, new behaviors, and nuances that you just don't get with the warmer months. One thing that doesn't change, however, is the need to be in the kitchen, cooking and sharing meals with those wonderful people around you. But rather than white sangria and grilled salmon, it's roasted chicken, caramelized onions, and anything baked. What is it about the crispness in the air that makes you just want to layer on a cozy sweater, turn the music up, and whip up a batch of oatmeal cookies or whatever you've suddenly started to crave?

With the turning leaves, random rain showers, and blustery Sunday mornings, it's high time to turn on the oven, crack open your favorite cookbook, and make something from scratch. This week is dedicated to to baked goods--more specifically, baked cake doughnuts. Ordinarily, we'd work with an ingredient, but doughnuts are like an ingredient because you can do so very many fabulous things with them! Using one basic recipe (that makes enough to feed a small army), we'll create decadent, healthy, and quick options that will have you saying, "ohhhh yes" to Fall.

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Siiri Sampson 2011

​Stonefruit have got to be, hands down, one of the greatest foods Mother Earth has ever provided. More specifically, peaches are in many respects the queen bee of drupes. What makes this fuzzy-skinned, blushing beauty stand out? Besides having over three hundred varieties, smelling and tasting like heaven and having a Barbie named after them, they can show up at any meal and truly be the star of the show.

Today we'll crash breakfast, cocktail hour, and dessert (but in a classy Audrey Hepburn way, not a drunken Tila Tequila way, of course) with yellow peaches baked, boiled, and--our favorite--raw. If you're used to simply eating these juicy beasts like an apple, then check out three new ways to enjoy the soft, supple, and fragrant peach.

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​Pork belly is one of those things that sounds mildly disgusting, looks very familiar, and sounds complicated to cook. So basically you're passing over it in the cold case at the store for something tried-and-true like pork chops or ribs. But we're about to change all that. Rather than accidentally trying it in a lost-in-translation dim sum moment and thinking it's used only in Asian cooking, we're taking it back to the iron skillet and putting a hometown flair on it.

Although numerous dishes in Korean and Chinese cuisine make pork belly shine (and we strongly suggest you throw caution to the winds and indulge the next time you see it on the menu), we want to show you accessible ways to enjoy this fatty, crispy treat without too much pomp and circumstance. This week's dishes can be served as appetizers or incorporated as a component of your lunch or dinner. It all depends on how you slice it, figuratively that is.

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Siiri Sampson 2011

For such a showy piece of fruit, this seedy thing sure is mellow!

​Do you ever see something in the grocery store, momentarily think to yourself, "Wait, what the hell?!", and then just continue down the aisle without picking it up? If so, stop it! Picking up that random item, finding out what it is, then cooking it at home can be some of the most rewarding home cooking you do all year. Yes, it's true that this slightly risky behavior can (and quite possibly already has) led to some disgusting, poorly constructed dishes and may even lead to wasted cash, spitting food into a napkin, or worse, food poisoning.

However, today we turn to one "What-the-Hell?!" item that is literally ripe for the picking right now, and we can guarantee you won't be sorry you tossed a couple into your cart without pause. We're talking dragon fruit here, and for the next few weeks, it's at the height of its season, so it's both fresh (although we can't vouch for how local it is) and obscure, our two favorite qualities.

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Siiri Sampson 2011

Like some crazy character out of a Dr. Seuss book, the gelatinous bamboo shoot awaits its marching orders.

​Canned, jarred, or fresh? Bamboo shoots aren't something most grocery shoppers find on their weekly shopping list. More than likely you've seen them as yellowy-brown, flat strips mixed into your chicken chow mein or pale, translucent matchsticks floating around a cup of sweet-and-sour soup. But this low-cholesterol, potassium-packed veggie has so much more to offer than a supporting role.

Sour, seasoned, or au naturel, the slightly nutty flavor and toothy texture are good raw or cooked, and this week we'll whip up an appetizer that lies to you. It's panko-crusted, pan-fried exterior will have you believing it's way worse for you than it is. You'll also learn a 10-minute fix with baby shrimp and spinach, and a light stir fry that's green enough for the strictest health nut in your house.

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Siiri Sampson 2011

Tofu has come along way since your vegan college roommate made you try it.

​Tofu gets a bad wrap from the non-vegan and vegetarian world--and upon first glance, it's easy to see why. It's pale, wet, and it wiggles and jiggles in this awkward way like too much cellulite in a threadbare bikini. But what the soy fearful don't know is that tofu isn't something you just eat on its own. It really shines as an ingredient or component of a larger dish or meal.

Even the buying process of tofu is a deterrent; silken, soft, firm, or extra-firm?! Please, could they make it more confusing? The basic rule of thumb in buying the protein-packed block of soy is this--mimic the consistency of what you're replacing. If it's meat you're missing, get the extra-firm tofu so it stands up to marinades, grills and deep fryers. If you're using it as an ingredient in sauces, baked goods, or smoothies, then pick a package of silken or soft tofu. It'll blend up just like sour cream or vanilla pudding, and you'll never even know it's there since it takes on the flavors of everything around it. Check out these three dishes that will take tofu from black sheep to culinary chameleon in your kitchen.

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Chevre, the Barry White of the cheese world, brings smoothness and a little sass to any dish.

​God help the lactose intolerant. What would we do without cheese? With so many varieties, flavors and preferences, the combinations and possibilities are limitless. It goes with every meal of the day (as all good ingredients do) and no dinner gathering is complete without a cheese platter . Let's face it, cheese is the life of the party. On hot nights when you just want to cool down with an ice cold drink, an old Al Green album and something light but flavorful, Chevre has you covered. Add a sexy dinner guest and you've got the hottest ticket in town.

But of course there's enough Chevre to go around more than just the dinner table, so today you'll see an unexpected breakfast dish that is as healthy as it is addicting, and two appetizers that could just as easily be a mid-day meal between the two of them. If you have your own favorite way to enjoy this creamy, white delight, don't be shy, let us know!

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Siiri Sampson 2011

This time of year, it is easy being green.

​Pumpkin, squash, and root vegetables are sometimes more commonly used and thought of as fall foods--being turned into soups and side dishes when the leaves start turning. But there are great ways to enjoy zucchini during the summer months as well. One quick tip is to buy them (or grow them) with the yellow flower blossom still attached. This keeps the freshness and sweetness intact, right up to the moment of consumption.

Rather than passing them up at the store or leaving them in the garden until they're larger than your kids' leg, snap them off the vine and enjoy them while they're still young. While cooking this slender, green squash is still a great way to enjoy it, there are a few other methods that can highlight some of the subtler flavors. Keeping the skins on is a great start--but read on to find out a new way to enjoy them raw, and another way that's great for breakfast.

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