My favorite recipes - Meet Julie Womack, Colfax

For Julie Womack, her idea of heaven is to have all her favorite restaurants in one place. Having lived in so many places, that would mean restaurants from all over the world gathered together.

“This is our 17th move,” she noted. She, husband David and their four Jack Russell terriers moved to Colfax 18 months ago when David took the position of CEO of the Whitman Hospital and Medical Center.

They have lived all over the US and in Germany, giving them the opportunity to experience many different cultures and cuisine.

“My roots are in Southern cuisine,” Julie said. She was born in Arkansas and raised in Oklahoma where she met David. While she likes Mid-Eastern, Thai and German foods, Southern food is hard to beat. Julie noted Southern food uses a wide variety of vegetables and she sometimes misses that in foods from the northland.

David Womack served in the Air Force for 26 years, a career which kept them and their four kids constantly moving. The longest they every lived in one place was three and a half years with the shortest term at eight months. Throughout that time David worked in health care administration. At one point he worked at Fairchild Air Force Base and fell in love with the area. When the opportunity to work in the area at Whitman Hospital presented itself, he was eager to take it.

“We do enjoy living different places and experiencing different cultures,” Julie said. She recalled that while living in Germany, they went to Luxembourg to order Mexican food. The order was placed in French and paid for with Belgium francs.

Julie’s has worked as an occupational therapist. She has done every aspect of occupational therapy and has never had trouble finding a job thanks to the diversity of the job. This is the first place they have lived that Julie hasn’t worked.

A few months after moving to Colfax, Julie was diagnosed with cancer. One of the first community activities she participated in was the Relay for Life which took place shortly after she was diagnosed. The next six to eight months she spent overcoming the cancer.

Now her focus is on finishing their house which had an unfinished basement when they bought it.

“One of my favorite things is restoring old houses,” Julie said. Before moving to Colfax, they lived in Illinois where they restored a house built in 1842. She also looks forward to getting their yard put in.

“Because four Jack Russells and mud do not mix well,” she commented.

The Womacks children, three sons and a daughter, are now grown and they now have three grandsons. With their offspring long departed, they had room for the terriers.

When Julie first saw a Jack Russell terrier, she didn’t know what it was and kept waiting for it to grow up. She finally talked to the owner, a neighbor, about it and did some research on the breed before contacting a breeder in Sandpoint. They were living in Mountain Home, Idaho, at the time, and the breeder made them go through a lot of reading material and screening before selling them Abby.

Julie and David enjoyed Abby so much that after moving to Illinois they bought Jackson from the same breeder. Julie drove to Minneapolis to pick him up from the airport there.

Owen came into their lives when another family decided they couldn’t keep him, and the Womacks adopted him. Their fourth Jack is Corky whom they rescued from the Humane Society. Corky was born deaf and Julie had to learn signs for him. In her old age, Abby is also deaf, and Julie uses the same signs with her.

All the dogs have learned to travel well, and Abby used to be the pseudo author of Travels With Abby, the Dog Who Loves To Go.

Julie is on the speaker’s bureau for the Alzheimer’s Association and speaks to organizations when they request someone to talk on the disease. She also likes to quilt.

She and David still love to travel. They have a map of Washington and the United States in the car, and when they take a route they mark it with a highlighter. They try to take new routes as much as possible, stopping at different Mom and Pop places or home-style cooking restaurants along the way.

Gooey Butter Cookies

(A cookie version of the famous St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake – an accident that became a tradition!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1 8-oz. pkg cream cheese

1/2 c. butter, softened

1 egg

1/4 tsp. vanilla

1 pkg. yellow cake mix

1/4 c. confectioner’s sugar

Cream together butter and cream cheese. Stir in egg and vanilla. Add cake mix, stir until blended.

Roll in 1” balls, then roll in confectioner’s sugar. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-13 minutes. Cool on racks. Makes 2 dozen

Baked Potato Soup

5 large baking potatoes, baked

1/4 c. butter

1 medium onion, chopped

1/3 c. flour

1 quart half and half

3 cups whole milk

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp. ground white pepper

2 cups (8 oz) shredded Cheddar cheese

8 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

Optional – green onions, chives

Sour cream

Peel potatoes; coarsely mash with a fork or masher.

Melt butter in Dutch oven over medium heat; add onion and sauté until tender. Add flour, stirring until smooth.

Stir in potatoes, half & half, milk salt and pepper. Cook over low heat until thoroughly heated. Top each serving with cheese, bacon chopped green onions and/or chives, and sour cream. (Note: If I’m serving a large group, I have added the cheese and bacon to the whole pot instead of as a topping – add sour cream just before serving).

Squash Casserole

(A southern menu staple. Most true southern cuisine consists of “Meat and 3” – one serving of meat and three vegetables.)

1/2 stick butter

1/2 pkg. herbed dressing (seasoned dressing mix)

4 medium sliced yellow squash

1/2 c. grated onion

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 c. sour cream

Salt and pepper

Melt butter and mix with dressing. Set aside 1/2 cup buttered dressing. Cook squash and onion in boiling water until tender. Mix all together and spread in 8 x 8 inch baking pan. Top with remaining buttered dressing. Bake 20-25 minutes at 375 degrees. Serves 6-8

Baked Garlic Cheese Grits

(David was born in Alabama and was raised on grits. It may be an acquired taste but this is a good way to get hooked!)

6 cups chicken broth

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

2 cups regular grits

2 cups (16 oz) grated cheddar cheese

1/2 cup milk

4 large eggs, beaten

1 stick butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 4 qt casserole. Bring broth to boil in 2 qt pan. Add salt, pepper, garlic powder and grits. Simmer about 8-10 minutes, or until the grits have thickened. Add cheese and milk and stir. Add eggs and butter and stir until butter is melted. Pour into the casserole dish and bake 35-40 minutes. Serves 12.