My favorite recipes

Laura and Pete Appel live on Union Flat near Dusty, but Laura grew up on the other end of the flat. Her family homesteaded on Ryan Road south of Ewartsville.

The daughter of Bill and Ruth Ryan, Laura has an older sister and a younger brother. She attended Sunnyside Elementary and Lincoln Middle School and graduated from Pullman High School. She played volleyball and basketball in high school and was involved in FFA.

A Washington State University graduate, Laura earned a degree in hospitality/business management. Laura lived at home her first year and last semester and shared an apartment with a cousin the other years, so she missed the chaos or excitement of living on campus.

Laura’s maternal grandfather was chairman of the WSU mechanical engineering department at WSU until his death, so it was pretty much the school of choice. A Washington award for vocational excellence sealed the decision because it carried two years of in-state tuition. Laura graduated in December of 2008.

During an internship working as the activities coordinator at a guest ranch in Montana, she arranged tours of Yellowstone Park, horseback rides and whatever guests wanted to do. The experience convinced her to avoid the career of wedding planner when one bride was furious at Laura because it rained. Tents were set up, but the bride insisted that the ranch should provide a wedding day without rain.

Montana, Laura concluded, must hate her. After one trip on rough Montana roads, she needed four new tires. Another trip yielded an expired transmission. She enjoyed Montana but missed being on the Palouse. The guest ranch was in an area with steep mountains, but she likes the open sky at home.

Working as an events planner at WSU with the College of Business and with the cultural and heritage houses was very enjoyable. She enjoys corporate event planning, as opposed to wedding planning.

Laura and Peter Appel met through mutual friends. They married in June of 2010 at Sacred Heart Church in Pullman. A highlight of the wedding was their trip by horse and buggy from the church to SEL Events Center. The horse, who knew Laura well, was jumpy, so she took the reins as they left the church. When the horse calmed down, Pete did the driving. The wedding party followed in a horse-drawn wagon.

They honeymooned at Lake Tahoe and explored Virginia City, other old mining towns and Donner Pass.

They lived a year in Pullman, and Pete graduated from college in 2011. During that time, they worked on a home on the farm near his parents, Steve and Dianne Appel.

Pete acquired a lot of building know-how from his uncle, Dave Appel.

They had a work party to take out a wall and open up space in the dining area and family room. They installed wood floors, sheet rocked walls, remodeled bathrooms and redecorated the whole house.

Laura’s family loves horses, and she and Pete rode her parents’ horses until recently. They bought two paint horses. When the horses have been ridden more, they plan to take their baby Jeremiah with them.

Pete played football at Colfax High School and joined the WSU rugby team. He had lots of fun, but decided rugby was detrimental to his body and his GPA. He graduated from WSU in agricultural technology and production. He admits to being a techie, but doesn’t want to remove the human element from farming.

The Appel tractors have GPS but not auto-steer. The GPS helps avoid skips and big overlaps, which cuts costs. Pete remarked that technology holds lots of promise for more people being fed by fewer farmers.

Laura and Pete welcomed Jeremiah November 10, 2011, in Colfax. He weighed in at eight pounds, 12 ounces and weighs about 20 pounds now.

Working for the Equity and Diversity Department at WSU, Laura is on campus in the mornings and works from home in the afternoons.

Recipes:

Potatoes Romanoff

6 large potatoes

1 pint sour cream

1 bunch green onions, chopped

shredded cheddar cheese

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

pepper

paprika

1/2 cup milk

Boil potatoes, peel. Grate potatoes into bowl. Mix in sour cream, onions, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, salt, pepper (to taste), and paprika (to taste). Pour milk over, and top with more shredded cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, until hot through and cheese is melted.

Country Crust Bread

2 packages yeast

2 cups warm water

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon salt

2 eggs

1/4 cup vegetable oil

6 1/2 cups flour

Butter

Dissolve yeast in warm water, stir in sugar, salt eggs, vegetable oil, and 3 cups flour. Mix well. Add flour until dough is firm. Turn onto floured surface and kneed 8-10 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic. Place in greased bowl, let rise 1 hour, until double. Grease and flour two loaf pans; set aside. Punch down dough, divide in half. Roll one half out on floured surface until 1/2 inch thick, in a rectangle. Roll up, starting on long side. Fold roll ends under, and place in loaf pan. Repeat with other half. Let rise 1 hour, until double. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes, until bread sounds hollow when tapped. Melt butter over the top of warm loaves. Enjoy!

Taco Soup

1 1/2 pounds hamburger

1/2 cup onion, chopped

2 cans corn

2 cans black beans, drained, rinsed

2 cans chicken broth

2 packages taco seasoning

1 jar salsa

shredded cheddar cheeses

sour cream

tortilla chips

In large pot, brown hamburger, drain; add onions, cooking until opaque. Add corn, tomatoes, black beans, broth, taco seasoning, and salsa. Mix well. Heat over medium until hot through. Serve with cheddar cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips.