My favorite recipes

Heather and Mat Smith are busy entrepreneurs who operate Smith’s Country Store in Rosalia. A graduate of Rosalia High School, Heather was raised in Rosalia. Her mother, Zana Riley Lindgren, still resides in Rosalia. Her father was the late Phillip Lindgren.

Heather lived for several years in Spokane, but she and Mat are happy to be living and operating a business in her hometown.

Heather graduated from Eastern Washington University where she specialized in human resource and business management. She had planned to major in computer science, but decided it just wasn’t a good fit. Minoring in it gave her skills she needs and uses every day.

Heather worked for CoAg during her last summer of college, and that developed into a full-time job for eight years. She worked for two years for Elenbaas, a livestock feed processor, and she still works for them via computer.

Elenbaas offered her the opportunity to operate their retail feed operation, now Smith’s Country Store at Rosalia.

Mat Smith is an Alaska native from Cordova. He received his associate’s degree from Spokane Community College in diesel mechanics. They were introduced by mutual friends in Spokane. He was still working in Spokane when they started Smith’s Country Store. They hired one employee when they opened the store, and when Heather was overloaded, Mat joined her in the business.

Their store has many varieties of livestock and equine feed and other basic livestock needs, ducklings and chicks in the spring. They are also developing an inventory of basic gardening tools.

There are many 4H and FFA projects in the area that need feed, and lots of people around Rosalia raise chickens. Smith’s Country Store also custom-blends animal feed.

The backyard chicken trend has challenged feed companies with how to serve small customers. The size of packaging needs to be smaller, and in Portland and other “backyard chicken friendly” cities, customers need packages of chicken feed that are small enough to carry on public transportation.

Cities that allow backyard chickens do not allow roosters, and most have some other rules.

In the works for Smith’s Country Store are redesigning and remodeling the gift shop and adding more clothing. They also offer some consignments items from local residents.

Besides operating their own business, Mat and Heather are very involved in community activities. Their daughter Haley will be a senior at Rosalia High School next year. She is very involved in school activities, including FFA and sports.

Haley is also a Rosalia royalty member, so Mat and Heather have helped build the town’s float, which Mat drives because he’s the thinnest guy on the float committee and able to wiggle into the driver’s seat.

The Smiths note that Rosalia is looking at the purchase, or possibly a donation of, a new enclosed trailer for transporting the float. Once the present trailer arrives at the site of a parade, it takes several hours to assemble the float and later disassemble it after the parade is over.

Five-year old Briley is very excited to start kindergarten this fall. She spent time at the store with her parents instead of attending pre-school. They feel very fortunate to have spent these early years with her, an option most families with both parents working outside the home do not have.

For their often-busy days, cooking needs to be easy and efficient. Usually Heather cooks and Mat does the dishes.

Recipes:

Beef Taco Skillet

1 lb hamburger

1 can tomato soup

1 can tomato sauce

1/2 to 1 cup salsa (depending how spicy you like it)

1 can corn, undrained

8 to 10 tortillas

Shredded cheese for topping

Brown hamburger in skillet. While burger is cooking, place tortillas in a stack and use your pizza cutter to cut them in about 1 inch squares. Drain fat from burger and add soup, sauce, salsa and corn. Rinse the tomato soup can with water and add to skillet. Then add the tortillas and stir. Top with cheese and cover until cheese is melted. I like to top with sour cream and serve with a green salad.

Chicken Noodle Creamy Soup

For this recipe there is not a lot of measuring. I like to use what I have in the fridge, freezer or cupboard. I usually have chicken or turkey in the freezer from a previous meal but sometimes use frozen chicken breast.

Fill large stock pot 3/4 full with water.

Add 4 or 5 chicken bouillon cubes and 1 packet onion soup mix.

Add your already cooked chicken (around a quart sized Ziploc amount).

Add veggies to your liking. Celery, carrots, onion, corn, peas, whatever you have.

Boil lightly for about 30 minutes.

Add about a half package of the homemade pasta noodles.

Make a gravy base — about 1 cup flour and 2 cups milk stirred together and stir into soup. Salt to taste.

Enchiladas

1 lb hamburger

Onion

1 can refried beans

1 small can enchilada sauce

1 can tomato sauce

Cheese

1 pkg tortillas

Preheat oven to 375 F. Brown hamburger with onion. While burger is browning, spread a thin layer of refried beans on each tortilla shell. I place them in a stack, putting the bean sides of 2 together for space saving. When burger is done, spread a row of burger across the middle of each tortilla and roll up. Place in a 9x13 inch pan. Pour the enchilada sauce over the tortillas, then the tomato sauce over the top of that. I take a butter knife and run it between the tortillas so the sauce gets between them and to the bottom of the pan. Top with cheese and bake for 40 minutes. Top with sour cream and serve.