My Favorite Recipes

A bell sounded at the St. John’s Academy reunion last weekend, and former students of all ages perked up and looked for the source of the familiar sound that signaled the start and end of the school day. Mel Riedner grinned when he produced the old bell, which only the sisters and lay teachers rang.

Since many students remembered a slightly larger bell, the quest was on for its location. The larger bell was rung at the end of recesses outside, and someone had to know where it was. Kay Hinnenkamp VanDyke now owns it, but didn’t bring it to the reunion because the handle has too fragile a connection to the bell.

Both Mel and Kay were in the right place at the right time to become owners of the bells. Mel stopped by the academy years after he graduated from Colfax High School to observe remodeling of the building, in the early 1970’s. The bell sat on its customary shelf in the hallway, and he was told he could take it, before it was trashed. For years he has enjoyed owning it, and the reunion was the opportune time to display his treasure. At the reunion, Mel gave the bell to the church archives to be displayed in a case in the parish hall, once St. John’s Academy.

Mel owns an interesting collection of things he has found or made. A large stick or a small branch, depending on your point of view, is suspended at both ends from his kitchen ceiling and fitted as a pot rack. He’s made several as gifts. He finishes appropriately sized branches for use as walking sticks. He has a cuckoo clock from Germany which predates World War II. His prized clock was a retirement gift from United Parcel Service.

His water feature beside his garage looks like an ordinary utility sink that has been left running. In fact it is handy for a little washing up before going inside. Hidden is the circulating pump. Delivery drivers, neighbors and passersby have stopped to tell him that his faucet is running outside. When he had the sink assembled at a local welding shop, a farmer came in, liked the idea, and had his own version assembled, minus the circulating pump.

After graduating from Colfax High School, Mel attended Spokane Falls Community College, then transferred to WSU, where he stayed for two years while majoring in math. He quit school to earn money to finish his degree and went to work for United Parcel Service where he was employed for 28 years.

At UPS, he was an inside guy and handled complaints, “not that there were ever any,” he laughed. He drove twice during the peak season.

Working with customers, Mel said, “was extremely fulfilling.” United Parcel Service moves an average of 10 million packages a day, and even a 99 percent satisfactory delivery would leave 100,000 late or lost packages. Sometimes a bit of detective work was needed to locate packages. In all, he feels that UPS has customer service built into the company.

Mel’s father, the late Leonard Riedner, made wonderful salads, so Mel’s first cooking projects were salads. He always tries to include a mystery ingredient that makes people stop and think. Adding apple or turnip in small chunks is a favorite.

Next Mel tried fried chicken. He claims his fried chicken makes some people weep—and because it’s that good, not bad. He has given a large batch of fried chicken to friends for a 25th anniversary gift.

An avid Julia Child fan, Mel found her cooking shows a blast to watch, and he thinks she truly got more guys into the kitchen because she made cooking look like fun.

At his mother’s home one time, the aroma of the family recipe molasses cookies really motivated him. That aroma made him decide to keep the tradition going. When his mother, Millie, faced failing health, he baked cookies for her and took cookies to other friends. Later, he took cookies each week to his mother’s care facility and other residents who were waiting for them.

Spritz cookies, Mel thought, were a little dull, so he started tinkering with the ingredients and came up with an orange cookie. A friend suggested adding a little orange marmalade and that did the trick.

He took both cookies to the Palouse Empire Fair one year and won blue ribbons. The judge noted that Mel almost got a florette, but he didn’t follow the recipe. Well, the recipe was Mel’s own creation.

He hasn’t entered cookies in the fair, but he makes dozens for the Eagles concessions stand.

Recipes:

Molasses Cookies

Mel claims that the old version begins with “render a pig,” but this is an easier version.

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups salad oil

1/2 cup molasses

2 eggs

dash salt

4 cups flour

4 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cloves

2 teaspoons ground ginger

3 to 4 teaspoons cinnamon (2 1/2 if you like less spice)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix the sugar, oil, molasses, and eggs. Stir or sift together the dry ingredients. Add to moist ingredients.

Form dough into balls one inch in diameter and place on cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Do not overbake—cookies should be chewy.

Mel’s Orange Cookies

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/3 cups butter, very soft, not quite melted

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon orange juice

1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 teaspoons orange extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 Tablespoon orange marmalade

Into a large bowl, measure flour, butter, sugar, orange juice, egg yolk, extracts, and orange marmalade. With mixer at medium speed, beat ingredients until well mixed, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber scraper. Cover; refrigerate for one hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Use a cookie press, which is used for spritz cookies, to form cookies on cookie sheet. Bake for 8 minutes until light golden, being careful not to overbake. Remove to cooling rack.