My favorite recipes

Windy Tevlin made the transition from Folger’s girl to gourmet espresso lover when she opened her new shop in Garfield. Since she and Tom own Garfield Meats, known locally as the Meat Shop, a coffee shop would naturally be Meet Shop II. She opened her shop to keep her mom busy and give herself something fun to do, but her mom hasn’t arrived yet to help out.

Besides coffees, Italian sodas and breakfast breads, the other section of the shop is a thrift shop done with clever decor. It’s already filled with Christmas goodies, so shoppers should check it out before they pay retail for decorations. Windy’s mom is a great buyer for the shop, having a real sense of the kind of things people enjoy. Windy tends to buy things that she would like, a narrower range.

Recently her mother brought a brand new ET stuffed doll to the shop. Who would buy it? Windy had no idea. Two days later, a little girl came to the shop who had just watched “ET, the Extraterrestial” for the first time with her mom, and it was love at first sight. There was no way the child would leave the shop without ET.

Windy’s own home is vintage mid-century style, think 1960’s and 70’s. She is beginning to change it out. The thrift shop confirms her ideas about our sentimental connections with things. People love dolls from their childhood and, accessories that remind them of home.

The building includes a cool old bank vault that piques people’s interest. Windy plans one wine event per month, advertised in advance on Meet Shop II’s Facebook page. She is licensed to sell wine by the bottle or by the glass, although business picks up when she has an evening event. For the first wine event, people were instructed to bring an item to sell or consign to the shop. The long-term plan is to fit the vault with a vintage bar and be open for longer hours.

Meet Shop II is open Tuesday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Since they lack a driveup window, customers can text or send a Facebook message, and they will carry your order out to your car. Becky Pfaff and Kelly Broeckel help on weekends and were barista instructors.

Windy grew up in the Tri-Cities area, graduating from Riverview High School in Finley. She earned her masters degree and certificate from the University of Phoenix.

Before moving to the Palouse in 1996, Windy owned a shop in Ritzville called Me and Mom’s. The shop was hard to find, but she and her mother loved having it. Tom was working for a commercial butcher at the time.

They bought Garfield Meats and moved to Colfax. Their children, Colt and Crystal Hedden, graduated from Colfax High School, and Windy worked in the juvenile court system. About the time she finished her master’s degree, she realized that she was about burned out dealing with child abuse and neglect cases for 16 years, and decided it was time to do something different.

They moved to Garfield and now live next to their meat shop, which makes after-hours loading out of customers much simpler. Her great-uncle John, who lived with them much of the time while she was growing up, lives across the street at LaDow Court. She takes him for drives.

Windy likes photography, taking senior photos and other special events photos. She loves editing and restoring old photos. Taking a cracked, wrinkled 60-year-old photo and making it look new again is a joy to her. Using Shutterfly and similar websites, she makes up photo books when they are on sale, which is easier and less expensive than scrapbooking.

Tom spent most of his time working or with his family until he was seriously injured in an accident at Garfield Meats several years ago. He decided that he could be killed going to work, so he should really take some time to have fun.

With his brother and a close friend from high school, Tom built a dragster, named “Insane Thing.”

Windy, who had initial reservations about the project, has become an avid crew member.

“Once you stand next to it and feel the power of the motor through your body, it’s just addictive.”

Windy does the oil, gas, tires and tow car, puts him on the line, tows him back to the pits, cools off the car and gets ready to go again. Their car was the third fastest at Walla Walla this year.

Windy is a self-taught cook, and she finds many recipes on Pinterest and in “Food and Wine” magazine. Besides recipes, she is now pinning ideas of items to make from old jeans. Many of her recipes are easy to take along during the racing season.

Recipes:

Bacon-Cheese Pull-Aparts

15 minutes prep time

45 minutes total time

1 egg

2 Tablespoons milk

1 (16.3 ounce) can Pillsbury Grands Flaky Layers biscuits

1 package bacon, precooked to crumble—cut in 1/2 Inch pieces

3 ounces shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup finely chopped onions (4 medium)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 11 x 7-inch or 12 x 8-Inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. In a large bowl, beat egg and milk until smooth.

Separate dough into 8 biscuits; cut each into quarters. Gently stir biscuit pieces into egg mixture to coat. Fold in cooked bacon pieces to coat. Spoon mixture into sprayed pan; arrange biscuit pieces in a single layer.

Bake at 350 degrees for 23 to 28 minutes or until golden brown. Cut into squares and enjoy!

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

The flavor of P.F. Chang’s with much less sugar!

1/4 cup minced cilantro

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 Tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar

1 Tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger, divided

1 Tablespoon sesame oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breast

1/2 cup finely chopped water chestnuts

2 Tablespoons minced green onion

large lettuce leaves

Lettuce Wrap Sauce

2 Tablespoons hoisin sauce

4 Tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

Make the sauce separately to poor over the lettuce wrap.

In a large freezer bag combine cilantro, vegetable oil, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon ginger, sesame oil, and garlic. Add chicken and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat grill to medium-high and spray with cooking spray.

Remove chicken from marinade, and grill pieces for 5 minutes on each side or till no longer pink in the middle. Cool 10 minutes; cut into tiny pieces no bigger than 1/2 inch.

In a large bowl, combine chicken, water chestnuts, green onions, and remaining 2 Tablespoons of ginger. Add lettuce wrap sauce or individuals may spoon on as desired. Place chicken mixture into lettuce leave, wrap and enjoy!

Meat Loaf Muffins

2 pounds lean ground beef

3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs

2 eggs

3/4 cup of tomato sauce

1 packet of dry onion soup mix

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Add a little water if not moist enough

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mush up ground beef, bread crumbs, eggs, tomato sauce, soup mix, and cheese. Mix well.

Use a 12 cup cupcake pan and grease or spray.

Form the meat mixture into balls about palm size, or size of the cupcake cup.

Top each meat loaf muffin with ketchup or tomato sauce

Bake for 30 minutes, cutting in half to check for doneness.

This is an easy take and go item.