My favorite recipes

Many Pampered Chef customers have met Carrie Johnson in the last few years, and even more met her when she presented a series of classes at Whitman County Library, Colfax. Demonstrating delicious, easy-to-make foods was a hit for the noon hour classes, and they were very well attended.

Born in Pullman, Carrie spent her first few years in Washtucna, and then her teacher parents moved to the Yakima area. They both became school principals and recently retired to spend their time being active grandparents.

After graduating from West Valley High School in Yakima, Carrie returned to Pullman for college. She graduated from Washington State University in 1998 with a business degree, the first Coug in her family. Her husband graduated from WSU with an agriculture degree.

Carrie returned to Yakima and worked for Weyerhauser Company in the accounting department, a job that she loved. Then she and Chris married and started a family, and she became a stay-at-home mother.

They have two children, Danny, 13, and Nicole is 11. Danny, an eighth grader at Moscow Middle School, just finished football and is now on to basketball, and he participates in track in the spring. Nicole is a sixth grader at Moscow Middle School, and she will start basketball right after volleyball season concludes.

The family is involved with Mountainview 4H Club, and Chris is a leader. He transferred from Yakima to the Latah County US Department of Agriculture and heads the NRCS, known to many as the soil conservation service. They moved about two and a half years ago.

The Johnson family lives out in the country on a hobby farm. They have 4H pigs, a black lab named Jake and five farm cats. They are fencing the pasture acreage so that they can raise grass-fed beef. Their free-range chickens, which pastured so well in the Yakima area, did not do so well in coyote country here. More chickens are planned when they have more secure chicken housing.

Carrie started with Pampered Chef in 2001 while she was at home with Danny, doing about one show each week. When the children went to school, she considered returning to an office job, but decided instead to increase her Pampered Chef activity.

She has done more than 1,900 shows in 13 years, with $1 million in career sales. Unfortunately, that is not net profit to her! She really enjoys working for a good company. Pampered Chef really helped her get out and meet new people after their move to Moscow.

With an area that includes Lewiston, Clarkston, Pullman, Moscow, Colfax and the smaller towns, Carrie travels a great deal. Kristie Kirkpatrick attended several of Carrie’s shows and then invited her to present some classes at the library. Those who attended the foods classes enjoyed Carrie’s professional presentation, her skill and her recipes. After demonstrating two recipes, she served samples and provided recipes for several more.

Chris and Carrie enjoy running, exercising, watching their children’s sports activities and attending all of the home Cougar football games and a few basketball games. She enjoys cooking, baking and entertaining. An active gardener, Carrie raises raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, corn, tomatoes, onions, garlic and green beans. Her large flower garden features many perennials, including peonies, daffodils and lavender.

This fall, Carrie helped chaperone the sixth grade girls during the Moscow Outdoor Science School in McCall for five days. The camp is located on the border of Ponderosa State Park, and graduate students from the University of Idaho teach the students. This year students studied ecosystems and the water cycle.

Carrie and Chris are strong believers in family mealtime. In spite of busy schedules for all four of them, they enjoy dinner together every night. Family dinner together produces all kinds of good results for kids, academically, socially and behaviorally, and kids are less likely to experiment with drugs and alcohol. Healthy dishes, made from scratch without processed foods, are important to them.

Recipes:

My Mom’s Layered Enchilada Pie

1 pound ground beef

1 onion, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

1 Tablespoon chili powder

1 1/2 cups grated cheese

1 8-ounce can tomato sauce

6 flour or corn tortillas

1 4.5-ounce sliced black olives

1 cup water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Brown beef and onion in a large skillet. Drain well. Add seasonings and tomato sauce.

In a casserole dish, alternate layers of tortillas, meat sauce, olives and cheese. Pour 1 cup of water over the top of casserole.

Cover and bake in a 400 degree F oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and casserole is heated through.

Carrie’s Dinner Rolls

1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F)

1/2 cup warm milk

1 egg

1/3 cup butter, softened

1/3 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 3/4 cups white wheat flour

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

1/4 cup butter, softened

Place water, milk, egg, 1/3 cup butter, sugar, salt, flour, and yeast in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select Dough/Knead and First Rise Cycle; press Start.

When the cycle finishes, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a 12-inch circle, spread 1/4 cup softened butter over entire round. Cut each circle into 8 wedges. Roll wedges starting at wide end; roll gently but tightly. Place point side down on ungreased cookie sheet. Cover with clean kitchen towel and put in a warm place, let rise 1 hour.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden.

Carrie’s Molasses Cookies

1 1/2 cups shortening (use butter flavored)

2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup molasses

2 eggs

4 cups all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine shortening, sugar, molasses, and eggs, and beat well, using a hand or stand mixer.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

Combine mixtures and mix well.

Cover dough and chill 3 hours or overnight.

Form walnut-sized balls; roll in sugar. Place on cookie sheets and flatten only slightly.

Bake 8-10 minutes at 375 degrees or until edges are light golden brown and cookies start to crack. Let cool 2 minutes on cookies sheets and remove with a metal spatula to cool completely.

Carrie’s Pumpkin Bars

4 eggs

1 2/3 cups white sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

Frosting:

1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, mix the eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir into the pumpkin mixture until thoroughly combined.

Spread the batter evenly into an ungreased 10 x 15-inch jellyroll pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in preheated oven. Cool before frosting.

To make the frosting, cream together the cream cheese and butter. Stir in the vanilla. Add confectioners’ sugar a little at a time, beating until the mixture is smooth. Spread evenly on top of the cooled bars. Cut into squares.