My favorite recipes

Angela Beggs is enjoying working for an organization that she has belonged to for years. As the new manager of the Colfax Eagles Aerie, she is pleased to be working with people she knows well and for an active community organization.

The daughter of Brenda Wickizer, Angie grew up in Colfax and her grandparents are Rod and Delores Wickizer. She played volleyball and softball in high school, but was quiet and introverted and moved to an alternative high school where she graduated. She worked in food service before having her children. Now, she said, she’s much more outgoing, which would have made high school more fun.

Kayden and Daemond were born in Nampa, Idaho, ten months apart. Very soon both boys will be nine years old for two months, until Kayden’s tenth birthday. Having her boys close together is fun for Angie and for them, since they play well together and both participate in youth football and basketball. Kayden is a fourth grader who enjoys riding his bike, and Daemond is a third grader who likes skateboarding. Angie lived in Nampa for four years until after Kayden’s birth, when they returned to Colfax to be close to friends and family.

With two little boys, Angie was a stay-at-home mother before they started school and she studied and earned her associate’s degree as an administrative secretary. When she was hired by the Eagles as manager, she had to get licensed, a class 12 mixologist permit. This online test requires three hours.

For fun, Angie loves to spend time with family and go camping with her family. She prefers to camp at Boyer--running water is the ticket for her--with showers and restrooms.

The Fraternal Order of Eagles is the oldest service club in Colfax, organized here in 1903, as a nonprofit international organization. The organization’s motto is “People helping people.” Using the eagle motif, each individual group is called an aerie, “nest” in eagle parlance. Golden Grain Aerie members are proud of the beautiful eagle painted on a wall of the club by a former member. Eagles members from all over the country have visited with a recent visitor having logged stops at 200 different aeries.

Angie’s job description includes managing the volunteer bar staff, ordering and stocking alcohol, mixers, and sodas, managing the bar staff and other volunteers, and planning events, of which there are many. The club is family friendly, with children welcome until 9 p.m. each evening. Foosball, air hockey and pool are available for youth and adults to enjoy.

An “Under New Management” party will be May 16 with a taco dinner.

In July, the Eagles will host a Concrete River Festival Country Night with country music, and in September they have a booth at the Palouse Empire Fair.

The Eagles supports Meals on Wheels and the food bank and this year will give two $500 scholarships to Colfax High School graduates. Angie is chairman of the Giving Tree for Colfax, a job which Gail Webster handed on to her. The Eagles support this and donates to WSU Cancer Research and the Eagles national project for cancer research.

Golden Grain Aerie’s members are especially proud to be benefactors of Washington State University Foundation, with the auxiliary members raising more than $300,000 to donate over the years. WSU officials came to the club to present the plaque.

Eagles officers shared their membership costs, which are $48 per year for new members and $36 thereafter, and $34 per year for new auxiliary members and $19 per year after the first year.

With two busy boys and a full-time job, Angie prefers simple and easy recipes.

Recipes:

Cheesy Potato Casserole (Also known as Funeral Potatoes)

1 32-ounce package frozen shredded potatoes

1 cup sour cream

2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

4 Tablespoons melted butter, divided

2 10-ounce cans cream of chicken soup

salt and pepper

1 1/2 cups corn flakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Pour a 32-ounce bag of frozen shredded potatoes into a large mixing bowl. Pop that baby into the microwave for 2-3 minutes to thaw the potatoes.

To the thawed potatoes, add 1 cup sour cream, 2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, 2 Tablespoons melted butter, 2 cans of cream of chicken soup, and a bit of salt and pepper.

Stir it all around with a wooden spoon. Make sure all ingredients are combined.

Pour 1 1/2 cups corn flakes into a small food processor and crush them into crumbs. No food processor? Do not be dismayed. Put the corn flakes into a gallon-sized Ziploc bag and roll over the top of the bag with a rolling pin.

Put the corn flake crumbs into a small bowl and pour 2 Tablespoons of butter over the top. Give it a nice stir to combine.

Spray a 9 x 13-inch pan with cooking spray and spread the potato-cheese mixture into it.

Cover the potatoes with corn flake crumbs, cover the pan with aluminum foil, and bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.

Enjoy!

Black Angus Potato Soup

4 large baking potatoes

2/3 cup butter

6 cups milk

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

4 green onions, chopped and divided

package of bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 1/4 cup shredded cheese, divided

8 ounces sour cream

Wash, dry, and prick potatoes with fork. Bake in 400 degree F oven for 1 hour or until done; let cool. Cut in half lengthwise and scoop out pulp; set aside. Use skins for something else, such as stuffed potato skins.

Melt butter in heavy saucepan over low heat; add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Gradually add milk, cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Add potato pulp, salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons of green onion, half the bacon, and 1 cup of the cheese. Cook until thoroughly heated.

Stir in sour cream and extra milk if necessary for desired consistency. Serve with remaining green onions, bacon, and cheese.

Cowboy Cookies

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups quick-cooking oats

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup walnuts or pecans

Lightly grease a baking sheet. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and peanut butter with granulated and brown sugars. Beat in vanilla and eggs until smooth. Stir in the flour mixture, then stir in oats, chocolate chips, and nuts.

Drop cookie dough by teaspoonful onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Store cookies in a tightly covered container or food storage bag.

Makes 4 to 5 dozen cookies.

Correction to recipe originally published May 1

Best Soft Ginger Cookies EVER!

2 1/4 cups flour

2 teaspoons ginger

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup molasses

sugar for rolling cookies

3/4 cup butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix together ingredients. Roll into balls. Roll balls in sugar and place on greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes. Let stand on cookie sheet for two minutes, and transfer them to a rack to cool.