My favorite recipes

Talia Salter has been in Colfax for the last five years, returning to Whitman County where her mother was born and raised. Her parents are Derrick and Tara Leinweber Salter. After growing up in the Seattle area, Colfax was definitely a change. A 2010 graduate of Colfax High School, Talia worked at Zip’s and got acquainted here. Her grandmother, Karen Leinweber, attended high school in Colfax.

After high school, Talia attended Everest College in Everett and trained to become a dental assistant. Her schooling took seven months, plus one month of practicum in Dr. Larsen’s dental office in Pullman. She enjoys the work and would like to work again in a dental office.

While living in Everett, Talia worked at coffee stands. You may find her at one in Colfax, enjoying a delicious coffee drink. She would love to own a coffee house of her own in the future. When she found she was bored and needed something to do part-time, she returned to working at Zip’s.

Talia’s fiance Steven Helvik owns Westside Pizza here and operates the restaurant. He was working seven days a week, but he has hired capable helpers and now has enough people that he is working four day weeks.

“It’s funny how early some people eat pizza; I think of it as a dinner thing,” Talia noted. Westside does brisk business after it opens on Sunday mornings, when some are looking forward to large breakfasts.

Steven and Talia are rearing three girls, Hailey, 6, and Hannah, 5, and their own daughter Hayden, 1 1/2 years old. Hailey is in kindergarten this year. They’re hoping to add a boy to their family. Talia has been with Haley and Hannah for four and a half years and they call her “Mom.”

Much of Talia’s time and interest are spent on activities with and for the children. They have a new swing set, so they are outside all of the time. The girls enjoy reading Leap Frog books and now they are watching the movie “Frozen” repeatedly. Talia understands; she wore out a VHS version of “Beauty and the Beast” as a child.

Wendy Folsom is the girls’ grandmother and she spends a lot of time with them, hiking, baking pies and other activities. Many weekends are spent with her while Steven and Talia work.

Talia’s mother and grandmother taught her to cook. Tara cooked from scratch every night and that impresses Talia, now a busy mom herself. Her very favorite dish is German klees, dumplings made with potatoes or fruit and served for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Her grandmother made wonderful Christmas cookies that they call “peppernuts,” and the family enjoyed them every year. Her parents have moved back to Everett, so this last Christmas season, with grandma gone, Talia and her mom attempted, finally, to make them again. To their chagrin, the cookies did not turn out like grandma’s. Well, there is always next Christmas to try again.

Recipes:

Madda Klees--Effie Schmick

German favorite from the

Endicott cookbook.

2 quarts of water

1 Tablespoon salt

2 eggs

2 Tablespoons water

1 3/4 cups flour

1 pint small curd cottage cheese

1 egg

salt and pepper to taste

finely diced onion, optional

2 slices finely cubed bread

1 cube butter or margarine

1 pint of half and half

Heat 2 quarts of water and 1 Tablespoon of water in a large kettle.

Beat 2 eggs and 1 Tablespoons of water together. Work in the flour; dough should be soft. Roll out half the dough as you would for thin pie crust. Cut into 3-inch squares.

Mix cottage cheese and 1 egg, salt and pepper, and diced onion (if desired). Put a spoonful of cottage cheese on each square. Bring corners together, and pinch and seal each square. Make sure the sides are well sealed.

Drop into boiling water and boil slowly for 20 minutes; drain. Brown cubed bread in cube of margarine. Heat 1 pint of half and half and mix together with browned bread cubes. Pour over drained Madda Klees.

Klees may be made with cherries, strawberries, cherry pie filling, and either fresh or frozen fruit, in place of the cottage cheese mixture.

“Peppernuts” Cookies

A recipe similar to the family favorite--

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy canes

3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

5 teaspoons warm water

2 Tablespoons crushed peppermint candy canes or to taste (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Beat butter and white sugar in a large bowl until smooth. Beat egg into butter mixture until completely incorporated. Mix flour and salt into the butter mixture until just incorporated. Fold crushed candy canes into the batter, mixing just enough to evenly combine. Roll dough into balls 1 Tablespoon at a time; arrange on baking sheets.

Bake in the preheated oven until firm, 8 to 10 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a minute before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

Stir confectioners’ sugar and water together with whisk in a small bowl until smooth. Dip top of each cookie into the icing. Top with additional crushed candy cane, if desired. Set aside to let the icing dry, at least 5 minutes.