My favorite recipes

Joe and Tracy are new to Colfax, but they aren’t new to small town living. Tracy, from Longview, met Joe, from Gladstone, Mich., in Bellingham. Joe says that Gladstone is the same size as Colfax, but only has one stoplight and many more trees. Both of their hometowns were built on the lumber industry, with paper mills providing local employment.

Tracy graduated from R.A. Long High School, where she was a very involved student. In addition to participating in volleyball, track, wrestling (which her father did not like), cheerleading and marching, jazz and concert bands, she was class president all four years and was in Key Club.

Tracy graduated from Western Washington University in biology and worked for a year at WSU’s facility in Puyallup. She was involved in collecting research data but not analysis, so she knew she needed more education to do what she wanted. After earning a masters degree in animal science, she was accepted to veterinary school and just graduated from Washington State University with her degree in veterinary medicine.

Joe’s childhood was spent building play forts, so Joe already had an interest in building construction when he took a class that rough-framed a house during his junior year and did the finish work his senior year. He participated in wrestling and football in high school and played a little baseball. His hobbies still include fishing, hunting and camping.

Working for his mother at her GNC store in the mall convinced him that he needed windows or the outdoors. He took a year after high school and worked construction, a job that he returned to during summers and breaks.

After earning a Bachelor of Science in construction management and a minor in business, Joe headed west. On his way to work for his uncle in Bellingham, Joe visited many friends and relatives and hiked in and enjoyed 14 national parks including Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion, Yosemite, Rocky Mountain, Bad Lands and Death Valley. On the trip from Michigan, he either stayed with friends and family or camped out, staying in a motel only two nights. He hoped to learn to surf while in California, but he had to settle for windsurfing further north.

In Bellingham, Tracy and Joe met by chance, having no mutual friends. They had a long-distance relationship for three years, until she was ready to start vet school in Pullman. He moved to Whitman County, living first in Pullman until he found two houses side by side on Park Street. He began his building business again in Eastern Washington.

They married at her home church in Longview in July 2012, where one of the memorable events still makes them laugh. They wanted Abbot Adrian Parcher from Colfax to officiate, but he had other obligations. Instead, they had a priest who kept calling Joe “Jeff,” which confused all of Tracy’s relatives who thought she was marrying someone named Joe.

Former Colfax residents Eric and Heather Meyer quickly recruited them to coach youth league soccer. The first year they were paired with another couple and coached fourth, fifth and sixth graders. This past year, Tracy traveled to internships around the country, and Joe coached second and third graders. They are active in church, co-teaching the high school class at St. Patrick's Church, and he is active in Knights of Columbus, which often involves men cooking large quantities of food.

Tracy is now working at WSU analyzing data for a couple of dairy researchers. They will stay in Colfax until at least November, as they are expecting a baby in August. Joe has been busy working on additions and remodels, including his own homes. The two houses show his building skills, as both have new foundations, plumbing and electrical systems, and have been raised so that the basements are full-height, with walk-outs into the backyards.

Two Bellingham projects were a lot of fun and allowed for lots of creativity. He built an outdoor kitchen for a home that included a lot of luxury features. Another project was new flooring for an octagonal-shaped room. He used dark and light bamboo, with dark bamboo as the border, and then a compass rose in the center of the floor. He commented that he had a lot of nice clients there, and they have become his friends.

“He can design and build anything you want,” Tracy commented. Looking at their two homes, that is obvious. They are in the process of moving from the smaller house to the larger one, and then will lease or sell the smaller one.

Tracy and Joe had a wonderful honeymoon in Spain in 2012. They flew into Barcelona and rented a Mini Cooper. They spent several days in each region they visited, which included the Mediterranean Coast, Valencia, Seville, Grenada and Madrid. Tracy speaks Mexican Spanish, so at first it was difficult to understand the different accents, but soon she developed an ear for the local dialects.

They loved hiking in the mountains, do not recommend attending a bullfight, advise not buying the water offered at meals for ten Euros (about fifteen dollars), visited many museums and enjoyed flamenco dancing. They ate a lot of bread, cheese and meat.

When they were in Madrid they experienced Dia de Paloma, a festival honoring St. Paloma, which included a parade and food vendors. The huge pans of paella were delicious. They tried what looked like calamari, but it was much chewier and not so tasty. It was entrades (intestines), deep-fried.

Jamon (ham) was wonderful; the shaved pieces like prosciutto were delicious and cheap. Tapas bars had delicious food, different dishes in each region. Spanish food was a great experience for them.

Tracy learned to cook from her mother, making the family’s favorite Italian dishes. An Irish lady she lived with on her exchange in college in Ireland taught her to make apple pie. The two cook together, with Tracy most enjoying baking and Joe being chief griller, a “charcoal guy,” as he said. He makes elk and venison jerky and grills venison backstrap after inserting garlic bits into slits and wrapping with bacon. He tops them with onions and peppers while cooking and serves potatoes on the side for a “complete midwestern meal.” They enjoy being adventurous with food.

Recipes:

Hot Wings

not for sissies!

15 wings or drumlets

garlic buds

fresh Jalapeno peppers

butter for sauteeing

Frank’s hot sauce

Valentina’s hot sauce

cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

Ranch dressing

carrot and celery sticks

damp towels

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake wings/drumlets for 30 minutes, or until done. Deep fry or pan fry briefly to make the skin crisp.

While the wings bake, assemble the sauce. Finely chop garlic and jalapenos--the amounts depend on how spicy you want to make the sauce. For milder tastes, remove all seeds and white of the peppers. Saute the garlic and jalapenos in butter until tender. Add Frank’s and Valentina’s sauces, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper, all to taste.

Simmer and reduce sauce in a saucepan to thicken sauce and develop flavors. Add a little Ranch dressing for creamier texture. The longer you cook it, the hotter it gets.

Pour sauce over cooked wings or serve as a dip. Also serve accompaniments of Ranch dressing, carrot and celery sticks, accompanied by damp towels to wipe up the drips.

Leftover sauce is great on grilled elkburgers.

Steamed Clams

2 Tablespoons olive oil

5 cloves garlic, minced

3 green onions, chopped

3 Roma tomatoes, diced

1 cup white wine

1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped

2 Tablespoons butter

60 mussels or clams

Heat oil on medium-low heat and saute garlic for one minute. Add the green onions and Roma tomatoes, cooking until almost tender. Pour in white wine, and stir in parsley and butter. Add mussels or clams, cover and cook for ten minutes. Enjoy!

Whole Hog Roast

Joe built his own pit barbecue of cinder blocks and rebar for this feast. The family helped him prepare this for Tracy’s party when she graduated in May with her DVM degree.

Approximate timetable for a 75-pounder:

1-2 weeks before: Order the hog.

Day before: Build the pit or clean the pit if you have one.

6 AM: Dress and clean the hog, inject and season, prep it for the pit. Fire up the pit. Aim for 250 degrees F.

8 AM: Find an assistant/pigsitter and move the pig to the pit, skin side up. Monitor the pit temp closely, add lit charcoal if the temp is declining.

9 AM through 2 PM: Monitor pit temp closely, add lit charcoal if the temp is declining and check to see that meat isn’t burning.

10 AM: Remove the foil from the ears and tail.

2 PM: 6 hours into the cook, check the meat temp, and with some help, flip it skin side down if it is ready. Joe uses a wire rack arrangement to make this easier.

4 PM: 8 hours into the cook. Check the meat temp, paint the entire cavity with one coat of your favorite barbecue sauce.

4:30 PM One more coat of sauce.

5 PM: 9 hours in, check the meat temp, remove hog if it is ready, and serve dinner!

Pork Brine Injection

Enough for 30 pounds of meat.

1 Tablespoon table salt

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire

2 Tablespoons rice vinegar

1 cup apple juice or low sodium pork, chicken, or beef stock

3 cups water

Memphis Dust

dry rub

Yield: about 3 cups

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

3/4 cup white sugar

1/2 cup paprika

1/4 cup Morton’s kosher salt

1/4 cup garlic powder

2 Tablespoons ground black pepper

2 Tablespoons ground ginger powder

2 Tablespoons onion powder

2 teaspoons rosemary powder

Mix ingredients thoroughly in a bowl. If sugar is lumpy, crumble the lumps by hand or on the side of the bowl with a fork. If you store the rub in a tight jar, you can keep it for months.

For most meats, sprinkle just enough on to color it. Not too thick, about 2 Tablespoons per side of a large slab of St. Louis cut ribs. To prevent contaminating the rub with meat juice, spoon out the proper amount before you start and seal the bottle for future use. To prevent cross-contamination, one hand sprinkles on the rub and the other hand does the rubbing. Don’t put the hand that is rubbing into the powder.

Massage the rub into the meat at least an hour before cooking. Two or three hours is better.

Sauces for the Cooked Meat

Lexington Dip

Yield: about 1 1/2 cups

1 cup distilled vinegar (not cider vinegar)

1/4 cup catsup

1/4 cup apple juice

1 teaspoon hot sauce

3 Tablespoons light brown sugar

1/2 Tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 teaspoon finely ground black pepper

Whisk together all ingredients and let them set for at least three hours to allow the flavors to meld. Overnight is better. A week is best.

Serve in a cruet. Leftovers will keep for months in the refrigerator.

Kansas City Classic

Yield: 6 cups

2 Tablespoons American chili powder

2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon table salt

2 cups catsup

1/2 cup yellow ballpark-style mustard

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup steak sauce

1/4 cup dark molasses

1/4 cup honey

1 teaspoon hot sauce

1 cup dark brown sugar

3 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

4 medium cloves garlic, crushed or minced

In a small bowl, mix the chili powder, black pepper, and salt. In a large bowl, mix the catsup, mustard, vinegar, Worcestershire, lemon juice, steak sauce, molasses, honey, hot sauce, and brown sugar. Mix them.

Over medium heat, warm the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions and saute until limp and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Add the dry spices and stir for about 2 minutes to extract their most oil-soluble flavors. Add the wet ingredients. Simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes with the lid off to thicken it a bit.

Taste and adjust.