My favorite recipe

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Diane Clark is a Whitman County native who grew up and attended schools in St. John, Winona, Endicott and Garfield. Her father was born in Riparia and graduated from Ewan High School. His father bought a farm in Pine City about the time he graduated. Diane’s mother moved from Hooper to Pine City where her family had a dairy. Mom graduated from Pine City High School.

At present, Diane has one aunt left in her father’s large family. A grandmother lived to be 104, and her parents lived into their 90s. Hers is a large family with many generations and with such longevity, Diane sees retirement as the jumping-off place to decades more of productive endeavors.

After graduating from Garfield High School, Diane attended business school in Spokane. Her father was in Seattle, so she moved there for a job. She married and had her first daughter, but soon divorced. Then, a single mother, she took a business refresher course and moved back to the east side to work at Lakeland Village. When she remarried, they moved to Colfax and she had her second daughter.

One daughter is in Colfax and another nearby in the country. One granddaughter lives with Diane while attending Washington State University, looking at graduate school next year in counseling.

“She psychoanalyzes all of us,” Diane joked. Sometimes it is interesting, sometimes unnerving.

Diane was hired at St. Ignatius Hospital when they moved to Colfax, working there for five years. She worked five years in the Whitman County Treasurer’s Office before moving on to WSU for the next 27 years. She was on a twelve-month contract, completing her career as the administrative manager in the School of Biological Sciences.

Both of Diane’s daughters worked at WSU. After 20 years, one recently quit to work as a cook at the Snake River Bar and Grill, her dream job. The other daughter has been at WSU for 10 years and is now administrative manager in the criminal justice department. Her step-daughter, to whom she is also close, lives in Othello. By now her family has expanded to five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Diane and her husband planned for him to retire early and spend some years traveling in a motor home. Before his retirement he became ill and passed away a few months later in 1995. Diane stayed on in her job another 10 years and became even more active in favorite organizations. She has served in numerous positions in the Fraternal Order of Eagles, including state president.

When she fell and broke her hip and wrist, she was determined to have a good recovery because she had things to do and places to go.

“I’m not going to lay around!” she said.

Joining Whitman Hospital Auxiliary, Diane’s mission was to work in the Bluebird Shop. At present, she is co-manager of the gift shop and president of the Auxiliary and works five days per month in the shop. Auxiliary officers are elected yearly and most serve two years in their offices. The auxiliary raises funds and purchases necessary equipment for the hospital each year. This year it purchased new wheelchairs for the hospital which are much easier to use.

In addition to the Bluebird Shop, the second big Auxiliary project is its spring festival. The Auxiliary serves a popular soup, sandwich and pie luncheon, with usually three soup choices and many sandwich and pie choices.

Annual plants, starts from members’ and friends’ gardens, and a rummage sale are all part of the spring festival. As president, Diane’s job is to circulate and help where needed. Members sign up for times and tasks.

Coming next is the Auxiliary Christmas luncheon in the hospital Administrative Annex catered by Peggy Curtis.

Each spring, Whitman Hospital Auxiliary gives two $1,000 scholarships to high school seniors in the hospital district and one $1,000 scholarship to a hospital employee for further education. The scholarship committee consists of the vice president, past presidents and someone from the hospital.

The hospital district includes Colfax, LaCrosse and St. John-Endicott high schools. The auxiliary sends applications to the schools and school counselors are informed of recipients.

Diane learned to cook from her mother and grandmother. Summer and vacations were spent with Grandma at the dairy. She helped butcher chickens and worked in the garden. Her great-grandfather was still alive when she was young and he loved working in his daughter’s garden. She and her brother were 11 and half months apart, and they made their own fun living out in the country and at Grandma’s.

Recipes:

Easy Banana Bread

1 egg

1/2 cup Miracle Whip

1 1/3 cups mashed fully ripe bananas (about 3)

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup chopped Planter’s peanuts

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Beat egg, Miracle Whip dressing, and bananas in large bowl with whisk until well blended. Mix remaining ingredients in a separate bowl. Add flour mixture to banana mixture; stir just until blended.

Pour into greased 9x5-inch loaf pan.

Bake one hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely.

Zucchini Bread

3 eggs, beaten until foamy

1 cup cooking oil

2 cups sugar

2 cups peeled, grated zucchini

2 teaspoons vanilla

Beat until well blended.

3 cups flour, half whole wheat

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3 Tablespoons cinnamon (trust this--it’s great)

1 teaspoon soda

1 cup chopped nuts.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon in a separate bowl. Stir into egg mixture until just moistened. Stir in chopped nuts.

Grease two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans. Pour batter into loaf pans and bake for one hour. Check for doneness. Remove pans to wire racks. Let cool 10 minutes in pans, then turn out onto racks.

Turkey Casserole

A family favorite after Thanksgiving

6 slices bread in 1/2-inch cubes

3 cups diced chicken or turkey

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

3/4 cup mayonnaise

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/4 cup milk

cream of mushroom soup

grated cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place half of bread cubes in bottom of 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Mix turkey, onion, celery, mayonnaise, and salt together well. Place on bread cubes in pan. Smooth out and place remaining bread cubes on top.

Beat together the eggs and milk and pour over turkey mixture. Spread cream of mushroom on top of mixture. Bake for 50 minutes. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle cheese as desired on top, then return to oven until cheese melts.