My favorite recipes

A farm boy from eastern South Dakota, Carl Ogren traveled a diverse path to arrive in Colfax. He was raised on a farm where the family grew wheat, barley, corn, flax, hogs, dairy, beef and sheep (the latter until Carl was seven). During World War II, the sale of cream paid for the groceries for their family of seven, but they were sophisticated for the time because they used milking machines.

Carl’s father was of Swedish stock, while his mother was a member of the Wing family, English settlers who were early immigrants to the “colonies.”

Merle, his mother’s little brother, worked for them when they were newlyweds. He came downstairs at one in the morning to find the Ogrens up and having coffee, in dress clothes. He asked where they were going, and they replied, “To a birthday party.” Merle had the cows in for milking before he realized that they were going to the hospital.

A one-room school provided Carl’s education for the first eight years and to attend high school 15 miles away he had to live in town. The first year he lived with his grandparents and the next three with a family friend.

College was at South Dakota State University and Carl remains a fan of the Jackrabbits. Carl earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical and aeronautical engineering in 1963. He was commissioned into the U.S. Air Force on graduation day and began active duty in December of 1963 at Edwards Air Force Base at the rocket lab. Therefore, Carl can claim to be a rocket scientist.

While working on large solid-fuel rockets, they tested a concept that is still used today. NASA was having problems with the F-1 engine on the main rocket, a massive 260 inches in diameter. When NASA took over the program, Carl was named a consultant to the Secretary of the Air Force to evaluate rockets used by other nations. It was a big job for a first lieutenant.

From rockets, Carl went to airplanes and he was on the team that bought the SR-71 Blackbird from Lockheed. The plane first flew in 1965, flying so high and fast that records it set are not known to have been bested.

Carl left the Air Force in 1969 to work for Hughes Aircraft Corporation, leaving Hughes in 1972 to begin his insurance career and give more time to raising his family. He came to Spokane in 1973, and developed his own agency, which he moved to Colfax in 1990. Colfax, he said, has been a great fit for a farm boy from a small town. He feels that he is the wealthiest man in Colfax because of his wonderful friends.

Carl’s eldest daughter, Danielle, was born at Edwards AFB, and is now married and lives in Issaquah. Their business, in which her husband works full-time, replaces windows with Anderson windows. Their daughter is a freshman and their son is a junior in high school.

Christa, Carl’s second daughter, is married and lives in Bellevue, with a sophomore girl and a seventh grade boy. She was an FDIC bank examiner, a Key Bank development officer, and currently CFO for the development company which owns Bellevue Square.

Son Nathan is married and lives in Zurich, Switzerland, and works for Swiss Airlines. His wife works for Lindt Chocolate Corporation, the largest chocolate company in the world. His daughter is a senior in high school in Spokane.

Carl has been very involved in the community, and one of his favorite activities is reading with Connie McBride’s third grade class. He volunteered because of his interest in literacy. Named the “class grandpa,” he listens to children read, one child at a time, once a week.

One boy brought the novel “White Fang” to read at the start of the year, but it was too difficult for him. Carl got him going on less difficult books, encouraged him, and by the end of the school year, he read “White Fang.”

At the end of the year, the boy said, “When I grow up, I want to be a man like you.” This was a truly memorable experience, Carl said.

When he was severely injured in a car accident, those children sent many cards and signs to encourage him.

Carl just resigned his Rotary membership in January after more than 24 years of membership. The Colfax club named him an honorary member. He participated in Little League breakfast, rose sales, making funnel cakes, selling lemonade, selling tickets at the fair and painting the Colfax swim pool.

During his term on the Advisory Board of the business school at Spokane Community College, he was able to get the college to require an essay question on each test. He feels strongly about writing and literacy because he did so little writing in college as an engineering major.

Carl coordinates a Bible study each week at Hill-Ray via Skype with Pastor Bay, retired Selbu Lutheran pastor who now lives at Mountlake Terrace.

As the oldest of seven, Carl had a mother who made sure that he and his siblings learned to cook. At Edwards AFB, his bride joined a gourmet cooking club, and they ate a lot of failed soufflés while she learned. Carl also bakes bread.

He said that the hardest part of cooking is just doing it. Practice leads to learning techniques which make it easier.

Recipes:

Beef Stroganoff

1 1/2pounds of beef round steak

2 Tablespoons margarine or butter

1 1/2 cups beef bouillon

2 Tablespoons Catsup

1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup dark red wine

1 medium onion chopped

6 ounces mushrooms, chopped

2 Tablespoons Flour

1 cup sour cream

3 - 4 cups cooked egg noodles

1 teaspoon butter

Cut beef into 1/4 inch thick slices about 2 inches long. Brown in Margarine/Butter. When brown, add 1 cup bouillon (reserving 1/2 cup for the flour mixture), catsup, garlic, onion, salt, wine, and mushrooms. Simmer until meat is tender. Combine remaining bouillon and flour in shaker. Stir flour mixture into beef mixture and bring to boil. The gravy will thicken. Stir sour cream into mixture prior to serving over hot buttered noodles.

Note: I use Campbell’s beef broth and one can is about 10 ounces, so I add enough water to make 12 ounces.

Cherry Enchiladas

1 cup water

1 cup butter

1 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

10 9-10 inch flour tortillas

1 can (30 ounces) cherry pie filling

4 Tablespoons white sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons crushed/chopped almonds (optional)

Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish, Combine the 1 cup of water, butter, almond extract and 1 cup of sugar in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Place a few spoonfuls of pie filling slightly off center on each tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in baking dish. Repeat and fill dish.

Pour the hot liquid over the enchiladas making sure to coat the tops completely. The mixture will be watery. Cover and store in the refrigerator overnight. The liquid will be absorbed. (I usually have a few cherries left over. If you use a 21 oz. can, you may not have enough cherries.)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine the 4 tablespoons of sugar, cinnamon and chopped almonds in a small bowl or cup. Sprinkle over the top of the enchiladas.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven or until the outside edges are golden brown. Let cool slightly before serving.

This recipe works equally well with raspberry filling blueberry filling or any pie filling mix.

Chicken Enchiladas with Sour Cream

1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup

1 Pint Sour Cream

4 Small green onions

1 small can diced chilies

2 Cups cheddar cheese

2 Cups cooked chicken

1 dozen small (9-inch) flour or corn tortillas

Mix cream of chicken soup, sour cream, green onions, and diced chilies. Put this mixture and cheese with chicken in each of the tortillas. Roll up the tortilla and place in 9x13 dish with seam down. Pour remaining sauce over the enchilada. Then sprinkle the remaining cheese over them all.

Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.

Note: I prefer to purchase a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store and remove the meat for this recipe.

Striped Jell-O Salad

This is a family favorite for holidays. (Takes 2 1/2 hours to prepare)

Put 9x13 inch pan in refrigerator and chill well.

2 packages Knox gelatin

1/2 cup water —Dissolve and set aside

2 cups milk

1 cup sugar–Bring to just a boil

1 tsp. vanilla — Add to milk mixture

Add: Knox gelatin mixture. Cool

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese

1 cup sour cream.–blend together and add to milk mixture

5 (3-oz.) packages jello--lime, orange, grape, lemon, and red

1 1/4 cup boiling water mixed with each Dissolve each.

Put lime is 9x13 pan and let set (20 minutes). Let remaining flavors set in bowls at room temperature until needed.

Let jello just set, top with 1 cup, 2 tablespoons of white mixture. Let just set, top with: lime, white, orange, white, grape, white, lemon, white, red.

Hint: don’t let set too long between layers; it will slide apart when served. After final layer, let set several hours or overnight. As seasons change the color order of jellos may be reversed. (Example: Green on top, topped with kiwi fruit or red cherry is pretty at Christmas.)