My favorite recipes

Tenny and Fred Brannan are active retirees who are very involved with their family and community. Colfax High School graduates in the Class of 1967, they graduated from Washington State University in 1971. They were ready to go anywhere to teach, but Fred was hired at LaCrosse. He liked it well enough to stay more than 30 years. Fred taught 22 years in fifth grade and 11 years in fourth grade. He was also the “tech guy” at LaCrosse, and he and Don Widman taught computers to teachers for two summers at the University of Idaho.

Tenny began teaching physical education and language arts in Colfax, and then moved to all language arts, teaching five years in the junior high and five years in high school. Jeff, their older son, was born in 1972, and she began teaching in 1973.

The 1990s were memorable for the Brannans because all four of them went to college during the decade. Tenny and Fred completed master’s degrees in administration and curriculum from Gonzaga University in 1992, through a program that GU brought to Whitman County. A number of local teachers completed advanced degrees in this program.

Jeff, also a WSU graduate, teaches sixth grade social studies in Grandview, with his wife Heather teaching sixth grade science in the same school. Their son, Tad, is a seventh grader.

Gabe began college at Arizona State University on a swim scholarship. He transferred to WSU and graduated there. He is now assistant director of development in the College of Arts and Science at WSU. His wife Megan is secretary at Trinity Lutheran Church in Pullman. Their three children are Simon, a seventh grader at Lincoln Middle School; Owen, a first grader at Jefferson Elementary, and Etta Pearl, who just turned two years old.

Married in 1970, the Brannans will celebrate their 45th anniversary this year.

The Brannans have been very involved in sports. Fred played quarterback in football, shortstop in baseball and point guard in basketball at Colfax High School. Tenny swam in Spokane before the family moved to Colfax. There were few sports for girls in the 1960s, so Tenny was a song leader and played badminton.

In the summers when the boys were young, Tenny was the swim league director. She made it a policy not to coach her own sons. She and Fred spent lots of summers attending summer school to add to their knowledge and treasure chest of ideas for their classrooms.

Tenny’s father, Jerry Cluckey, was a supporter of youth swimming and wanted to encourage novice swimming here. He organized the county swim meet, which was titled the Knights of Columbus swim meet for decades because the organization provides the prizes. It was renamed for Jerry to honor his work in organizing the meet years ago.

When Tenny and Fred retired, they had no huge plan. They decided to just sit back and see what they really wanted to do. As it turns out, they want to do quite a lot. They have time for grandchildren, and they baby-sat Simon when he was small.

Other activities were added, including daily Mass at St. Patrick's Church, and working at the community food bank, known as FISH, when it was an all-volunteer organization.

After her first year in retirement, Tenny began facilitating a Bible study group. Fred is active in Knights of Columbus at St. Patrick's, and this men’s group has a variety of projects to support the parish and the community. Fred has served as Grand Knight. Fred also helps his brother-in-law, Mark Hall, on his farm during busy seasons.

In Colfax schools, Tenny coached Future Problem Solvers for 20 years. Beginning the program with one team of sixth graders, she watched that first team develop and win first place at International Bowl their senior year. Yearly trips to FPS International Bowl were not automatic, but they were the norm for Colfax. Continuing her interest in FPS, Tenny now serves as state evaluation director.

Besides the work they do in the community, the Brannans are avid readers and enjoy traveling. Their most recent trip was to Maui, but they also love Kauai. They exercise and follow grandchildren’s activities which includes Wiggleworms and karate, plus watch Cougar basketball. Tenny enjoys attending Wiggleworms with Etta, where they do all sorts of movement and play on low balance beams and other pre-gymnastic types of activities.

Fred and his father visit frequently, with a standing date for Tuesday breakfast. Scooter, now 88, also enjoys attending school sports. Fred’s sisters live in Colfax, and Tenny sees a lot of her sisters, too. Lynn lives in Spokane and Kim lives in Denver. Sharon lives near Steptoe.

Tenny and Fred share cooking duties. Tenny likes to make big batches of soups so cooking several times a day isn’t required. She is a big fan of the George Foreman grill and the quesadilla maker. Fred is the spaghetti sauce cook.

One of Tenny’s highlights was traveling to Lourdes with her sisters. Located in the Pyrenees Mountains which form the border between France and Spain, the French village of Lourdes is the home of St. Bernadette. This was a bit of a week-long trip to France, and when they arrived in Lourdes in late November, no one else was there. Tenny did the baths at Lourdes, which are filled with cold water from the grotto above.

She walked the two-mile loop which forms the Stations of the Cross, the commemoration of the Passion of Jesus, which had life-size statues. It was literally the Cluckey sisters’ private pilgrimage. Back in Paris, they visited the Chapel of the Miraculous Medal, St. Catherine’s Chapel, in the center of Paris. Visiting Notre Dame Cathedral, 800 years old, was another moving experience.

Recipes:

Crockpot Taco Dip

1 pound ground beef, cooked and drained (can add taco seasoning to meat)

3 cups shredded cheese

4 ounces cream cheese--up to 8 ounces if you like

1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 16-ounce jar salsa

1 16-ounce can refried beans

*If you don’t use taco seasoning to flavor meat, you can use garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, chili powder, etc.

Place in crockpot and cook on high for 2 hours. Serve with chips.

Heartland Salad

16 ounces pasta--I use tri-colored bowtie or rotini--cook according to directions, then cool

3 cups cooked seasoned chicken, diced

5 ounces fresh spinach, torn

1 bunch green onions, diced--I sometimes use purple onion

1 small can sliced olives

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Add any or all of these (I use all except almonds if I’m taking it somewhere)--diced celery, grapes, artichoke hearts, sliced almonds.

Dressing:

Mix together 1 cup mayonnaise and a 16-ounce bottle of Zesty Italian dressing. I don’t use all the Italian dressing--use according to your preference for consistency.

Pour dressing over rest of ingredients and mix.

*Will keep in refrigerator for 5 days.

Grandma Jones’ Cookies

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/8 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Butter Cream Frosting

Beat shortening and sugar together. Then add the egg and vanilla and beat some more. Add the flour, soda, and salt and beat together until it’s all blended together. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto baking sheet.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 8-10 minutes (I always start checking after about 7 minutes so they don’t overbake). Let them cool on a cooling rack and then frost with your favorite butter cream frosting, so it’s great for different holidays! You can even use canned frosting if you are in a hurry. Yield: About 1 1/2 dozen.