My favorite recipes by Linda Marler

Julie Pittmann grew up on the family farm on the border of St. John, Rosalia and Cheney school districts, but the house was inside the Cheney district by a few feet. Raised on a farm bought by her grandparents in the 1880s, her parents instilled a love of history that Julie still enjoys.

The great benefit for her and many classmates attending Cheney High School was that they did Running Start before there was such a program. Seniors who only had one or two high school classes to take for graduation could enroll at Eastern Washington University and walk a block to campus and begin college before finishing high school. Often their friends’ parents were their professors, so they felt at ease asking questions. The down side was they paid regular tuition.

Julie was finishing her education degree at Cheney when her sister Janice married Steve Pittmann in November. Julie, the maid of honor, met Steve’s brother, the best man, at the wedding rehearsal. She and Charles were married the next July 41 years ago.

Charles was farming when they married, and Julie rapidly adapted to life as a farmer’s wife. Before their children started school, they traveled with Janice and Steve, which they enjoyed very much.

Their son Justin graduated from Rosalia High School and the University of Idaho in agriculture education. Although the names are spelled differently, the family is distantly related to Bruce Pitman, recently retired Idaho Dean of Students.

Justin taught several years at Liberty High School before beginning farming.

Daughter Jessica Kyle is married to Ken, and they have two children, Devin, age five, and Mason, age two. Ken’s mother was a high school classmate and friend of Julie’s, but they had lost touch over the years. Now they are grandmothers together.

Jessica was Miss Rosalia and graduated from Rosalia High School. After she graduated from EWU, she taught preschool before becoming a stay-at-home mom. Ken farms near Pine City.

Active in the United Methodist Church in Rosalia, Julie also served on the United Methodist Women’s Board. She also was busy supporting her children’s activities, which included the Palouse Empire Fair. Their daughter Jessica was fair queen, and both Justin and Jessica showed pigs.

Julie began doing genealogy on an old computer, which was wonderful since it was much easier to get vital records from other states. A Kentucky relative’s death certificate turned out to be a treasure trove of information, as the doctor knew the family well. He listed many family members, and proof of a Revolutionary War relative was there.

Loving the research about the Revolutionary War period, Julie began speaking about that period, and she joined the Daughters of the American Revolution, which requires proof of an American Revolutionary War veteran for membership. Julie is vice regent and is scheduled to be the next regent of Washington State Daughters of the American Revolution. She helped at the Korean Conflict Memorial in Olympia, unveiling a name being dedicated.

On April 14, 150 years ago at 7:20 p.m. Pacific Time at Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C., President Lincoln was assassinated. Julie’s DAR Chapter observed this event at the Lincoln Statue in downtown Spokane, complete with Civil War re-enactors, drums and fife. The American flag was lowered to half-staff.

Walt Whitman’s poem, “Oh, Captain, My Captain” was read, and Julie read part of a prayer from Lincoln’s funeral. A wreath was laid at the base of the statue. They sang the “Star Spangled Banner” and “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.”

Motorists and pedestrians noticed, waved and honked horns.

Julie and Charles are involved at the Washington Veterans’ Cemetery near Medical Lake. They have trained those who are present for each veteran’s interment to represent the State of Washington while honoring the service of the veterans. At the end of the formal ceremony, they present a card to the family. Some services are well-attended, but occasionally only the state’s representatives are present.

One Vietnam veteran’s service was attended only by his son and daughter, who had been estranged from their father for some time. When Charles and Julie approached them and gave them the card from the governor, it seemed to dawn on them that their father’s service had meaning.

The goal is that no veteran is buried alone. Cremains of veterans are placed in the columbarium once a year as part of the “Missing in America” service.

Reach Across America, a program that began in Maine, involves decorating veterans’ graves with wreaths in December. Julie helped organize this for Fairmont cemeteries in Spokane in 2009 and for the Washington State Veterans’ Cemetery in 2010. All sorts of truckers and trucking companies coordinate to carry wreaths across the country.

Julie advises travelers to Washington, D.C., to look for the DAR buildings about one-half block from the White House. The front looks like the portico on one side of the White House, and film directors often use the portico for a scene instead of going through the red tape to film on the White House grounds.

Recipes:

Baked Cod

with a bit of history

baked into every bite

Cod was once one of the main sources of food for New England.

As early as 1640, the cod industry had reached such proportions that in one year New Englanders prepared 300,000 dried codfish for market.

So important was the fish, dietarily and economically, for Massachusetts that on March 17, 1784, according to the Journal of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, John Rowe moved in the House that “leave might be given to hand up the representation of a Cod Fish in the room where the House sits, as a memorial of the importance of the Cod Fishery to the welfare of this Commonwealth.” In 1798 the four foot eleven inch codfish, called the Sacred Cod, was moved to the new State House, and then in 1895 to its present location in the House chamber, opposite the speaker’s desk.

Place fillets of cod in a well-oiled baking dish. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, lemon juice, and a little paprika. Dot with butter or cover with buttered crumbs. Bake in a preheated 400 degrees F oven until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Baking time varies from 12-30 minutes depending on the thickness of the fillets.

Turkey Tetrazzini

Rosalia Alpha Club Special

1 can cream of celery or cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

4 cups sliced turkey

dash of paprika

1/2 cup mushrooms or almonds

1/2 cup grated cheese

1 cup turkey broth

2 cups processed grated cheese

4-6 cups cooked spaghetti noodles

In a large bowl blend soups and broth, then add turkey and mushrooms. Stir in cheeses. Mix in cooked pasta. Place into greased 9 x 13-inch pan. Sprinkle with cheese and paprika. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-45 minutes. May cover dish for first 25 minutes with foil to prevent overcooking the top. Serves 12.

Easy Crock Pot Potato Soup

1 30-ounce bag of frozen diced hash browns or raw potatoes cut into small pieces

1 32-ounce box of chicken broth

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 package cream cheese

3 ounces bacon bits

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Put the potatoes in the crock pot. Add in chicken broth, cream of chicken soup and half of the bacon bits. Add a pinch of salt and pepper.

Cook on low for 8 hours or until potatoes are tender.

An hour before serving, cut the cream cheese into small cubes. Place cubes in the soup in the crock pot. Mix a few times throughout the hour before serving.

Once the cream cheese is completely mixed in, it’s ready to serve. Top with cheddar cheese and some additional bacon bits.

Coconut-Cherry Bars

1 cup flour

3 Tablespoons powdered sugar

1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup chopped nuts

1/2 cup coconut

1/2 cup chopped maraschino cherries, drained.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix 1 cup flour, margarine or butter, and powdered sugar. Press into a greased 8 x 8-inch pan. Bake 10 minutes.

Beat eggs; stir in remaining ingredients. Spread over baked layer. Bake until golden brown, 25-30 minutes; cool. Cut into 2 x 1-inch bars. Makes about 2 dozen bars.