My Favorite Recipes

Meet Goldie Foss, Colfax

Goldie Foss of Colfax is a dedicated member of the Thrifty Grandmothers Club.

After years of living all over the country, Goldie Foss returned to Whitman County. Goldie and her twin sister, Gloria Erickson, grew up near Dusty, the daughters of G.R. and Rachel Stueckle, and they graduated from LaCrosse High School. Gloria has been living in Dusty for many years, and Goldie returned about four years ago.

Goldie’s parents were from large families, so she has many cousins and other relatives living nearby, in addition to her sister Gloria and her family.

After high school, Goldie attended Bible college in Fergus Falls, Minn. She feels very grateful that she grew up in the time and place that she did with parents who taught and protected them. Her father was not so concerned about her graduating from college, but he wanted her to have the background provided by a Bible college.

It was at Bible college that she met her husband, and they married in 1959. He taught for a year-and-a-half, and then entered seminary at Fergus Falls. Their first church was in Minnesota. From there they saw a good deal of the United States.

While their children were young, Goldie was a stay-at-home mother with three children. Naturally, as a pastor’s wife, she had plenty to do, too. She worked a while before they had children, but her primary career was as a minister’s wife and a mother.

Their older son now lives in Connecticut and is married with two children. Their second son lives in Marysville with his wife. They have five children, the youngest of whom just graduated from high school. Their daughter is married and lives in Connecticut with their two children. Goldie has eight great-grandchildren.

After the children were independent, Goldie enjoyed working retail in quilt shops for 25 years. She started in House of Fabrics, then went to Pacific Fabrics, and ended her career at the Needle and I in Everett.

When Goldie and her husband moved to Colfax, they built a duplex on the North Flat. As a pastor, he served churches in Minnesota, North Dakota, Illinois, Connecticut, Washington and Arizona. They retired in Everett before their move to Colfax.

Goldie has a number of interests, including sewing, quilting, participating in the Thrifty Grandmothers Club, attending Onecho Bible Church and ladies’ Bible study at the church. Her major investment in time and talent now is the Thrifty Grandmothers Club Thrift Shop.

When she first got involved with “the Grannies,” Goldie began working in the shop to fill time while her husband was in a nursing home, with the bonus of getting acquainted in the community. From there, she was enticed into greater involvement, and she already knew active members Bonnie Smith, Viv Nafziger and Rita Stueckle.

Now president of the Thrifty Grandmothers Club, Goldie sees her role as encouraging, supporting and facilitating the work of the volunteer workers. Since she follows the model of being a servant leader, she sees leadership as encouraging the group.

The mission of the club is to be of service to the needs of the community. Thrift store profits are spent within the community, helping families, funding scholarships, supporting Whitman County Library, the Whitman County Chaplaincy and student groups participating in national and international competitions and conventions. The club also helps students and their leaders who are participating in church missions.

The Grannies, Goldie remarked, are a great group of ladies who are fun to work with, and more volunteers are welcome to join the fun. Club members sort donated items, display merchandise, sell merchandise and assist customers. A favorite event is their Christmas shopping day. Each child, aged four through 12 years, is given a five dollar gift certificate to spend in the store. Grannies are there to help children shop, if needed. Many of the children know exactly what they want to buy for family members, and they require little assistance. It is a pleasure helping them do their shopping.

Recipes:

Crumb Buns

(Coffee Cake)

An old Pennsylvania

Dutch recipe

Topping:

1 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter

Mix dry ingredients, then add butter and mix until crumbs are the size of marbles. Set aside.

Cake:

2 cups flour

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Blend cake ingredients on low speed for 1/2 minute, then beat for 3 minutes on high speed. Pour batter into a greased 15-1/2x10-1/2 inch jelly roll pan. Sprinkle topping over batter.

Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees F. Cut into squares and serve warm.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

From a good friend in Connecticut

3 whole boneless chicken breasts, cut into smaller pieces

16-ounce can jellied cranberry sauce

1 envelope dry onion soup mix

1 8-ounce bottle Sweet and Spicy French dressing

Mix all four ingredients together. Pour into a 9 x 13-inch GLASS baking pan.

Refrigerate overnight.

Bake at 350 degrees F uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes.

Pecan Sweet Potato Bake

3 cups mashed sweet potatoes

2 eggs

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup milk or half and half

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/8 teaspoon salt

Combine ingredients and beat until light and fluffy. Put in a greased 7x11x2 inch baking pan.

Topping:

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 Tablespoons flour

1/4 cup cold butter

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Mix together brown sugar, flour, and cold butter until crumbly. Add pecans.

Sprinkle topping over sweet potato mixture.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes.

Potato Salad

6 to 7 medium potatoes, cooked and diced

1/2 cup Italian salad dressing

3 hard-cooked eggs, chopped

1/2 cup diced sweet onion

1/4 cup dill pickles, chopped

1/2 cup Miracle Whip

1/3 cup sour cream

2 Tablespoons horseradish, prepared

Marinate potatoes in Italian salad dressing for several hours or overnight.

Fold hard-cooked eggs, sweet onion, and dill pickles into the marinated diced potatoes. Make a dressing of Miracle Whip, sour cream, and prepared horseradish. Stir into salad, and refrigerate.