MY FAVORITE RECIPES By Mary Collins: Meet Brian Collins

Brian Collins is happily living the farming lifestyle, raising goats, sheep, chickens and more on the old Schweiger farm in LaCrosse which he purchased in 2016.

Brian Collins was born in San Bernardino, Calif. He went to Bellevue High School (Class of 1985). It was there that he met Paige, and they became good friends. After graduation, Paige went to WSU to study Criminal Justice, and Brian joined the Air Force. Although they went separate ways, they stayed in touch and remained friends even while he was in the first Gulf War. They each found themselves single again in the late 90's and have been together and married since 2000.

In 2012, they purchased a house in Rosalia as a second home, because they were spending so much time on the Palouse, with a son at WSU and season tickets to WSU football. When all of their blended children ended up living on the Palouse, they moved permanently into their home in Rosalia. Their youngest son, William, 21, lives in Moscow. Their oldest children, Curtis, 24, is at WSU, and Caitlin, 24, is on active duty at Fairchild AFB.

All the while, their dream was to have property and livestock. In 2016, they purchased the old Schweiger farm in LaCrosse and now have goats, sheep, chickens, a turkey, three dogs and two barn cats.

“We absolutely couldn't be happier living on the Palouse and in LaCrosse,” he said.

Paige is the executive director of the Council on Aging and Human Services in Colfax. She has worked in the area of emergency food services for more than 10 years. The Council on Aging is a non-profit public benefit organization that provides nutrition and transportation services including senior meals, food distribution, home-delivered meals, and COAST transportation.

Brian is currently busy with harvest. Paige admits to being a horrible cook, so Brian does the main cooking.

Recipes

Brian's Lentil and Ground Beef Chili

1 lb. Ground beef

Onion

Garlic paste

2 cans diced tomatoes with green chilies

1 can white kidney beans

1/2 lb. Lentils

Diced red and orange bell pepper

Diced fresh jalapeno to your liking

Chili powder

Cayenne pepper

Paprika

Ground black pepper

Salt to taste

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

Cumin

Red pepper flakes

5 cups water

Brown the ground beef, onion and peppers, drain fat.

Add all ingredients into big pot (or you can use crock pot) and bring to boil, then turn down to medium for 30 minutes, covered.

Add lentils, simmer 1.25 hours or so.

Brian's 'best'

pancake mix

1 1/2 cups flour

3 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. white sugar

(sift these together)

add 1 1/4 cup milk

1 egg

3 Tbsp. melted butter

Mom’s

Chocolate Cake

In a large bowl, add:

2 cups sifted flour

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup cocoa

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

In another bowl, add:

2 well-beaten eggs

1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil

1 cup buttermilk

Add second bowl to dry ingredients. To this add 1 cup boiling water with one tsp. baking soda in it. Mix well; bake at 375 degrees for approximately 25 minutes.