My Recipes: Meet C.J. and Tara Powers

C.J. Powers grew up in Spokane and earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering at Eastern Washington University. Tara Powers grew up in Omak and Spokane and is currently attending Washington State University where she hopes to begin vet school next fall. They moved to Colfax in January of 2015, just before she began classes at WSU.

C.J. currently works as an automation electrical engineer for Wagstaff in Spokane Valley. He has had the opportunity to travel all over the world for his job, including trips to Taiwan, Austria, Dubai, South Korea and several countries in South America.

They bought their first house in Colfax in 2016 and are currently remodeling, which keeps them busy on the weekends. Though most of her time is occupied by school and studying, Tara began volunteering at Bunchgrass Veterinary in 2015. In 2017, she began volunteering at the Whitman County Library on Saturdays. C.J. recently joined her.

They assist library patrons with their electronic devices, including computers, tablets and cell phones, and also help with use of the library’s OneDrive app to download eBooks and audiobooks. They have found a lot of enjoyment from helping people and have had many people return every Saturday with new questions.

C.J. is also planning to help teach a tech-related class this fall for kids. Since his hobbies include programming, electronics, graphic design, 3D modeling, 3D printing, virtual reality and other high-tech stuff, he has no shortage of possible topics.

Tara has joined C.J. in the high-tech hobbies. Recently she completed a 3D model of their house and started learning how to use a 3D printer. She enjoys reading, mostly fantasy books. She also enjoys gardening and their two cats and two dogs.

Recipes

Tuna Wiggle

16 oz. pre-cooked egg ........noodles

2 cans cream of mush-........room soup

1 cup milk

2-3 cups shredded ........cheddar cheese

1 large and 1 small can ........tuna or canned chicken

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, then transfer to a casserole dish. Top with more cheese and crushed up saltine crackers. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Hashbrown Casserole

1 pound cooked ground ........beef or ground sausage

1 package thawed, ........cubed hash browns

1 can cream of mush-........room soup

8 oz. sour cream

2-3 cups shredded ........cheddar cheese

Mix all ingredients (except a half cup of the cheese) together in a 9x13 casserole dish. Spread remaining cheese on top and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, ........softened

1¼ cups firmly packed ........brown sugar

½ cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 Tbsp. milk

2 tsp. vanilla

1¾ cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

2-½ cups instant oat-........meal (uncooked)

2 cups (12 oz bag) semi-........sweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Spread into a 15x10x1 jelly roll baking pan. Cook for 22-25 minutes until golden brown.

Buttermilk Pie

¼ cup flour

½ cup melted butter

½ cup buttermilk

1½ cup sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla

3 eggs (beaten)

1 (9-inch) unbaked pie ........crust

Combine all ingredients and pour into pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-65 minutes.