My Favorite Recipes by Mary Collins: Meet Starr Cathey

From left, Kira, Andre, Ashton and Starr Cathey of Albion.

Being the clerk in a small town is a big job, and Starr Cathey loves doing it for Albion. Starr and her fellow town clerks throughout Whitman County, along with the branch librarians, are the faces people associate with public services in their communities.

The clerks are often responsible for keeping citizens and officials informed about each other’s needs, concerns and efforts. They license the dogs, issue and pay the bills, keep the records for the water, wastewater and street systems, maintain the financial books and cemetery records and answer to the reporting requirements of the State on all sorts of matters. Starr takes her public service beyond this to include running the food pantry, overseeing the community garden project, working with WSU students in offering an after school program and this summer she helped a group of volunteers offer lunches to Albion’s youth.

Starr moved to Albion when she was 13 years old. She graduated from Pullman High School in 1994 and started working as the Albion town clerk in 2010. She also manages a trailer park.

She has twin nine-year-olds, Ashton and Kira, who keep her busy with school and other activities.

In the summer, the household grows to include pre-teen Destiny, her partner Andre’s daughter.

Her mother, sister, brother-in-law and nephew also live in Albion and are regular parts of all of these activities, particularly nephew Hunter who is the same age as Starr’s twins.

When not working and volunteering, Starr enjoys spending time with her family.

In fact, her family members also are great volunteers, assisting especially with the summer lunch program where Hunter and Destiny were regular servers.

Andre prepared a few of the meals and the twins filled in where needed.

Andre is a culinary professional with years of experience as a chef and restaurant manager but he agrees that Starr can carry her own in the kitchen with some of her recipes like these.

Recipes

Baked potato soup

12 slices bacon

2/3 cup margarine or butter

2/3 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour

7 cups milk

4 large baked potatoes, peeled and cubed

4 green onions, chopped

1-1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup sour cream

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground black pepper

Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium heat until browned. Drain, crumble and set aside.

In a stock pot or Dutch oven, melt the margarine over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Gradually stir in milk, whisking constantly until thickened. Stir in potatoes and onions. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.

Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Mix in bacon, cheese, sour cream, salt and pepper. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until cheese is melted.

Strawberry Cake

2 cups white sugar

1 cup butter, softened

4 eggs (room temperature)

2-3/4 cups sifted cake flour

2-1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 cup whole milk, room temperature

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup strawberry puree made from frozen, sweetened strawberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two nine-inch round cake pans.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and dry strawberry gelatin until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Combine the flour and baking powder; stir into the batter alternately with the milk. Blend in vanilla and strawberry puree. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a small knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool in their pans over a wire rack for at least 10 minutes, before tapping out to cool completely.

Tacos - Straight forward, but my favorite recipe

Ground beef

Cheese

Lettuce

Guacamole

Pico

Lime

Fried corn tortillas

Sour cream

Fold the warm tortilla and put the rest inside.