MY FAVORITE RECIPES By Dee Bryson: Meet Dee Bryson

Dee Bryson of Colfax begins her run as the Gazette recipe columnist with this issue.

Dee Bryson was born and raised in southern Idaho. In 1984 her family relocated to Texas. Dee swore that she would return to Idaho as soon as she could. Shortly after high school she met the love of her life, a Texan named Rick Bryson. During their courtship, Rick mentioned that he didn’t foresee a time that he would live in Idaho, which caused Dee some concern.

The couple decided to make a compromise and agreed to find a place to raise their future family outside of Texas and Idaho. Rick and Dee were married shortly after that in 1989. Rick graduated from Texas A&M, Corpus Christi, in 1991. They relocated to Houston, Texas, and Rick worked in the oil and gas industry and then in electrical utilities. Dee began home-schooling their children and served as a local youth leader, helped establish and worked on a domestic violence board, and worked as a public relations representative for her church, among other things. The Brysons raised their family outside of Houston, Texas, for the next 20 years.

The Brysons are parents to five children who all consider themselves to be proud Texans. Dee stayed in Texas long enough to gain a love for the people, the culture and southern cooking, but never learned to embrace the Texas drawl. To her children’s dismay, Dee emphasized speaking without the southern accent and relentlessly made them practice pronouncing all of their syllables. In 2008, Rick was offered a job at SEL in Pullman.

It was a leap of faith to leave city life, the job security that a large city offers, and the only home that their children had ever known. They traded in their life of commuting in heavy traffic for a much more tranquil life amongst rolling wheat fields and the quiet beauty that the Pacific Northwest offers. Dee was filled with great delight when they packed up all five children and secured a rental home in Moscow, Idaho, for the first three-and-a-half years after leaving Texas. The question they heard the most upon arrival on the Palouse was, “Why don’t you have southern accents?”

When the Bryson's moved to Whitman County five years ago, they didn’t believe they had any family connections here. It was a drastic change in their employment, lifestyle and location. They felt tremendous surprise when they discovered that one of Dee’s great-grandmothers was from Farmington.

“In the course of uprooting our family, we found even deeper roots that we didn’t know existed,” Dee commented.

Dee found herself in a health crisis two years ago. After following a program that helped her regain her health, Dee became a certified health coach and now helps others find the same thing. This provided an opportunity for Dee to embrace her love of southern cooking while putting a healthier twist on her favorite recipes. Rick loves to cook and is fond of the more traditional ways to prepare southern recipes. This has given the Brysons another way to work on compromise.

Recipes

Breakfast Egg Muffins

9 eggs

1 cup liquid egg whites

3/4 cup plain, low fat greek yogurt

1/4 tsp. salt

2 oz. mozzarella skimmed cheese

cooking spray

Veggies and protein of your choice. I enjoy a little tomato, green pepper, onion and spinach, along with some ham.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Whisk together eggs, egg whites, yogurt and salt. Stir in vegetables and cooked meat. Divide and pour into 20-24 lightly greased muffin tins and sprinkle with cheese. You can also sprinkle with red pepper flakes if you prefer a little spice. Bake 20-25 minutes, until set in the middle and a knife comes out clean after inserting in the middle.

Bacon and Cheese Cornbread

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

1-1/2 cups milk

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened

1/4 tsp. salt

3 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. crushed red chiles (optional)

1 cup (6-7 oz.) shredded, sharp cheddar cheese

5 slices bacon, cooked

Heat cornmeal and 1-1/4 cups milk over medium heat until thick and dry, stirring frequently, about three minutes. Spoon cornmeal mixture into a bowl. Add remaining milk, butter and eggs. Beat until smooth. Stir in salt, baking powder and red chiles, if used. Stir in half of the cheese and bacon. Pour into casserole dish or cake pan, sprinkle the rest of the cheese and bacon on top. Bake at 325 degrees F for 35 minutes or until cooked through. Serves four.

Wassail/ Hot Spiced Cider

4 cans apple juice concentrate (or 1 gallon homemade pressed cider)

2 cans orange juice concentrate

1 can lemonade concentrate

2-3 cinnamon sticks

1 tsp. whole cloves

1 cup sugar

Empty all cans of juice and water, according to directions, into a large pot. Add in cinnamon sticks and whole cloves. Stir in sugar and mix well. Heat over stove top until hot. Add additional cinnamon if desired. Enjoy the aroma and sipping hot cider. Healthy compromise - enjoy a cup or two and package the rest in mason jars and share with your neighbors. This promotes better health and happier neighbors.