My Favorite Recipes: Meet Amanda Slichter

Amanda was born and raised outside of Houston, Texas. When she was a junior in high school, her family relocated to the Palouse. Over the past 10 years, Amanda has lived in several parts of the Palouse and loves the scenery and outdoor activities it has to offer. Amanda attended Spokane Falls Community College, Pullman campus. Her husband, Jeff is a graduate of the University of Idaho with a masters degree in architecture and is currently employed by SEL. They have been married for seven years. Jeff and Amanda are the proud parents of three boys, ages four, two and four months.

The Slichters enjoy hiking, swimming, rafting, camping and biking throughout the Palouse. They are always looking for an adventure to take the boys on. Some of their favorite places include swimming at Hell's Gate State Park, hiking at Elk River Falls, biking at Heyburn State Park and rafting in Riggins. They also love to find places to enjoy picking blackberries and huckleberries, but often come home with several empty buckets and boys who have full tummies and messy faces. In the fall they can often be found on family property during hunting season. Spending time together as a family, while making good memories, is their favorite pastime.

Amanda is passionate about cooking. As a teenager, she earned enough money to pay for an educational trip to Israel and parts of the middle east by selling her homemade bread and baked goods. She dreams of one day owning her own shop, but for now she finds satisfaction cooking for her growing family.

Recipes

Overnight French Toast

Adapted from Magnolia Cook book

We make a pan for our small family and it usually lasts us a couple of days. Leftovers are great

heated up or cold!

Prep time: about 30 minutes

plus sit overnight.

8 Tbsp. salted butter

1 1-pound French bread loaf, sliced into 1-inch slices

10 large eggs

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup milk

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

Syrup

Grease 9x13 cake pan. Lay bread slices into two rows overlapping the slices in cake pan. In a large bowl, beat eggs. Whisk in milk, cream, vanilla and sugar. Pour mixture evenly over sliced bread. Cover and let sit in refrigerator overnight.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Remove cake pan from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 10-30 minutes.

Mix brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and pecans in bowl. Grate cold butter onto mixture then gently stir in. Sprinkle mixture over bread. Place baking dish in oven and cook 35-40 minutes. Serve with syrup or your favorite toppings.

Buffalo Chicken Salad

Prep time: 30 minutes Servings: 4 Pairs great with baked potato or French bread.

Chicken ingredients:

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast

Salt

Pepper

Garlic

Chili powder

Salad Ingredients:

1-2 head Romaine lettuce, chopped

1/2 cup sweet bell pepper, diced (about 1/4-........1/2 pepper)

1 Jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced

Hand full of fresh cilantro, chopped

1/2 cup broccoli, chopped

1 tomato, diced

1 avocado, sliced

1 lime

Lime juice to taste

1 can of medium, black olives

Favorite buffalo sauce

Favorite ranch or blue cheese dressing

Chicken: Lay chicken breast out and season as desired. Place on grill and grill until done. (In the summer time we like to grill the chicken breast out on the grill but also like to cut up the chicken breasts and sauté them on the stove so that it is easier for the kids to eat.)

While chicken cooks, prep salad: Toss lettuce, bell peppers, broccoli, tomato, cilantro, jalapeno and olives in a bowl. Squeeze lime juice on top. Add avocado and lime slices with chicken. Drizzle your favorite buffalo sauce and dressing and enjoy!