My Favorite Recipes: Meet Lannette Ring and Betty Dawley

In 2011, Lannette Ring and her husband, Kevin, pulled into Colfax to get a feel for the small town. Immediately, they noticed how friendly and welcoming the town was. Lannette was touched by the smiles followed by people passing by and saying "Hello." They recognized this is a quality they had been lacking while living in a bigger city. Just two weeks later, the Ring family accepted a job transfer and moved from the west side of the state to the Palouse region and were excited to find a home in Colfax. After spending more than 11 years in Olympia, Lannette knew they had found a good place to call home for their family. The Rings are parents to four children, Hailey, Austin, Mason and Ashley.

Lannette has always enjoyed being creative and anything to do with art. She is a self-taught artist and began creating pieces of art which she sold online or in local gift shops. Lannette also taught one-on-one classes in her tiny studio at home. She was quickly running out of room to keep up with the demand. In June of 2013, she opened up a storefront on Main Street in Colfax with the assistance of her good friend, Blake Buri, who offered his unused commercial space to Lannette. She was touched by his generosity and is still profoundly grateful almost six years later for the push it gave her to open a storefront operation. After a year in business, the shop was booming, and Lannette knew it was time for her to expand to a much larger studio on Main Street where she now enjoys a thriving business. Her studio includes a gift shop with handmade items, a full line of signs and promo products for businesses as well as personal products that are custom made for individuals. She can also host private parties and classes for up to 18 people.

Along with her building expansion, Lannette knew she needed additional help. It was an easy fit for her to welcome her mother, Betty Dawley, into the business.

Betty and her husband Bill found themselves wanting to be closer to their grandchildren after they retired, and knew that they wanted to stay active and keep busy. For them, it was a natural and easy choice to move to Colfax to be closer to and work with Lannette.

The mother-daughter team is often asked if it is difficult to work together. They are both quick to answer that it is incredibly easy and that they have never gotten along better than they do now. They can't imagine it being any other way. They also readily admit that they do not have the same strengths or weaknesses, so they have learned to make that a positive in their business life. Lannette is passionate about being creative and designing. Betty is a natural about keeping things neat, clean and organized and loves taking care of the books. The two women may have totally different tendencies in some aspects, but they clearly work as one to make the business successful.

This power team loves being part of a small community that values looking out for one another and taking care of each other. They try their hardest to incorporate that feeling into their business and meet each individual customer's needs. This year, Lannette and Betty look forward to working together, but they have also set a goal to make sure to spend a little more time outside, camping, picnicking, hiking and enjoying the beauty that is found on the Palouse.

For more information about Lannette and Betty, please go to Signsanddesignscolfax .com

Recipes

Chicken Vegetable Casserole

Submitted by Betty Dawley

4 chicken breasts, seasoned with lemon pepper, garlic powder and basil, to taste

2 cups broccoli, lightly steamed

2 cups cauliflower, lightly steamed

1 cup milk

3 eggs

1/2 cup Bisquick

1/4 tsp. seasoning salt

1/8 tsp. thyme

Sauté chicken breast; chop into bite-sized pieces. Layer chicken and veggies into casserole pan. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese to taste. In a blender, mix for 15 seconds: milk, eggs, Bisquick, salt and thyme. Pour mixture over chicken and veggies in casserole. Bake 20 minutes, covered, at 375 degrees F.

Crumble topping

1/2 cup Bisquick

1/4 cup walnuts or pecans

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

2 Tbsp. butter, cut in with hand pastry blender

Combine all topping ingredients, mixing throughly. Sprinkle topping onto casserole. Bake for an additional 15 minutes, uncovered, at 375 degrees F.