My Favorite Recipes: Meet Melissa Leinweber of Colfax

Melissa Harrison Leinweber is a real estate agent at the new RE/MAX office in Colfax. Even though she has only been an agent for about a year now, she said "I'm more eager than ever before and have been working very hard to make a name for myself."

Melissa moved here from Arizona with her family when she was two-years-old. They lived in St. John and Endicott until her sophomore year in high school when she attended Colfax High School. She then attended Spokane Falls Community College where she met Clayton Leinweber who now works for her parents at Harrison Electric as an electrician. They were married in October of 2007, so she moved back to Colfax.

They have two boys, and Melissa decided to be a "stay at home mom" when her children were little. When Grady was 10-years-old, and Bryson, 9, she decided it was time for something new. She first took a job working for the Whitman County Fair and Facilities.

Later, she knew she wanted a change and her father suggested real estate, so she dove in.

"Even though I am actually quite new to the real estate world, I am eager as ever, never too busy for referrals, and working hard to make a name for myself. I love Whitman County and am thankful I grew up in small towns so I can honestly help those looking to buy or sell in our small town community, because I lived it," she said.

As a realtor, she believes her role is to act as a guide, educator and advocate.

"It's my duty to educate my clients on the process of buying or selling a property, the status of the housing market, about different types of home loans and just making sure they are comfortable with the process and what to expect," she said. "I gain their trust along the way. I consider myself a guide because it's also my job to guide my clients toward houses in their price range while keeping their wants and needs at the top of my list. It's my goal to narrow down the search and identify my client's priorities.

Last but not least, I strive to be an advocate for my clients. This means I have their best financial interests in mind and will do everything in my power to fight for and protect my clients."

Melissa said focusing on Whitman County as a whole and not just Pullman led to the opening of the new RE/MAX office in Colfax.

Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with the family at the Harrison family lake house in Coeur d'Alene, boating and fishing.

Melissa also bowls in a few different leagues at Zeppoz in Pullman.

The kids participate in sports and have kept the couple busy as well.

Recipes

Ravioli Lasagna

1 bag of cheese ravioli

1 lb. ground Italian sausage

1 lb. ground beef or turkey

Half of a yellow onion

3 garlic cloves

Red wine

1 tsp. garlic salt

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 jar traditional spaghetti sauce

1 jar cheesy spaghetti sauce

Sour cream

Parmesan cheese

Mozzarella cheese

Cheddar cheese

Start oven at 350 degrees F. Finely chop onion. Heat large sauce pan, drizzle oil in sauce pan and add onion. Meanwhile, finely chop garlic, stirring onion occasionally. When onion starts to brown, add garlic and cook 2-3 minutes, continuing to stir. Add ground beef and sausage and cook until browned. Season with kosher salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes to taste, stirring to combine. Pour in jars of spaghetti sauce, then add about one-third cup of red wine to each empty jar of sauce. Shake it up and dump it into the sauce. Add a couple shakes of garlic salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, two tablespoons of sugar, more red pepper flakes if desired, to taste. Feel free to more kosher salt or garlic salt if desired.

Grate tons of cheese!

Layering: Spray a 13x9-inch glass casserole dish, add a layer of meat sauce, one layer of ravioli, spread sour cream over ravioli (thin layer,) sprinkle with cheese, season with garlic salt and pepper, and repeat Top it off with meat sauce then cheese. Spray a piece of foil and cover the lasagna. Bake for about 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes until the cheese starts to brown.

My very own Chocolate Chip Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream together: One-and-one-half sticks of salted butter, half a cup of butter-flavored shortening, One-and-one-quarter cups packed brown sugar, and one cup plus two tablespoons of white sugar.

Then add: Two eggs and one teaspoon vanilla (I prefer Mexican vanilla if you manage to pick some up on vacation.)

Then add, one at a time, mixing in between: One teaspoon kosher salt, one heaping tablespoon corn starch (yes I said corn starch,)One-and-one-quarter teaspoon baking soda, One-and-one-half teaspoons baking powder, three-and-two-thirds cups unbleached flour and a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Bake for 12-14 minutes and enjoy!