Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Meet Al and Randi Evans, Oakesdale
After growing up in a large city and constantly waking to the sound of loud party music, Al and Randi Evans enjoy their quiet Oakesdale home where they wake up to the sound of passing fertilizer planes.
“Every day we wake up and go, ‘Man, this is unbelievable’,” said Al.
The Evans moved from Los Angeles to Oakesdale four years ago this month to be near their son.
Their son and his family had moved to Spokane and the Evans wanted to be closer to the grandchildren.
They looked around Spokane but couldn’t find anything to suit them. The day they were getting ready to go home, the realtor mentioned a place on the Palouse. It turned out to be their dream home, plus Oakesdale fit their desire for a small town life.
While Spokane doesn’t compare in size to Los Angeles, Al said there was still a big city mentality they wanted to get away from.
“Living in a small town is a state of mind,” he noted.
After moving to Oakesdale, Al started to attend city council meetings and was elected to the council in 2008.
That same year they purchased the old Richfield gas station in town. Al and Randi have been working on restoring the station. In the front they run a craft shop, Oakesdale Mill Mercantile.
Al works on cars in the back.
Among the items they sell are paintings, dolls and braided rugs and baskets. They also have homemade beeswax candles and glow pots. They can also do stained-glass, but work only on orders so far.
“We’re loving this,” Randi said of the mercantile which is open during the warm spring, summer and early fall. An art major in college, it gave her the opportunity to get back into her art and have an outlet for it.
Al has always had a passion for cars and the shop in the back of the station gives him a place to work on them. He has already repainted the station’s exterior in Richfield blue and yellow. It was a Richfield station for about 20 years before it closed in 1975. Al is also working restoring some gas pumps to put out front.
Al and Randi hope to draw more crafters to sell items in the store. While they are an informal information center for MaryJane Butters and the old flour mill she owns, they hope to carry some of her products in the future. They have also registered to host a cruise-in during the Fourth of July. Al stated they are trying to arrange to have a barbecue for the railway Speeders club that rides the rails through the area every year. He said the group already stops in Oakesdale to regroup; they would like to have more for the group to do when they stop.
About twice a month, Al and Randi make a break for Spokane to play with the grandkids.
During the summer, the kids come visit them in “the country.”
Randi also loves to cook. She used to run a wedding cake business with a friend in California.
“Baking is my favorite,” she said, especially pies and bread. Al said he usually ends up with the crumbs. Randi also enjoys entertaining, so every now and again she rounds up a few people and prepares a nice meal.
Although retired, Al and Randi aren’t sitting back and watching the world go by.
“We have so many little things we enjoy doing, we’re never bored,” Al said.
“We can’t imagine how we had time to work,” Randi commented.
New York Rice and Beans
1 lg. onion, chopped
1 lb. lean bacon, cut up
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 pkg. pork chorizo
2 cups rice
2 lg. cans red beans
1 tsp. chili powder
In a large fry pan combine onion, bacon, beef and chorizo. Add chili powder and cook over medium heat until meat is done thru.
On the side, cook rice (should yield 4 cups of finished rice).
When mat is done, add rice. Stir and cover until rice is golden yellow.
Add beans. Lower heat and cook uncovered for at least an hour, preferably 2 plus hours. Stir frequently as this has a tendency to stick to the pan.
Serve with warm buttered corn tortillas.
Strawberry Bread Pudding
1 loaf brioche, sliced 1/2 inch thick
3/4 cup + 3 Tbsp. strawberry preserves
4 lg. eggs
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp. whole milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
Fresh strawberries for garnish
Preheat over to 375 degrees.
Butter a 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish. Arrange half of the brioche along the bottom of the dish and cut or tear slices to fit. Spread 3/4 cup of the jam on the top and cover with remaining bread.
Whisk the eggs, sugar 2 1/2 cups milk, and vanilla together; pour over bread. Press to soak and brush the top with 4 Tbsp. of melted butter. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Removed the foil and continue baking for 15 minutes longer or until pudding is set. Remove from oven.
Preheat broiler. In a bowl, whisk remaining 1 Tbsp. milk with confectioner’s sugar. Stir in remaining melted butter and jam until mixture is smooth. Spread mixture over top of pudding, place under broiler and broil until the glaze is golden.
Serve hot or warm, garnish with fresh strawberries.
Baked Sea Scallops
16 fresh sea scallops, rinsed and drained
5 Tbsp. butter, melted
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, chopped
3 pinches ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup bread crumbs
4 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup chopped parsley
lemon wedges for garnish
Preheat over to 425 degrees.
Place scallops, melted butter, garlic and shallots in a bowl. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Stir gently to combine. Transfer to a casserole dish.
In a separate bowl, combine bread crumbs and olive oil. Sprinkle on top of scallops.
Bake in a preheated oven until crumbs are brown and scallops are done, (about 11 to 14 minutes). Top with parsley, serve with lemon wedges on the side.
Coconut Cream Cheese Pound Cake
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
18 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
3 cups sugar
6 lg. eggs
3 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
6 oz. flakes coconut
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. coconut flavoring
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Beat butter, shortening and cream cheese at medium speed for 2 minutes or until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating 5 to 7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beat after each addition just until yolks disappear.
Combine flour, baking soda, and salt; add to butter mixture, beat at low speed just until blended. Stir in coconut, vanilla and coconut flavoring.
Pour batter into a greased and floured 10 inch tube pan. Bake for 1 hour 40 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes; removed from pan and cool completely on wire rack.
CORRECTION: In last weeks recipe column there was an error in the ingredients for the Turkey Brine. The correct amount of molasses is 1/4 cup, not 14 cups.
Mike’s Simple But Worth it Turkey Brine
2 cups salt (non-iodized)
4 cups brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 gal. water
Approx. 1 gal. ice
Combine salt, brown sugar, molasses and water in large pot. Bring just to boil, stirring until all solids are dissolved. Remove from heat, add ice to cool and then refrigerate. Once the brine has cooled, place the turkey in a clean bucket or cooler. I usually line the bucket or cooler with a large plastic bag. Cover turkey with the brine. Make sure the turkey is completely submersed in the brine. Removing the air from the bag helps. Refrigerate and allow to sit overnight. Remove the turkey from the brine and pat dry, Allow the turkey to sit at room temperature for 1/2 hour before cooking. Now the bird is ready to be deep fried, baked or smoked.
Jana Mathia is a reporter at the Whitman County Gazette.
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