My favorite recipe - Meet Sally Blaser, Oakesdale

Jana Mathia | Jul 08, 20100

Sally Blaser has had many pets and cared for many animals over her life, but her deepest love is for horses.

“I’ve had horses off and on since I was three,” she recalled. “They’ve always been the love of my life.”

Now retired, Sally spends her days working with her nine horses.

“When I moved here, I found paradise,” she said, sitting next to husband Keith outside their home along Hume Road with a pasture full of Arabian horses contentedly grazing.

Sally was raised in Portland and as soon as she could, she moved to Napa, Calif. At the request of her son she returned to Portland. A co-worker introduced her to Keith Blaser. Sally said it never entered her mind to ask if he would leave the Portland area before they were married, so they spent 25 years stuck there. She admitted she was glad when his job went away and they could move.

Keith and Sally found property in Davenport where they intended to build. In the meantime, they had to find a place to live temporarily. The real estate agent showed them a place in Oakesdale and they loved it.

Having trained and ridden horses all her life, it was hard for Sally not to have any. From the time she married Keith until after moving to Oakesdale in 2002, she didn’t have any horses to call her own.

But there was a herd of registered Arabians that destiny was pushing her toward. She saw the herd when driving and eventually purchased a few.

Then, the property and house where the herd was located went into foreclosure. When the dust settled, the Davenport place was sold and Keith and Sally owned the house, property and almost half of the 14 horses.

They have since added to the herd with foals and have taken in one horse for a total of nine. Knowing she wouldn’t be able to sell any of her babies, Sally chose not to breed and raise more.

“If somebody wanted to buy my horses, they’d have to go through more than an adoption,” she said.

Until moving to Whitman County, Sally had only had quarter-horses or quarter-horse crosses. She started training when she was in her 20s.

“I would not have anything but an Arab anymore,” she stated. Sally has found the Arabs have more personality; they “talk” to her, come when called and play games like tug-of-war with her.

Most of her Arabs have Hebrew names as a nod to their Eurasian heritage. Most of the horses were born on the property and she intends for them to remain there as long as she is living.

Sally takes the passage in the Bible where man is granted dominion and stewardship over the animals very seriously. Along with the horses they have seven cats and one deer mouse she rescued from the pump house. Over the years she has had an alligator, snake, chipmunk, guinea pigs, rabbits, chickens and a fox. Despite being allergic to most of the animals, including cats and horses, Sally has loved and cared for them all her life.

Although her body won’t let her ride anymore, Sally still works and plays with her horses and shares her passion with others. She also takes retirement seriously and plans to stay that way with family and her horses as her only major concerns.

Honey Curry Chicken

2 Chicken breast, boneless, skinless

4 Tbsp. butter

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup prepared mustard

1 Tbsp. curry powder (or to taste)

Melt butter in pan. Add other ingredients except chicken. Stir until boiling. Pour over chicken. Bake, uncovered at 375 degrees 1 hour or until chicken is tender. Serve with rice.

Pear Salad

Spread some kind of green leaf lettuce on a plate. Arrange 3 to 4 canned pear halves on the leaves.

You can slather pears with sour cream and grated cheddar cheese

Spread cream cheese over pears and cover with grape halves.

Chicken Salad

Portions vary depending on number of servings.

Cube cooked chicken breast. Chop celery small and add walnuts or pecans until it looks right. Add mayo and chunk pineapple and toss together.