My favorite recipe - Meet Dean and Becky Walker, Garfield

Dean and Becky Walker share a ministry as pastors of Garfield Christian Fellowship in Garfield. The two have made their home in Garfield since 1992.

They moved to the Palouse in 1992 for Dean to study mathematics at WSU. He graduated in 1995. He is now a math teacher at Moscow High School and Becky works at Schwietzer.

“I love teaching mathematics,” Dean said.

Dean and Becky were married 24 years ago and lived on the Oregon Coast near the Tillamook area.

“We were just kids when we got married, and I raised him,” Becky said with a laugh. “I think I did a pretty good job.”

Dean started working for farmers in Oregon when he was 10. Eventually he worked as the herd health manager for a dairy. At times the couple considered starting their own farm or dairy, but nothing worked out.

When they moved to Garfield, Becky said it was an inexpensive place to live and a great place to raise their children.

The couple have two sons and a daughter. Both sons live on the Palouse with their families. Their daughter lived in the area for several years before moving back to Seattle with her three children. Those three children come and stay with Dean and Becky every summer.

While they have their separate jobs, Dean and Becky share a ministry as pastors of the Garfield Christian Fellowship.

How did their ministry come about?

After moving to Garfield, Dean went on a Christian retreat. While there, he felt a calling to be a pastor.

Three years after the retreat, Becky also felt he had a calling to be a pastor.

In the meantime, they both served as youth pastors.

When Dean and Becky talked about his calling, he decided to get a pastoral education.

While he has never attended seminary, Dean has finished most of the traditional classes for being a pastor.

They were called to the local Garfield church where they have now been serving for eight years.

Becky said she feels God has given Dean the extra hours in the day to be a good husband, dad, grandpa, pastor and teacher.

Dean enjoys gardening, canning, and cooking. During the Christmas break he made jams and jellies. At their Garfield residence, they have a yearly garden that produces enough vegetables for the couple to share.

The couple likes to help out in the Garfield community. Every other summer Dean goes fishing in Alaska at a ministry camp. He always brings back his catch and they do a fish fry for the community.

Recipes:

Homemade Pepper Sauce

for taco, chili or any other Texas, Mexican pepper sauce dish

Choose one or more of the following peppers: (I like to combine the variety of peppers to get the right spice. If you are looking for a sweeter pepper, buy the ones that are wider at the stem end, like the California chili) and omit the others. The peppers come in 8 oz. packages making several batches of sauce.

6 dried California chili pods (if non-spicy is desired)

3 dried Guajillo chili pods—more spicy, some bitterness

3 dried New Mexico chili pods—spicy

2 dried Pasilla, Ancho or Poblano—all the same pepper, can be slightly bitter

Several cloves of garlic, more if you like

Enough broth (chicken, pork or beef) to cover peppers, about 2-3 cups

Three fresh tomatillos, be sure to take off the husk OR a small can salsa verde, be careful, some brands are spicier than others

1 medium tomato

1 lime

Salt

Combine all the ingredients, except the lime and salt, in a

4 quart saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for about 5 minutes and remove from the heat. Let stand for 20 minutes or until the peppers are completely reconstituted.

Scoop all ingredients into a blender, reserving the liquid. Pour enough liquid into the blender so that everything is pureed, but not too much. It is better to keep a paste, but use more water or broth as needed to mix. Press the mixture through a sieve to remove pepper skins. (The skins can be eaten, but may be tough.) Salt to taste.

If the sauce is bitter, juice the fresh lime and add enough to the sauce to remove the bitterness. If you desire a sweeter sauce, add dark brown sugar to taste one tablespoon at a time. Use any meat for this sauce, we have found turkey and chicken to be really good. The sauce freezes well to make any of these dishes.

*For chili add 3 tsp. cumin to the sauce. Add more if needed. Add the pepper sauce to the beans and meat you have prepared.

*For tacos add a little more lime and 1 tsp. or oregano (or more to taste) add sauce to the meat.

*For a wonderful beef dish: buy two lbs. of Beef Carne Asada, cut into thin strips. Fry until all moisture is gone and meat is good and brown, combine the pepper sauce, one small jar of cactus (drained; reserve the liquid to add if more liquid is needed) and simmer for about 20 minutes.