My favorite recipes

Melanie Pudelkewicz grew up in area towns that played against Colfax Bulldogs—now she has moved here so her children can be Bulldogs.

“If I had to live in any small town, it would be Colfax, having grown up playing sports against Colfax,” Melanie said with a smile. “I could never live anywhere where sports programs are bad.”

Melanie spent her childhood in Coulee City and her youth in Brewster where she participated in sports. Her favorite sport is basketball, although she also enjoys volleyball and softball. Because of her love for sports, she tried soccer and track during her senior year in high school.

Her love of basketball led Melanie and her husband, John Pudelkewicz, to Colfax. After participating in Spokane’s Hoopfest, John was able to make connections with other players, which led to his employment at JW & Associates accounting firm in Colfax. John graduated with an accounting degree from Eastern Washington University.

Melanie works part time as a barista at Events on Main. She is also seven months pregnant with their first child. Melanie said she wants a large family.

Melanie is also an EWU graduate. After changing her major three times, she finally found a major that plays to her strengths and earned a degree in community health.

“Everyone in my class had a different plan for using the degree,” Melanie said. “I took the fitness course. Personal training, group fitness and nutrition are what I am interested in, what my passion is.”

While in college, Melanie’s roommates introduced her to distance running. She then ran her first marathon and was hooked. Since then, she has run many more races, including half-marathons and branching out into triathlons. Melanie said her latest favorite run is trail running with her dad at Cle Elum where her parents currently reside. Because of her pregnancy, she has traded in her running shoes for walking shoes and baby strollers.

“I walk with a friend of mine who has two children. She takes one, and I take the other, and we head up Thorn,” Melanie said. “It’s easier to run up Thorn than to walk up it pushing a stroller.”

In the future, Melanie wants to be a stay-at-home mom. However, she would someday like to continue with her goal of teaching group fitness classes. She said she has run into many people who have voiced a wish for a nice facility that would offer group fitness classes in Colfax. She also wants to start a running club.

“I would like to start a runner’s club, a group where you can come and meet people who love to run and connect with people who run at your pace,” Melanie said. “There are a lot of runners here in Colfax. It’s fun to pass other runners and wave at them.”

Cooking has never been an interest for Melanie. Until she became pregnant, John did most of the cooking. Melanie has found new interests in decorating their home and preparing meals. She said she has mastered the Panini, thanks to Heather Cammack at Events on Main. Melanie said she really enjoys baking.

“Baking is more my thing, ‘cause it’s all so yummy,” she said.

Melanie said her mom makes her favorite foods. Her mother prepared breakfast burritos for Melanie’s teams.

Melanie credits her mother for being a great example of motherhood. She is looking forward to raising her family in Colfax and is practicing her mother’s breakfast burritos so she, too, can pass on the tradition to her future Bulldogs.

Recipes:

Ofelia Todd’s Breakfast Burritos

Homemade flour tortillas

4 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup shortening

1 1/3 cup hot tap water

Mix flour, salt and baking powder. Cut in shortening. Add 1 cup water into flour mixture. Knead in the remaining 1/3 cup water for 3 minutes. Dough should be the consistency of bread dough.

Pinch off dough balls about the size of a golf ball. Roll out dough balls and cook on a non-stick pan. (Wipe surface of the pan with a little shortening before beginning.)

Potato mixture

4 to 6 potatoes

Vegetable oil

Salt and pepper

8 to 10 eggs

Precooked sausage or bacon

Shredded cheese

Salsa

Onion

Peppers

Peel and dice potatoes. Fry potatoes in a little oil after seasoning with salt and pepper. After potatoes are done, drain out any oil. Add eggs, precooked sausage, or bacon, and cheese. Cook until eggs are done. Add extra cheese, salsa, onion or peppers if you choose.

Coconut Bread

2 cups white sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

2 teaspoons coconut extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup shredded coconut

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan.

2. In a large bowl, beat together sugar and vegetable oil. Beat in eggs and coconut extract. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Stir flour mixture into egg alternately with buttermilk and coconut.

3. Bake in oven for 45 minutes until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. *Pour syrup over hot bread! Use a butter knife to loosen edges of bread when cooled.

Syrup

1 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon coconut extract

Bring sugar and water to a boil (5 minutes). Lower heat, stirring occasionally with wire whisk or fork. Remove from heat. Stir in 1 teaspoon coconut extract.

Turkey Panini with Pesto

Panini bread or bread of choice (I prefer wheat bread).

Basil

Mozzarella cheese

Turkey

Tomato

Spinach

Sprinkle each slice of bread with a little basil. Layer with cheese, turkey, tomato and spinach. Grill in a panini grill until bread is hot and cheese is melted.

Special K Bars (Scotcharoo Bars)

1 cup Karo syrup

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups chunky peanut butter

6 cups Special K cereal

6 ounces chocolate chips

6 ounces butterscotch chips

Bring syrup and sugar to a boil. Add peanut butter. In a large bowl, combine cereal with the syrup mixture. Spread into a 9x13-inch pan.

Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips. Spread over bars.

Let cool a little before cutting.