My favorite recipes

Katie Bailey has called western Whitman County home since grade school. Katie and Steve live in LaCrosse, and she teaches in Endicott, where she began in 1999.

Leann Bafus was her master teacher when she did her student teaching in LaCrosse. The second of five children, Katie is closest to Rachel, who lives in Silverdale.

Katie really enjoys her second/third grade combination class which keeps her very busy. Looping with the children for a second year allows her to observe their growth over the course of two years. In the combination classroom, older children mentor younger children, which she believes helps the younger ones. Her class has 14 students this year, which she feels is a great size.

During her first years, she taught a first/second combination class, but believes a the second/third combination works better because students are reading and are familiar with the school routine.

After earning her degree in math education with an earth science minor at Eastern Washington University she added classes to be certified as a reading teacher. She also earned her masters degree during summer terms at Cheney.

Katie has assumed some lead teacher responsibilities, but she really enjoys classroom teaching.

This summer she began coaching the swim team at LaCrosse, and they teamed with St. John. They had 36 swimmers this year, and the team took most of her summer with practices and meets. She said working with both the LaCrosse and St. John Parks and Recreation committee members was a treat. The team placed third at the Jerry Cluckey Memorial meet in August.

This summer she read “Character Matters” as her education project. The subject is teaching values and character. Her classroom will focus on respect this year, including respect for self, others and relationships.

Mary Chastain, Katie’s mother, teaches music, art, and Spanish at LaCrosse. Since Katie is teaching in Endicott, she is comfortable knowing that her mom can help with Katie’s children at school in LaCrosse.

Ben, age 5, starts kindergarten soon. Zoe is in third/fourth combination class.

Steve and Katie married May 3, 1997. Steve had finished school in heavy equipment and diesel mechanics and was working for Motley and Motley. Katie had two quarters to finish at EWU plus a quarter of student teaching, so they had a commuter marriage for two quarters. Steve manages Motley and Motley’s asphalt plant and the sand plant. The asphalt plant is a new assignment, but Steve enjoys learning new things.

Self-taught is how Katie describes her cooking education. Steve taught her to cook after they were first married. After Zoe was born, she subscribed to cooking magazines and tried new recipes. When she tries a new recipe, her family rates it 1 through 10. If it earns an 8 or better, she saves the recipe.

After some experience, Katie now feels comfortable making substitutions. She aims to try one new recipe every two weeks. She looks for recipes that are healthy and easy for a working mom.

The Baileys have family night on Mondays, so dinner and dessert are special that night. Ben loves to help, so they bake together, with him measuring ingredients. Dessert is on the menu every Monday night, and it usually lasts for several nights. Having dinner together as a family is important, so if Steve is working late, Katie and the kids eat dinner at their usual time, and then sit down to chat with dad while he eats.

Recipe:

Shellaroni

(serving size: 6, time: 45 minutes) Katie’s daughter Zoe named this recipe.)

2 cups of uncooked shell pasta (we also love this recipe with penne or macaroni)

1/4 cup of butter

3-4 Tablespoon of flour

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

2 cups of milk

4 ounces of Velveta

2 ounces of mozzarella cheese

2 ounces of pepper jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook noodles. Melt butter in a large sauce pan. Then add flour and stir constantly until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Stir in milk. Heat to boiling...stir, stir, stir. Boil and stir 1 minute until sauce thickens. Turn off heat. Add cheeses (I cube them to make the melting faster). Add shells. Pour into a greased 1 and 1/2 quart casserole. Bake uncovered 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Spinach Penne Salad

(serving size: 6, time: 30 minutes)

3 cups uncooked penne

Vinaigrette

1/4 and 1/8 cups olive oil

1/4 and 1/8 cups white vinegar

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard

2 garlic cloves, minced

Salad

1/2 package fresh baby spinach

2 medium tomatoes (seeded and chopped)

3 green onions

1/2 cup sliced onions

Cook pasts, drain and rinse with cold water. Whisk vinaigrette ingredients. In large bowl combine pasta, spinach, tomatoes, onion, and olives. Add vinaigrette. Toss to coat. Serve immediately.

S’more Drops

(serving size 1-1/2 dozen, Time 15 minutes)

4 cups ‘Golden Grahams’

1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/3 cup light corn syrup

1 Tablespoon butter

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

In large bowl, combine cereal and marshmallows. Place chocolate chips, corn syrup and butter in microwave safe dish, microwave, uncovered on high for 1-2 min until smooth. Stir every 30 seconds. Stir in vanilla. Pour over cereal mixture and mix well. Drop by tablespoon into baking cups or onto wax paper. Cool.

Glazed Lemon Cake

1 package (18-1/4 ounces) white cake mix

1 package (3.4 ounces) instant lemon Pudding Mix

3/4 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 cup lemon-lime soda

1 cups confectioners sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

In a mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, pudding mix, oil and eggs; beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Gradually beat in soda. Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 - 45 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched in center.

Combine confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice until smooth; carefully spread over warm cake. Cool on a wire rack.

Sausage and Chicken Kabobs

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 pound chicken breast cut into 1-1/2 in. cubes

1 pound Beef Bratz ( or other sausage of your choice) cut into 1-1/2 in. cubes

2 cups fresh pineapple cut into 1-1/2 in. cubes

Combine first 5 ingredients; add chicken and sausage. Marinate for 1 hour. On soaked wooden skewers thread chicken, sausage, and pineapple. Grill uncovered for 10-15 minutes turning frequently.