My favorite recipes

Walter and Ashlee Taylor moved to Endicott a little less than two years ago.

“We didn’t choose Endicott. It seemed to choose us,” Ashlee noted.

They wanted to live in a small town, and a friend who lived in Endicott encouraged the move. School started two days after they moved in, and another mom invited her to the Mom’s Coffee, a first day of school event at Endicott Elementary and Endicott-St. John Middle School. That made Ashlee feel welcome and helped her meet her new neighbors.

Walter works for Pearson Fence and manages their cattle herd, a job he and their Australian shepherd love.

A few weeks ago, they spent a weekend in Montana helping someone work cattle, with Ashlee pitching in with the cooking. Ashlee works part-time at the Endicott post office, and enjoys the opportunity to meet and get acquainted with her neighbors. Walter keeps asking her how she knows someone, and her answer is always the same—the post office.

Ashlee grew up in Brush Prairie, near Vancouver, on her dad’s hobby farm. Raised by her father with five brothers, she cooked her first turkey dinner at age ten with advice from grandma on the phone. The third of six children, but the only girl, she never wore “girl shorts” because her father thought they were too short.

Walter grew up near Hockinson and attended Battleground High School. While at Prairie High School, Ashlee was preparing to show her first steer and felt she needed some help. She called the Battleground FFA advisor, and he suggested Walter as a mentor. He apparently was a good helper.

The Taylors have three children. Tanner, nine, is a bookworm and expert on farm animals and wants to be an auctioneer. Tucker, seven, loves sports and playing outdoors. Taylee, fifteen months, still takes two naps a day.

Ashlee chauffeurs the boys to baseball, 4H and Cub Scouts, quilts and sews the boys’ Western shirts, which are handed down around the community. Tallulah and Woofie, their two Corgis, would lead intruders to the valuables, while Beaulah, the Aussie, is very protective of her family and home.

The Taylor kids love to visit Ashlee’s dad, for his farm is virtually a petting zoo. He has the usual horses and Angus cattle, but also a pet camel that is used in live Nativity plays, and a Brazilian raccoon. He also does custom haying. Her Grandma Honey drives up from Vancouver to visit. A lively person, she drives all of her aging friends in Vancouver to their doctor appointments.

Walter and Ashlee sometimes attend church in Colfax, but when the busy season hits, they attend Endicott Bible Church right down the street. They have their horses nearby, and plan to move them out of town when it is time for the big Endicott Fourth of July fireworks.

All of them ride; little Taylee, when placed on the back of a horse, just relaxes and grins.

They will do some extra celebrating this July when Ashlee’s brother marries one of her Endicott friends.

Recipes:

Baked French Toast

French Toast

1 loaf sourdough bread

8 eggs

2 cups milk

1/2 cup half and half

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

3 Tablespoons vanilla extract

butter for greasing the pan

Topping

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 stick cold butter, cut into pieces

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

butter and warm syrup when serving

Fresh blueberries and sausage links to accompany

Directions:

Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with butter. Tear up bread into chunks or cut into cubes; place in pan. In a large bowl, mix eggs, milk, half and half, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla with whisk. Pour over bread in the pan. Cover and store over night, or you can use it right away.

For topping, mix brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg together. Cut in butter until it looks like little pebbles. Place on French toast when ready to bake.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Scoop out servings and top with a pat of butter and warm syrup. My family likes it with fresh blueberries and breakfast sausage links.

Baked Spinach Dip

2 8-ounce boxes cream cheese, softened

2 cups mayonnaise

1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1 pound sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 bunch green onions, diced

1 can water chestnuts, diced

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 Tablespoons dill weed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and mayonnaise until blended. Stir in spinach, cheese, bacon, onion, water chestnuts, garlic, and dill weed. Put into glass baking dish and bake at 350 degrees until hot and bubbly. Enjoy with fresh veggies and baguette bread!

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

1 can evaporated milk

1 large can green chili sauce

3 cups chicken breast meat (cooked and shredded)

10-12 flour tortillas

1-2 cups shredded Jack or Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix cream of chicken soup, sour cream, evaporated milk, and green chili sauce. Pour 1/4 of soup mixture in a bowl with the chicken and mix well. Spread 1/4 of the soup mixture in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

Spoon chicken down the center of each tortilla, roll up and place in the dish seam side up. Pour the rest of the soup mixture on enchiladas and top with cheese. Bake for 30-45 minutes at 350 degrees F.