My favorite recipes

Kimberly DeHart has had a busy week taking care of her grandchildren, Jenna, 9, and Anthony, 18 months, while their parents, Jessica and Ramon Lamas, vacation in Puerta Vallarta. Jenna enjoys computer games and the library, and Anthony is a great fan of “Family Feud.”

A resident of Colfax since 2004, she has worked for McGregor’s for more than five years. At the McGregor Company, Kimberly is a bookkeeper in charge of the company inventory.

July marks three years for Kimberly as coordinator of Whitman Community Hospital Foundation, an outgrowth of her community volunteer work. As a former Colfax Chamber of Commerce president, she has a broad view of volunteer activities in the community. She finds that she spends the entire year scouting items for the foundation’s annual dinner and auction each winter.

Also in the works is a fun run in October to benefit the foundation. Details are more involved than they might seem. They include the race course, registration details, permits with police for the event, arranging for refreshments at the end of the run and other details.

Kimberly allowed her head to be shaved and raised $1,900 for the St. Baldrick’s event at Colfax High School this winter. She raised an additional $2,200 through the McGregor Company with the promise to color her little bit of hair orange if they met a goal.

She learned to cook, Kimberly said, out of necessity in order to not eat out much while raising her daughter. Her style of cooking has changed as her family situation changed. When Jessica was little, pasta and kid foods dominated the menu. Cooking grew more sophisticated as her daughter grew up. Now Kimberly prefers cooking to entertain, which she really enjoys. She finds it hard to cook little meals for herself because she prefers cooking for a crowd. Personal pizzas, grilling and roast beef are favorites to prepare.

For fun, Kimberly belongs to a book club that is currently reading “The Beautiful Ruins” by Jess Walter. They meet after work at the Colfax Golf Club, discuss their book, share potluck or sometimes order-in pizza.

A big vegetable garden is a joy in summer, and she enjoys a trip to the lake with friends a few times each summer.

Recipes:

Nutty Orange Coffee Cake

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup chopped pecans

2 teaspoons orange zest

2 (12-ounce) cans refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (10 count)

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

1/2 cup melted butter

1 cup sifted powdered sugar

2 Tablespoons fresh orange juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, combine the granulated sugar, pecans, and zest; set aside. Separate the biscuits. Place about 3/4 teaspoon cream cheese in the center of each biscuit. Fold each biscuit in half over the cheese, pressing the edges to seal. Dip the biscuits in melted butter, then dredge in the granulated sugar mixture.

Place the biscuits, curved-side down, in a single layer in the hollows of a lightly greased 12-cup Bundt pan, spacing them evenly. Do not stack. Place any remaining biscuits around the tube, filling any gaps. Drizzle any remaining butter over the biscuits, and sprinkle with any remaining sugar mixture.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. Immediately invert the cake onto a serving platter. Combine the confectioner’s sugar and orange juice, stirring well; drizzle the glaze over the warm cake. Serve warm.

Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins with White Chocolate Chunks

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

pinch of nutmeg

pinch of ground allspice

1 stick (8 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree (I used pumpkin I froze)

1/4 cup buttermilk

1 cup fresh or frozen (don’t thaw) cranberries, halved

1 4-oz bar of good quality white chocolate, cut into chunks

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter or spray the 12 molds on a regular-size muffin pan or fit the molds with paper muffin cups. (I used baker’s spray.)

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Place the halved cranberries in a bowl and toss with a tablespoon of the flour mixture. Place chocolate chunks in another bowl and toss with a tablespoon of the flour mixture. Set aside.

Working with a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter at medium speed until soft. Add both the sugars and continue to beat until light and smooth. One by one, add the eggs, beating for a minute after the eggs are incorporated; then beat in the vanilla. Lower the mixer speed and mix in the pumpkin and buttermilk. With the mixer at low speed, add the dry ingredients in a steady stream, mixing only until they disappear. To avoid overmixing, you can stop the machine early and stir any remaining dry ingredients into the batter using a rubber spatula.

Fold in the cranberries, then fold in the chocolate. Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan. Place muffin pan on cookie sheet.

Bake for about 25 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool the muffins for 5 minutes in the pan, then carefully remove each one from its mold and finish cooling on the rack.

Like all muffins, these are best eaten the day they are made, but they can be wrapped airtight and frozen for up to 2 months. Rewarm in a 350 degree F oven, or split and toast the muffins, before serving.

Slow Cooker Apple Crisp

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

pinch of salt

1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces

1 cup chopped walnuts

1/3 cup white sugar or to taste

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

6 cups apples—peeled, cored, and chopped

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Mix flour, brown sugar, 1/2 cup of white sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together in a bowl. Combine butter with the flour mixture using fingers or a fork until coarse crumbs form. Stir in walnuts and set aside.

Whisk together 1/3 cup sugar, cornstarch, ginger and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Place the apples in the slow cooker, stir in the cornstarch mixture; toss with lemon juice. Sprinkle the walnut crumb topping on top. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4 hours, until apples are tender. Partially uncover the slow cooker to allow the topping to harden, about 1 hour.

Crockpot Beef Roast

Chuck roast

8 ounce jar of sliced pepperoncini

1 onion, thinly sliced

2 cans/bottles of beer

garlic powder, to taste

salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

1-2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Combine ingredients in a slow cooker. Cook on high for 6 hours, or on low for 9 hours. When done, shred beef and use in sandwiches on onion buns.