Smoke signals., November 15, 2007, Page 5, Image 5

Smoke Signals 5
NOVEMBER 15, 2007
In a pinch: Class helps people cook on a budget
By Ron Karten
Smoke Signals staff writer
There's a saying that when you
chop firewood, it heats you twice.
The same can be said about Tribal
member Kristy Delve's Cooking on
a Budget class. When you attend, it
feeds you twice. Maybe more.
This quiet little Tribal class of
fering meets monthly in the Com
munity Center kitchen, October
through March. It is filled up for
this year, and already has a few
people on the list for next year's
serving.
It's no wonder, and it's not just
because you get two meals free
although that idea did come up in
conversation during the first session
after work on Monday, Oct. 8.
This year's group includes plenty
of adults, some planning dinner
parties, some cooking for their
families, and Tribal Archiving
employee Nicole Bishop brought
along her three children Tyler,
13, Jacob, 9, and Heather, 7 for
the dinner and education. First,
we eat.
That's right. Before class, Kristi
cooked the evening's fare for ev
erybody. The first dinner included
turkey enchiladas and a salad with
a Kool-Aid pie for dessert. The main
course cost $1.91 per person when
prepared for a family of six.
A little conversation, a little good
eating, and then we got down to
cooking another round to bring
home.
Kristi supplied everybody with
the food necessary in the packages
and cans the size we would need
to buy for ourselves, along with
a special present of eight cooking
utensils like spatulas and ladles
and a salad spinner, also to take
home, along with a chance to win
a George Foreman grill, too.
In addition, though we didn't
have the dessert to eat, Kristi pro
vided the raw materials to make
the easiest dessert since the just-
add-milk-and-stir chocolate pud
ding: Kool-Aid pie. Add in the pie,
and the whole dinner came to $2.46
per person.
So, after dinner we all went into
the Community Center kitchen,
washed our hands well at the sink
and took a place beside our pack
ages of food and utensils.
First thing was to open the bag
of salad greens and pour them into
one of two aluminum serving tins.
We sliced up our cucumber ("Don't
ever peel the skin off the cucumber,"
Kristi said, "or you lose everything
that's good about it.") and tomato
(cut into wedges) and spread them
over the greens. A little plastic
wrap over the top and our salad
was ready. (I actually used some
of the sliced olives planned for the
enchiladas on the salad.)
Then, we opened our cans and
circled around to watch Kristi as
semble the enchiladas. She really
likes to use her hands when she
cooks.
The only thing we didn't have
was turkey burger meat, but Kristi
had that taken care of in a big pot
on the stove. Plenty for everybody.
Although she dropped the turkey
meat in with a little water and sort
of boiled it brown, later on she took
another package and showed how
to brown it in a pan on the stove.
("Five pounds of turkey burger at
Costco costs only $6," she said.)
"Turkey meat has a lot less fat
than regular hamburger meat, so
there's more left to eat at the end,
and it's better for you," she said. "But
because there is so little fat, you need
to use a little oil to brown it."
Tyler Bishop took over the brown
ing responsibilities.
Then, we watched as she laid
down a tortilla, scooped on some of
the refried beans, spread enough
turkey burger over the beans,
dropped a few green chilies on (they
were optional, according to taste),
spread the cheese over it, ladled
I
;ifS Pzz iti
'JA' i f - s-v J': II p J
t v. A-U K
-;jJ?XT -Jin
1 - .
Photo by Ron Karten
Nicole Bishop, who assists Tribal member Penny DeLoe in the Tribal archives,
unpacks the meal for the evening. Behind her is daughter, Heather, 7, and
son, Tyler, 1 3. Not seen is Bishop's son, Jacob, 9.
on the enchilada sauce that had
all the spices needed for the dish,
rolled up the tortilla and placed it
in the tin foil tray, large enough for
six tortillas.
"I want to put on the chilies," said
Heather Bishop.
Oh, and first we sprayed the bot
tom of the tray with vegetable oil to
keep the enchiladas from sticking.
Once all six were in the tray, we
sprinkled cheese (from some to
plenty) and the can of sliced olives
over the top. We covered it with
plastic wrap first, to protect the
acid-based foods from reacting with
the tin foil, and then tin foil over the
top of the plastic wrap.
We put it aside and it was ready
for the oven at 350 degrees for
30 minutes. When I cooked it the
next day at the Governance Center
kitchen, I had to put it back twice
after the first 30 minutes to melt
the cheese on top, but once out
on the community table, it disap
peared quickly.
All that was left was the Kool-Aid
pie. Into a bowl went a container
of Cool Whip, a can of sweetened
condensed milk and a package of
Kool-Aid.
Kristi said a chocolate pie crust
with orange Kool-Aid makes a great
Halloween dessert, but we had a
berry Kool-Aid that was blue, and
when the three ingredients were
mixed, it was a deep blue fluff that
was poured into the pre-made pie
crust.
"Just freeze it," Kristi said, "and
serve."
"They (especially the younger
two) really enjoyed the cooking
class, and look forward to the next
one," said Nicole Bishop. "The
younger two ask to help me in the
kitchen when they see me prepar
ing food. I think since they were
in the class, they have asked more
than they used to."
And so we went off into the crisp
evening, each of us loaded down
with dinner for six and full stom
achs. It was like a breath of fresh
air outside.
Of course, it's always that way
after a good meal.
Knight graduated in May from Willamette University
HATFILED continued
from front page
staff members in Hooley's office.
"I've had the privilege of working
with Hatfield Fellows in the past
and I am very excited to welcome
Rebecca Knight to my Washington,
D.C., office," Hooley said.
"Rebecca's knowledge of Oregon
and her academic record will be a
great asset to helping me represent
Oregon's 5th Congressional District
in the House of Representatives. We
are all excited for Rebecca to arrive."
Knight graduated from Willa
mette University in May. When she
entered college, she aspired to be a
lawyer because she wanted to make
a difference, but, like many college
students, she changed her major and
earned a bachelor of arts degree in
exercise science.
"I wanted to go into law, but I really
liked our exercise program," Knight
said. "It's the number one exercise
science program in the nation, and I
was fascinated with the body.
"But I've always wanted to know
iv
t v. j y
J.
about Native American policies,
but would like to work as well on
other issues that are important to
her, such as public health or Indian
Health Services.
After completing the fellowship,
Knight said she wants to stay in
politics or go into
cans, as well as benefiting Tribal
communities.
"Having Rebecca build her profes
sional skills and abilities is important.
Allowing her to learn how to maxi
mize her personal impact and pas
sion is a great benefit of the Hatfield
Fellowship.
public health. "Rebecca has a strong "itcbccca has a
"I applied to get . . strong history of
my master's and history O fighting for
fighting for what
go on to a doctor- what she Wants, and she wants, and
Photo by Kelly J. James
Rebecca Knight
about Native American policies, or
to practice law to some degree."
Knight has had an interest in
politics and learning about law
since she was a child. She said she
thinks the fellowship program is an
excellent opportunity to gain better
insight and knowledge of what hap
pens in Washington, D.C.
She said she hopes to learn more
ate program in
public health be
fore I was award
ed the fellowship,
but I deferred for
the fellowship,"
said Knight, who
was accepted into
a graduate program at Oregon
State University.
"Rebecca Knight has a passion
for health issues," said Shelley
Hanson, director of Spirit Mountain
Community Fund.
"Our hope is that she learns about
the resources and opportunities to
benefit individual Native Ameri-
ouercoming obstacles."
Shelley Hanson, Spirit
Mountain Community
Fund director
overcoming ob
stacles. I ler pas
sion is obvious.
She's a leader in
her family, and
the potential
with her is enor
mous." Knight is the daughter of Dennis
and Roberta Knight and is Tribal
on her father's side.
The fellowship, established by
the Confederated Tribes of Grand
Ronde and Spirit Mountain Com
munity Fund, honors Mark O.
Hatfield, former governor and U.S.
senator from Oregon. H