The new Coleta Cookbook: Part cookbook, part village history book

COLETA – The long-running Coleta community cookbook is updated and revised, and now features 400 pages of recipes and village history.

Sparked by a conversation on the Coleta Facebook group, a small group of current and former Coleta residents joined forces to update and publish the recipe collection that’s been curated for decades by the residents of the village of fewer than 200 north of Sterling.

Designed by Andersson Publishing of Eugene, Oregon, the 8-by-10-inch book includes many old photos from Coleta. A front section of the book was compiled some years ago by Barb Gettle, and numerous illustrations by Nancy Wirth are featured.

“We have to credit Suzanne Gutierrez for the heavy lifting,” editor Kelly Andersson said in a news release. “She typed all the recipes for us and collected many of the scanned images. I could not have tackled this project without her assistance.” Other help with images and other content was contributed by Debbie Shuman and Debbie Gettle Espinoza.

The collection of recipes and other notes dates back several decades, first created in 1976 by the Community Club of the then-Coleta Elementary School.

The names and the recipes reflect the times, and many of the old family recipes have been handed down for generations.

Coleta hasn’t grown much over the years; the community still has active churches but no longer has a grade school. Several decades of the village’s history are laid out in this book’s pages.

The cost is $25 at https://amzn.to/3tGfCLl.

Here’s a taste of the contents:

Evelyn Anning’s Chicken Waikiki Beach recipe

• 2 whole chicken quarters and 2 whole chicken breasts

• 1/2 C. flour

• ⅓ C. salad oil or shortening

• 1 tsp. salt

• 1 tsp. pepper

Sauce:

• 1 can sliced pineapple (1 lb. 4 oz.)

• 1 C. sugar

• 2 tbsp. cornstarch

• 3/4 C. cider vinegar

• 1 tbsp. soy sauce

• 1/4 tsp. ginger

• 1 chicken bouillon cube

• 1 large green pepper, cut in circles

Wash chicken; pat dry with paper towels, and coat with flour. Heat oil in large skillet; add chicken, a few pieces at a time, and brown on all sides. Remove to a shallow roasting pan, arranging pieces skin side up. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350.

Make sauce: Drain pineapple, pouring syrup into a 2 cup measure. Add water to make 1 cup. In medium saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, pineapple syrup, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, and bouillon cube; bring to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil for 2 minutes. Pour over chicken.

Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Add pineapple slices and green pepper; bake 30 minutes longer or until chicken is tender. Serve with fluffy white rice.

Makes 4 generous servings.