Joanne Fluke's Lake Eden Cookbook Part 11

"I've got better than that. I've got cubed cooked chicken and it's frozen. It'll keep for three months in your freezer and the cubes are about the same size as the ones Hannah cut for her salad."

"So then all I have to do is hard-boil some eggs, fry some bacon and crumble it, grate a carrot, and chop parsley?"

Florence shook her head. "Not even that. I've got hardboiled eggs in the deli section and crumbled bacon in a little pouch. It's probably not quite as good as homemade, but by the time you mix all those things together, n.o.body'll ever know."

Hannah remained silent. She really preferred to make things from scratch, but in Alice's case, she simply didn't have the time. Alice worked twelve-hour days at Ali's Alley, Lake Eden's bowling alley, and she usually made do with sandwiches and soup when she got home.

"Are you planning to invite Digger for lunch?" Ellie Kuehne teased her. "The last time Bert and I went bowling, you two were pretty friendly."

Alice smiled, but Hannah noticed that she was beginning to blush. "That's what Digger and I are... friends. I might invite him for Hannah's Chicken Salad, but maybe I'll invite Will."

"Who's Will?" Lisa asked, setting another platter of Herb's Herb biscuits on the table.

Alice shrugged. "He's the gas man. He works for Lake Eden GasCo and he came by to fix a gas leak in my garage. He's a really nice guy and he told me a funny story about why natural gas smells so bad."

"Tell us," Andrea encouraged. "I've always wondered about that."

All eyes were on Alice as she took a sip from her water gla.s.s and cleared her throat. "Will said that natural gas has no smell at all, and that makes it dangerous because people can't tell if they have a gas leak or not. So way back when, the gas company used to scent it with attar of roses."

"Attar of roses smells nice," Carrie said. "My mother used to dab it on the radiator and it made the whole house smell good."

Alice smiled. "That was the problem. n.o.body reported any gas leaks, and the gas company knew there had to be some. They figured that people liked the gas leaks because they made their homes smell good. So the bigwigs at the gas company had a meeting, and they decided that they should scent the gas with something that didn't smell good. They asked for suggestions and somebody came up with the essence of rotten cabbage. That's an awful smell."

No one said anything, but there were several nods around the table. Rotten cabbage was definitely not a good smell.

"The gas company didn't mention they were doing it, but they switched from attar of roses to the rotten cabbage smell one morning, and Will said that they were so swamped with calls about gas leaks, they had to put on an emergency crew."

"I believe it," Delores said, reaching for another biscuit. "These are really good. How do you make them?"

"The recipe's under Breads and m.u.f.fins," Hannah told her mother. "I included all the recipes from the luncheon."

"I'm going to bake these tonight," Andrea declared, flipping through the binder to find the recipe. She read it through, gave a little nod, and then she looked up to see that everyone was staring at her. "Oh, come on! It's really simple. I know I'm culinarily challenged, but I think even I can handle this!"

Breads & m.u.f.fins

BERNADETTE'S POPOVERS, WITH FANCY b.u.t.tERS Preheat oven to 450 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

Spray a 12-cup m.u.f.fin pan with Pam or other nonstick cooking spray. You can also grease them with clarified b.u.t.ter, oil, or lard if you prefer.

Hannah's 1st Note: Before I got this recipe, my popovers always looked as if they'd been run over by Earl Flensburg's tow truck. Now they're high, light, golden brown, and gorgeous.

4 eggs11

2 cups milk

2 cups flour (not sifted)

1 teaspoon salt

Hannah's 2nd Note: You should mix this recipe by hand with a whisk. If you use an electric mixer, it will add too much air to the eggs.

Whisk the eggs until they're a light, uniform color, but not yet fluffy. It should take no more than a minute or so.

Add the milk and whisk it in until it's incorporated.

Measure out the flour and dump it in the bowl all at once. Dump in the salt on top of it. Then stir for a moment or two with a wooden spoon until all the flour has been moistened and incorporated. You will still have lumps (like brownie batter), but that's fine. In this recipe, you actually want lumps!

Transfer the batter to a container with a spout (I used a measuring cup). Pour the batter into the m.u.f.fin cups, filling them almost to the top.

Bake at 450 degrees F. for exactly 30 minutes. (Don't peek while they're baking or they'll fall!) When 30 minutes have pa.s.sed, remove the pan to a cold burner or a wire rack and pierce the top of each popover with a sharp knife to release the steam.

Let the popovers stand in the pan for a minute or two, and then tip them out into a napkin-lined basket.

Serve with sweet b.u.t.ter, salted b.u.t.ter, fruit b.u.t.ters, jams, jellies, or cream cheese.

Yield: 12 large popovers that everyone will love.

Hannah's 3rd Note: These popovers are also good at room temperature. I haven't done this yet, but I'm going to try filling them with egg salad, tuna salad, or salmon salad. If it works, it'll be a great dish for a brunch.

FANCY b.u.t.tERS FOR POPOVERS.

Hannah's 1st Note: Make these fancy b.u.t.ters the day before you plan to serve them. Take them out of the refrigerator an hour before serving.

CASHEW b.u.t.tER:.

cup softened b.u.t.ter (1 stick, pound)

2 Tablespoons ( cup) finely chopped cashews (measure

AFTER chopping)

Soften the b.u.t.ter and place it in a small mixing bowl.

Chop the cashews (salted or unsalted it doesn't really matter ) in a food processor with the steel blade until they're as close to a paste as you can get them. (If you don't have a food processor, you can grind them in a food mill, chop them by hand and then crush them with a mortar and pestle, or grind them in a blender.) Measure 2 Tablespoons of crushed or finely chopped cashews. Mix the cashews with the b.u.t.ter, sc.r.a.pe the mixture into a small serving bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. When you uncover the bowl, place one perfect cashew on top of the cashew b.u.t.ter so everyone will know what it is.

HONEY b.u.t.tER:.

cup softened b.u.t.ter (1 stick, pound)

1 Tablespoon honey

Soften the b.u.t.ter and place it in a small mixing bowl.

Add the honey and stir until well blended. Sc.r.a.pe the mixture into a small serving bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.

Hannah's 2nd Note: I usually make a double batch of honey b.u.t.ter because everyone loves it so much.

ALMOND b.u.t.tER:.

cup softened b.u.t.ter (1 stick, pound)

1 Tablespoon finely chopped or crushed blanched almonds

(measure AFTER chopping or crus.h.i.+ng)

teaspoon almond extract

Chop the blanched almonds in a food processor with the steel blade until they're as close to a paste as you can make them. (If you don't have a food processor, you can grind them in a food mill, chop them by hand and then crush them with a mortar and pestle, or grind them in a blender.) Measure 1 Tablespoon of crushed or finely chopped almonds. Mix the almonds with the b.u.t.ter.

Add the almond extract and mix well.

Sc.r.a.pe the mixture into a small serving bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. When you uncover the bowl, place one perfect almond on top of the almond b.u.t.ter so everyone will know what it is.

DATE b.u.t.tER:.

cup softened b.u.t.ter (1 stick, pound)

8 pitted dates, finely chopped

1 teaspoon flour

Cut each date into three pieces and place them in the bowl of a food processor. Sprinkle them with flour and chop them with the steel blade until they're as finely chopped as you can make them. (You can add a little more flour if they stick together too much.) If you don't have a food processor, you can try this with a blender, or chop them with a sharp knife by hand.

Mix the chopped dates with the b.u.t.ter, sc.r.a.pe the mixture into a small serving bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. When you uncover the bowl, place one pitted date on top of the date b.u.t.ter so everyone will know what it is.

ORANGE b.u.t.tER:.