Butter Off Dead (27 page)

That's all most of us want. And when we're kept in the dark—intentionally or not—we feel excluded. I'd learned to trust my heart on that one.

“And she'll support Christine's plan to endow a scholarship for high school art, film, and drama students,” he continued. “Turning pain into a positive.”

“What about the property?”

“I haven't decided yet. But if you want the cottage—” He glanced across the room at Adam, listening intently to Landon. “Your cabin's pretty small.”

The warmth crept up my throat. “Long as I don't have to live next door to Jack Frost.”

“Jack feared change.”

“And that the cops would find out what he's been growing back there.”

“That, they have.” Nick's grin reminded me of Adam's. In some ways similar and in others very different, these two men of mine.

“So you don't think he hates wolves as much as he feared discovery?”

“No, he hates them. They represent destruction of an old way of life, a life of being left alone, and flaunting society's rules. Our laws.”

“People are going to find out about your fledgling Rainbow Lake pack.”

He nodded. “I've talked with the wildlife managers. Since it's a breeding pair, they're prepared to move them, if necessary.”

“Good work. If I move in to the cottage, brother, I think I'll find me an artist to sculpt a wolf out of salvaged auto parts.”

He howled.

Tony, in his white apron, emerged from the kitchen and tapped a glass with a spoon. Mimi whipped off the baseball cap he always wears while cooking, exposing his bald head. “Dinner in two shakes,” he said. “But first, a toast to the First Annual Jewel Bay Food Lovers' Film Festival!”

Cries of “hear, hear” and “cheers!” rose to the timbers.

“‘First annual' has a nice ring,” Bill said.

I threw up my hands. “Don't look at me. Besides, the Festival depends on the Film Club. Shouldn't a decision wait for a new advisor?”

“We've already talked to the drama coach,” Dylan said. “She's in.”

Before I took my seat, Landon asked me a question. “Auntie, what's a poor mouse?”

For the second time in a week, I sloshed my martini, and I swear, it was my first. But it's hard to take seriously a question about mice from a five-year-old dressed like the Cat in the Hat. In honor of Dr. Seuss's approaching birthday, Chiara had made him a tall red-and-white hat and an oversized bow tie, and drawn whiskers on his little cheeks.

“At dinner at Noni's,” he went on, “you said somebody was a poor mouse.”

The light went on. He'd misheard my description of Sally as a poor-mouth. “That is what Sandburg and Pumpkin have been dreaming of all winter: A poor mouse to chase.”

Satisfied, he ran off to sit between his father and his noni.

“Good save,” Chiara said.

“That outfit is adorable. You should make a line of children's costumes.”

“I'm learning from you, little sister. No products that aren't consistent with the gallery's mission.”

“Sell them at Puddle Jumpers,” my inner imp said. “Sally would be thrilled.”

My sister rolled her eyes. “You are incorrigible.”

I looked up at the antelope in his beads and Groucho glasses and winked. “I hope
so.”

• • • • •

C
OCKTAILS
WITH
THE
M
URPHY
G
IRLS

Huckleberry Martinis

HUCKLEBERRY VODKA:

 

Commercial huckleberry-flavored vodkas are available. Erin prefers to make her own. This drink is similar to a Cosmopolitan.

3 ounces vodka

3 ounces huckleberries, fresh or frozen

Pour vodka over berries in a mason jar or mortar; mash the berries with a fork or a pestle and let sit at least one hour.
(The berries can be steeped up to a week.) Strain before using. Makes 3 ounces huckleberry vodka.

3 ounces huckleberry vodka

2 ounces triple sec

1 ounce lime juice

1 cup ice cubes

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Shake until the outside of the shaker is frosty or your hands are cold. Strain into two chilled martini glasses. If you prefer a sweeter drink, add
¹
/
₂
teaspoon simple syrup to each drink.

S
ERVES
2

Huckleberry Margaritas

Serve on the rocks or blended, with salt or without.

HUCKLEBERRY TEQUILA:

3 ounces tequila

3 ounces huckleberries, fresh or frozen

Pour tequila over berries in a mason jar or mortar; mash the berries with a fork or a pestle and let sit at least one hour. (The berries can be steeped up to a week.) Strain before using. Makes 3 ounces huckleberry tequila.

3 ounces huckleberry tequila

2 ounces triple sec

1 ounce lime juice

1 cup ice cubes for on the rocks, two ice cubes for blended

lime wedges

On the rocks: Combine ingredients, except lime wedge, in a cocktail shaker. Shake until the outside of the shaker is frosty or your hands are cold. Strain into two glasses. Serve with a lime wedge.

Blended: Add first three ingredients to blender with two ice cubes. Pulse and pour into glasses. Serve with a lime wedge.

If you prefer a sweeter drink, add
¹
/
₂
teaspoon simple syrup to each drink. For salted rims, shake salt onto a saucer. Run a lime wedge around the rim of each glass and dip the glass into the salt.

S
ERVES
2

• • • • •

A
T
H
OME
WITH
E
RIN

The morning after a night out, relax at home with Erin and the cats.

Erin's Sunday Morning Scones

¹
/
₃
cup or more chopped pecans, toasted (see below)

1 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour

1
¹
/
₂
cups whole wheat flour*

³
/
₄
cup flaxseed meal

2
¹
/
₂
teaspoons baking powder

¹
/
₂
cup brown sugar, firmly packed

¹
/
₂
teaspoon baking soda

¹
/
₂
cup (one stick) butter, cut into small chunks

1 cup buttermilk

zest of one orange

¹
/
₃
cup dried cranberries, soaked in hot water to plump and well-drained

cinnamon sugar** or raw sugar to sprinkle as a topping (optional)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Toast the pecans for 10 minutes at 300 degrees, shaking the pan once or twice during baking. Don't overbake; the nuts will continue to brown and crisp as they cool.

Raise oven temperature to 375 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, or a mixer or food processor, mix the flours, flaxseed meal, baking powder, brown sugar, and baking soda. Add the butter and mix or pulse until the mixture looks like large crumbs. Add half the buttermilk and work in, adding the rest as the dough starts to pull together. (Erin likes to use a food processor to mix in the butter and buttermilk more easily.)

If you're using a food processor, transfer the dough to a large mixing bowl. Add pecans, zest, and cranberries.

Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper. Flour a large cutting board. Form the dough into a log. Cut the dough into five equal pieces. Use your hands to shape the first piece into a circle, about half an inch thick. Cut into four equal triangles and transfer to the baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining pieces. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar or raw sugar if you'd like.

Bake 18–20 minutes, or until lightly browned.

M
AKES
20
SCONES
. T
HESE
FREEZE
BEAUTIFULLY
.

* King Arthur's unbleached white whole-wheat flour will give these scones a lighter color and texture that is particularly yummy, but if you can't find it, regular whole-wheat flour works fine.

** 1 teaspoon cinnamon to
¹
/
₄
cup white sugar is a tasty combo. Erin stores the mix in a small airtight container, as it keeps well and is extra-tasty on scones, buttered toast, and oatmeal.

Fennel and Blood Orange Salad

Erin likes this as a complement to sautéed scallops or shrimp, or a salmon burger.

¹
/
₄
cup hazelnuts or walnuts, toasted (see below)

1 medium-to-large fennel bulb

juice of 1 lemon

salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 large blood oranges (the Cara Cara, a red-fleshed navel orange works well)

1 small shallot, peeled and cut into paper-thin slices

10 mint leaves, chopped

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon fennel fronds, chopped, for garnish

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Toast nuts for 10 minutes in a 300-degree oven, shaking pan occasionally. (Don't overbrown, as nuts will continue to darken after toasting.) Cool. If you use hazelnuts, roll them between your hands, to remove any loose skins; discard the skins—they are bitter. Coarsely chop the nuts and set them aside.

Slice off the root end of the fennel and discard. Trim the stems, saving a few fronds for garnish. Slice bulb thinly, using a sharp knife. (Some cookbooks recommend starting at the flat bottom side, but Erin thinks it's easier to rest the bulb on its side, which is fairly flat, and slice from the end, using the
stem end to hold the bulb.) Toss the slices in a mixing bowl with lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

Remove peel and pith from oranges. Cut the oranges in half crosswise, and use a small serrated knife to cut the sections from the membrane and add the sections to the seasoned fennel. Squeeze juice from the orange halves by hand or with a juicer, and add juice to the seasoned fennel. Add the shallot, mint leaves, olive oil, and chopped nuts, and toss gently. Serve alone or on a bed of greens, and garnish with the fennel fronds.

This salad can be made ahead; add the mint and fennel fronds before serving.

S
ERVES
4

Chocolate-Cabernet Sauce

Perfect on top of ice cream or cheesecake, after a hard night of sleuthing.

1 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

¹
/
₂
teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons Cabernet Sauvignon

¹
/
₂
pound semisweet chocolate, broken into pieces for easier melting (Erin likes Scharffen Berger's baking bars)

Heat the cream, butter, vanilla, and wine in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the chocolate and stir until smooth.

Makes about one pint. Erin stores the sauce in a pint jar in the fridge, and warms it for serving by setting the jar in a bowl of very hot water.

Pumpkin Spice Coffee Blend

Created by Fresca, in honor of the newest member of Erin's household.

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1
¹
/
₂
teaspoons ground allspice or cloves, or a blend

dash of ground cardamom

1 teaspoon dried orange or lemon peel

Mix ingredients together in a small bowl and store in a jar or tin with a tight lid. For a pot of drip coffee, add
¹
/
₄
to
¹
/
₂
teaspoon of the spice blend to the ground coffee. For a single cup of espresso, drip coffee, or French press coffee, use
¹
/
₈
teaspoon to start, until you know how much tastes just right to you.

If you like to sweeten your coffee, turbinado sugar goes well with this blend; add it to the spices or to your cup. Feel free to experiment with the amounts and add other spices, such as a vanilla bean or whole cloves. Trust your own taste buds, and have fun!

• • • • •

F
ROM
T
RACY
'
S
K
ITCHEN

Tracy's Cocoa Nib Hot Chocolate

Seriously smooth and rich. Try adding a dash of cinnamon or chili powder to the dry ingredients. A splash of Kahlua, Peppermint Schnapps, or Bailey's Irish Cream will add an extra kick.

¹
/
₄
cup cocoa nibs

2 cups whole milk

6 ounces 65 percent to 70 percent bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

¹
/
₃
cup sugar

¹
/
₄
teaspoon kosher salt

¹
/
₄
cup water

OPTIONAL:

¹
/
₄
teaspoon ground cinnamon

or

¹
/
₄
teaspoon ancho chile powder

Pulse the cocoa nibs in a spice grinder or a small food processor until coarsely chopped, three or four times. Pour nibs into a 1-quart saucepan and add the milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until milk reaches the simmer stage, just below a boil, about 160 degrees. Remove from heat and let steep for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the chocolate, sugar, salt, and water in the carafe of a 1-liter French press. Set aside.

After steeping, reheat the chocolate milk mixture until it begins to simmer. Pour into the carafe through a mesh strainer. Set aside for 1 minute, while you rinse mugs with hot water. Stir cocoa to combine the chocolate and milk. Pump the plunger of the French press 10–15 times to froth and aerate the cocoa. Serve immediately.

S
ERVES
2

• • • • •

C
ELEBRATING
THE
M
OVI
ES
!

Jewel Bay Critter Crunch

8 cups plain, popped popcorn (If you're using an air popper, this is about 1 cup of raw kernels.)

¹
/
₂
cup raw, unsalted peanuts

¹
/
₂
cup raw, unsalted almonds

6 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons light (clear) corn syrup

³
/
₄
cup brown sugar

¹
/
₄
teaspoon vanilla

¹
/
₄
teaspoon baking soda

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spray or grease a baking sheet.

Pluck all the old maids (the unpopped kernels) and skins from popcorn and pour popcorn into a bowl. Add nuts and stir to mix.

To make caramel, combine butter, corn syrup, and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir until mixture boils. Continue cooking at a low boil for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and baking soda.

Pour caramel mixture over popcorn and stir to coat. Spread onto greased cookie sheet, and bake for 10–15 minutes (10 for chewy, 15 for crunchy). Remove from oven and add the chocolate chips. Stir slightly, until the chocolate begins to melt. Cool and eat.

M
AKES
ABOUT
8
CUPS
.