Chapter Seven
“I’m really glad you’re here, Lisa,” Hannah said once Mike had left. “Where were you when the blizzard hit us?”
“At home with Herb. He’d just gotten off work. He was only home for a half hour or so when it started to snow, and we heard the blizzard warnings on KCOW. We just stayed in the house until the snow stopped blowing. How about you?”
“I was taking a nap at the condo. I slept for most of the afternoon.”
“I can understand that. You must have been exhausted after dealing with all the people at church.”
“I was. Moishe was sleeping with me and when I woke up, I looked out the window and it was a solid wall of swirling snow.”
“You were alone?”
“Yes, except for Moishe. I think the howling of the wind woke me up, either that or the fact that Moishe was restless. He was scared, so I petted him to calm him down, slipped on my robe, and went out into the living room. That’s when I looked out the living room window and realized that I couldn’t see Clara and Marguerite’s condo across the outside landing.”
“Did your electricity go off?”
Hannah shook her head. “When they built the condo complex, they ran everything underground. I had cable television for the entire time, too. I was just watching the weather warning on KCOW-TV when Norman knocked on my door with Cuddles.”
Lisa looked shocked. “Norman made it all the way out to your place?”
“Yes. He started before the blizzard got really bad, but it took him almost an hour and a half. And it’s only a twenty-minute drive.”
“Where was Michelle?”
“At Mother and Doc’s penthouse with Lonnie. Mother called Michelle on her cell phone, told her that it was too dangerous to drive back to my place, and invited them over to ride out the blizzard.”
“But Michelle was with you when I called.”
“I know. Earl Flensburg came by with his snowplow and brought Michelle, Lonnie, and Mike out to my place.”
“So you had Norman, Cuddles, Mike, Lonnie, and Michelle with you for the whole time?”
Hannah smiled. “Yes, and I was glad for the company. The guys camped out in the living room and Michelle and I cooked and baked a lot. It kept our minds off what was happening outside. I think we came up with some good recipes for Valentine’s Day and I brought samples for you.” Hannah walked over to the kitchen counter, picked up the box she’d packed that morning, and carried it over to give to Lisa.
Lisa took the box and set it down on the stainless-steel surface. “It’s really heavy. You must have baked the entire time!”
Hannah laughed. “Michelle and I had to do something. We were getting a little stir-crazy. The guys tested cookies, pies, and cakes for us and so did Clara and Marguerite Hollenbeck. It was something productive for us to do.”
“It sounds like you didn’t mind the blizzard at all.”
“Not true. I can tell you this, Lisa. I’m really glad it’s over and I can get out again! I never thought I was claustrophobic, but I guess I am. I felt anxious knowing that I couldn’t get out of the condo if we had an emergency.”
“I know what you mean, but at least you had people with you. Herb and I were stuck in the house and the only time we left was to step outside and walk the dogs around the inside of the fence.”
“You must have felt terribly confined.” Hannah walked to the kitchen coffeepot and poured herself another cup. “What did you and Herb do to pass the time?”
Since Lisa didn’t answer immediately, Hannah turned to look at her. That’s when she realized that her partner was blushing. “Sorry,” she apologized. “I guess I shouldn’t have asked that.”
“That’s okay. I did have time to come up with a couple of new recipes we can use for Valentine’s Day.”
“Great! What are they?”
“One is Pink Grapefruit Cake. The glaze is pink and it’s pretty. And another is White Chocolate Brownies. I’ve got a White Chocolate Fudge Frosting, too, and I thought we could color that pink and put Valentine candies on top of each brownie.”
“Good idea! Did you hear the news about the movie festival?”
“Yes. Mayor Bascomb called Herb to see if he knew anyone he could hire for extra security. The mayor said that there were going to be a lot of extra people coming to town for that.”
“He’s probably right.”
Lisa began to look slightly worried. “You don’t think Ross will come back for that, do you?”
“I’m almost sure he won’t. Once he gets his money, he’ll be long gone. Mike told Ross that he couldn’t guarantee his safety, and that’s probably why Ross drove all night so that he could arrive so early this morning.”
“You mean he wanted to get here before anyone in town was awake?”
“Yes. And he wanted to get here while I was alone at The Cookie Jar.”
“That’s scary,” Lisa said, but she was clearly relieved that Hannah didn’t think Ross would come back for the movie festival. “I really hope he won’t be back here. Herb was pretty hot under the collar about how Ross treated you, and Aunt Nancy said that Heiti felt the same way. Everyone’s on your side, Hannah. And they all think that what Ross did to you was horrible.”
Hannah frowned slightly. She really didn’t want to talk about Ross anymore. It was best to change the subject, so she gestured toward the box. “Take a look at what Michelle and I baked.”
Lisa lifted the cover on the large box and her eyes widened as she saw what was inside. “You two must have baked the entire time!”
“It was something to do and it made us feel better. Between the two of us, we came up with quite a few new recipes.”
“What are these cookies?” Lisa pointed to a row of cookies in the middle of the box.
“We’re calling them Chocolate Mint Cookies. Grab a cup of coffee and try one. I want to find out what you think of them.”
Lisa got up and headed for the coffeepot. In less than a minute, she was back with her coffee.
“Go ahead,” Hannah invited. “I already had one when we baked them, but I think I’ll have another.”
“They smell nice and minty,” Lisa remarked, choosing a cookie from the box and taking a bite. “Mmmm!”
“That sounds like you approve.”
Lisa nodded and took a sip of coffee. “I love the combination of chocolate and mint. They’re wonderful, Hannah!”
“Thank you. Do you think we should offer them on our takeout list of cookies for Valentine’s Day?”
“Yes, but only after you let people sample them today. You know everyone who comes in likes to critique our cookies. And not just because they get a free cookie. I think our customers really like it when we ask for their opinion.”
“I’ll bake more this morning and we can test them out on the customers today. How about your Pink Grapefruit Cake and the White Chocolate Brownies?”
“We can test those, too. I brought in the rest of the Pink Grapefruit Cake and the brownies. You test those and if you like them, I’ll bake the cake when I take my lunch break.”
“But then you won’t get lunch.”
“Yes, I will. I can order a hamburger and fries from Rose at the café and run down to get it while the cake is baking. And after I eat, I can bake the brownies.”
There was a knock at the back door and Hannah got up from her stool. “It’s Mother,” she told Lisa. “I’ll go let her in.”
“Four knocks in rapid succession, polite, but insistent,” Lisa said. “I can recognize her knock now, but I still have problems with Norman’s knock.”
“That’s because he changes it deliberately. He likes to try to fool me, but I’m right more often than I’m wrong.”
“Oh, good! You’re in this morning!” Delores greeted Hannah the moment she opened the door. Then she stepped in, wiped her boots on the rug Hannah kept by the door in the winter, stepped out of her boots and replaced them with slippers, and handed Hannah her parka to hang from a hook just inside the door. “How are you, dear?”
“I’m fine. Lisa and I were just having coffee. Would you like to join us?”
“That would be lovely.” Delores followed Hannah to the work station, took a stool next to Lisa, and noticed the box of cookies. “What are these? They look divine!”
“They’re Chocolate Mint Cookies,” Hannah told her.
“I haven’t had these before, have I?”
Hannah shook her head. “No, Michelle and I came up with the recipe and we baked them yesterday, just in time to invite Earl for coffee and cookies before he plowed us out. Try one, Mother. I’d like to know what you think of them.”
“You don’t have to ask me twice,” Delores said with a laugh, reaching for a cookie and taking a bite, “I absolutely love the combination of chocolate and mint. These are fabulous, dear! You’re going to serve them here, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” Lisa answered, reaching for another cookie. “Our customers are going to love them.”
Delores turned to Hannah. “What did you think of the mayor’s news, Hannah?”
“It’s exciting. They’re going to do the interviews with the movie people right here at The Cookie Jar. It’ll be fun to see some of the movie people again, and they’re even going to interview some of the locals who were in Crisis in Cherrywood.”
“Will they interview Tracey?” Delores asked.
“I think so. She had a big role in the movie.”
“How about you, Hannah?” Lisa wanted to know.
“I doubt it. My part wasn’t that big. I’m hoping that Lynne and Tom will fly in for the festival. It would be good to see them again.”
“Stephanie Bascomb told me that she’s keeping a list of the people who are coming in for the festival,” Delores told them. “I’ll ask her if Lynne and Tom are on it.”
“Thanks, Mother. I really would like to know. I tried calling Lynne last night to ask her if she was coming, but she wasn’t home.”
“Stephanie’s coming over this afternoon for coffee. She invited herself and of course I agreed. You should drop by, Hannah. I’ll ask her to bring the list with her.”
“I would, but it’s our first day back and . . .”
“Go ahead, Hannah,” Lisa interrupted the excuse that Hannah was about to give. “Aunt Nancy will be here, and Marge and Dad are coming, too. We can handle things here.”
“Wonderful!” Delores said quickly. “Hannah can help me think of something to serve. Stephanie loves appetizers, and I hate to serve crackers and cheese every time she comes for coffee.”
Hannah knew when she was beaten and she put on a smile for her mother’s benefit. There were usually strings attached to her mother’s invitations and she should have expected it. “I’ll bring some cookies and if Florence has grapes, I’ll make frozen grapes.”
“Frozen grapes?” Delores looked puzzled. “I haven’t had those before.”
“It’s a new recipe I’ve been meaning to try. If Florence has any seedless grapes, I’ll make those. And I’ll bring some of Aunt Kitty’s Jamaican Rum Balls, too.”
“Stephanie loves those! I had some left over from Christmas Eve and we had them with champagne.”
Delores finished her cookie, drank the last of her coffee, and stood up to go. “I’ll see you about three-thirty then, dear. That way we’ll be all ready when Stephanie gets there at four.”
“Before you go, I need to know whether Stephanie prefers vodka or tequila.”
Delores looked confused. “I’m not sure, dear. She did mention that she sometimes drinks vodka tonics in the summer, though.”
“Good enough. And we know she likes champagne.”
“Oh, yes. Expensive champagne. The last time she came over for coffee, I had to open a second bottle of Perrier Jouet. But you’re not planning to bring champagne or vodka, are you, dear?”
“No, but I need them for the grapes. They’re marinated in a mixture of Prosecco and tequila, but I’ll substitute champagne and vodka.”
“Oooh! That sounds lethal!” Delores looked slightly worried. “You may have to drive Stephanie home, dear.”
Hannah laughed. “Or I’ll leave her with you to sleep it off.”
Delores looked properly horrified. “You wouldn’t . . . would you, dear?”
“No, I was joking, Mother. Are you going to Granny’s Attic this morning?”
“Yes, Carrie’s meeting me there and we’re going to price some antiques that Luanne found at an estate sale in Brow-erville. I’m sure they’re wonderful. Luanne has a very good eye for a bargain.”
Once Delores had left, Lisa turned to Hannah. “Sounds like Luanne is doing very well working for your mother and Carrie. She’s managing the store now, isn’t she?”
“Yes, and she’s also their accountant. She finished her last class right before Christmas.”
“Is she thinking about going to work at Stan Kramer’s accounting firm?”
“I doubt it. Mother and Carrie gave her a big raise. And she loves going out to auctions and estate sales. If Luanne worked for Stan, she’d be stuck in an office all day.”
Lisa glanced up at the clock on the kitchen wall. “If you’re planning to go to the Red Owl, maybe you’d better go now. We still have forty-five minutes before we open.”
“Good idea.” Hannah stood up, carried her coffee mug to the sink, and went to grab her parka. “I’ll be back before we open,” she promised as she slipped on her boots and went out the door.
It was cold outside and Hannah pulled up the hood of her parka and slipped her hands into the fur-lined gloves that Norman had given her for Christmas. She’d walk to Florence’s grocery store. It was only a block away. As she hurried down the alley, passed the back of Claire’s dress shop, Beau Monde Fashions, and crossed the street at Third and Main, she was smiling. It was good to be out walking again after three days of confinement in the condo. The air was frosty and it smelled fresh and clean, the sun cast golden sparkles on the snow, and the icicles hanging from the branches of the big pine in the middle of the block glistened like they were made of melted diamonds.
There wasn’t a soul on the street. Most of the businesses didn’t open until nine, and it was too early for shoppers. Florence’s Red Owl Grocery was open though. She always opened early so that she could stock the shelves with the food items that had come in during the night. Her regular supplier had a key to the office in the back, and he stacked the crates and boxes in there. It would have been folly to leave them on the loading dock. Produce would have frozen and turned brown during the winter nights, canned goods would have frozen and broken open, and liquids would have popped their tops and formed a frozen frosting of dish soap, or beer, or soda on the tops of bottles and cans.
The front door of the Red Owl was still locked, but Hannah knocked loudly. Florence appeared at the end of the canned soup and meat aisle and smiled as she saw Hannah standing there.
“Hannah!” Florence greeted her as she unlocked the door. “Come in! Where’s your cookie truck?”
“At The Cookie Jar. I walked here.”
“Pretty cold, isn’t it?”
“It’s not so bad now that the winds have died down. Have you unpacked your produce yet, Florence?”
“Just did it. What did you need, Hannah?”
Hannah crossed her fingers even though it was difficult to do in the bulky, fur-lined gloves. “Seedless grapes,” she said.
“You’re in luck. I just got a shipment of fruit from Venezuela. Do you want red fire grapes? Or green grapes?”
“Both please.”
Florence led the way to the produce section and pointed to the grapes. “They look good, don’t they?”
“They sure do. I’m so glad you have them, Florence. I need them for a recipe I’m making at The Cookie Jar.”
Florence looked puzzled. “I didn’t know you could bake with grapes!”
“I don’t know if you can, or you can’t, but I’m not going to bake with them.”
“But you bake so much, Hannah.” Florence looked confused. “What kind of recipe is it, then?”
“Frozen Sugared Grapes.”
“I didn’t know you could freeze grapes!”
“Neither did I until an old friend of mine from college sent me this recipe. She included it in the Christmas card she sent to me.”
“And you’re going to try them out on your customers at The Cookie Jar?”
“Not exactly. Mother’s having Stephanie Bascomb over this afternoon and I promised to bring something interesting to have with their coffee.”
“Coffee for Stephanie Bascomb?” Florence began to grin. “Whatever it is, your recipe had better have champagne in it. Stephanie’s crazy about champagne. I should know. I order it by the case for her.”
“I know and this recipe does call for champagne. It also has vodka.”
“That sounds interesting. And it’s certainly something that Stephanie would like. She definitely has a sweet tooth, especially when she’s enjoying the cocktail hour. Every time I get in a shipment of imported chocolates, I call Stephanie so that she can buy what she wants before I put it on the shelf. Will you bring me a couple of those frozen grapes on your way to your mother’s place? They sound interesting and I want to try them.”
“Of course I will. It sounds like they pack a wallop, though. You might be better off if you stick them in the freezer and wait until you get home to try them.”
“Really?” Florence looked interested. “How do you make them, Hannah?”
“You marinate the grapes in champagne and vodka for an hour. Then you take them out and roll them in white sugar. You put them on a baking sheet, freeze them for several hours until they’re hard, slip them in a freezer bag to save on freezer space, and get them out right before you serve them so that they’re still frozen when people eat them.”
Florence began to smile. “They’d be great for a New Year’s Eve party. You wouldn’t have to serve as much liquor. You’d save a ton of money and people could just eat the grapes and celebrate.”
CHOCOLATE MINT COOKIES
DO NOT preheat oven yet. This dough must chill before baking.
1 and ½ cups salted butter (3 sticks, 12 ounces, ¾ pound)
2 cups cocoa powder (unsweetened – I used Hershey’s)
2 cups brown sugar (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon mint extract
3 large eggs, beaten (just whip them up in a glass with a fork)
3 cups flour (not sifted – pack it down in the cup when you measure it)
1 cup mini chocolate chips (½ of an 11 or 12-ounce bag)
½ cup white granulated sugar in a small bowl (for later)
1 large bag Mini York Peppermint Patties (for later)
Hannah’s 1st Note: This recipe is easiest if you use an electric mixer, but it can also be mixed by hand.
Place the 3 sticks of salted butter in a microwave-safe container. (I used a quart Pyrex measuring cup with a spout.)
Heat the butter on HIGH for 1 minute. Let it sit in the microwave for an additional minute and stir it with a heat-resistant spatula to see if it has melted. If it hasn’t, heat it on HIGH for another 20 seconds, let it sit for 20 seconds, and stir it again. Repeat in 20-second intervals until your butter is melted.
Pour the melted butter in the bottom of a mixing bowl.
Add the cocoa powder and mix it in.
Mix in the 2 cups of brown sugar. Make sure the brown sugar is completly incorporated.
Hannah’s 2nd Note: If your brown sugar has hard lumps in it, remove the lumps, then add more brown sugar until you have a full 2 cups.
Add the baking soda and salt to your mixing bowl. Mix until they are completely combined.
Add the vanilla extract and the mint extract. Mix them in thoroughly.
Feel the sides of the mixing bowl. If the contents are so hot that it might cook the eggs if you add them now, let everything cool to slightly above room temperature.
If you haven’t yet beaten the eggs, put them in a glass and whip them up until they are completely blended. (I still use a fork from my silverware bowl to do this the way my great-grandmother Elsa used to do.)
Add the beaten eggs to your mixing bowl. Mix them in thoroughly.
Add the flour to your mixing bowl in half-cup increments, mixing after each addition.
Hannah’s 3rd Note: If you’re using an electric mixer and you add all the flour at once, it will poof out all over your counter and floor when you turn on the mixer.
Once the flour has been thoroughly incorporated, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a butter spatula and take the bowl out of the mixer.
Set the bowl on your counter and give it another stir.
Add the cup of mini chocolate chips and stir them in by hand. Make sure they’re evenly distributed.
Cover your bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for 2 hours. (Overnight is fine, too.)
Once your cookie dough has chilled and you’re ready to bake, take the bowl out of the refrigerator.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
While your oven is preheating, prepare your cookie sheets by either spraying them with Pam or another cooking spray or lining them with parchment paper.
Roll the Chocolate Mint Cookie dough into walnut-sized balls with your impeccably clean hands.
Working one dough ball at a time, roll the dough balls in the bowl of white sugar and place the balls on your prepared cookie sheets, 12 to a standard sheet.
Hannah’s 4th Note: This dough may be sticky, so roll only enough cookie dough balls for the cookies you plan to bake immediately and return the bowl to the refrigerator.
Flatten the dough balls a bit with a metal spatula (or with the heel of your hand if the health board’s not around).
Press one Peppermint Pattie in the center of each cookie.
Bake your cookies at 350 degrees F. for 10 minutes.
Take your cookie sheets out of the oven and cool the cookies on their cookie sheets for 1 to 2 minutes.
When the cookies have cooled for a bit, use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to metal cooling racks on your counter. If you leave them on the cookie sheets for too long, they may stick and fall apart when you try to transfer them.
Hannah’s 5th Note: If you used parchment paper, let the cookies cool on the cookie sheets a bit and then pull the parchment paper, cookies and all, over to the cooling racks. (Don’t forget to use oven mitts or pot holders to do this! Metal cookie sheets take longer than 1 or 2 minutes to cool enough to handle with your bare hands.)
Yield: 4 to 5 dozen deliciously minty cookies that everyone who enjoys chocolate-covered mints will love.
Hannah’s 6th Note: Chocolate Mint Cookies are a big favorite at The Cookie Jar, especially around the Christmas season. Be sure, however, to serve them with tall glasses of icy cold milk, cups of strong coffee, or mugs of hot chocolate.
FROZEN SUGARED GRAPES
1 bunch green seedless grapes
1 bunch red seedless grapes
1 cup Prosecco or champagne
1 cup tequila or vodka
½ cup white (granulated) sugar (variable – you may need to add additional sugar)
Hannah’s 1st Note: You can make several batches of both kinds of grapes with this recipe, as many as you need for your party. Just save the marinating liquid for the next batch. It will work for up to 4 batches without losing its oomph. And yes, oomph is a culinary term!
Choose a bunch of green seedless grapes that has grapes that are plump and fresh. You can make this recipe with 2 bunches of green seedless grapes or 1 bunch of green and 1 bunch of red seedless grapes, or 2 bunches of red seedless grapes.
Prepare your freezing pans by making sure the pan size you choose has sides that will keep the grapes from rolling off and that it will fit in your freezer. (Don’t laugh – the first time I made these, I used a baking sheet with sides that were too wide to fit in my freezer at the condo!)
Remove the grapes from their stems and wash them under cold, running water. (This is easier to do if you use a colander or a large strainer.)
Pat the grapes dry with paper towels.
Fill a large, shallow bowl with 1 cup of Prosecco or champagne and 1 cup of tequila or vodka. Mix them together with a whisk.
Leave the liquor mixture and the grapes on the kitchen counter at room temperature.
Hannah’s 2nd Note: If you have too many grapes in your bowl and the liquor mixture doesn’t cover them, simply add additional amounts of each liquid to completely cover the grapes.
Hannah’s 3rd Note: I used champagne and vodka when I made these grapes for Stephanie Bascomb and Mother.
Let the grapes marinate in the liquor mixture for 1 hour. (Longer is okay but don’t let the liquor evaporate.)
Once the grapes have marinated in the liquor mixture for at least 1 hour, fill a shallow bowl with white (granulated) sugar and roll the grapes in the bowl, one by one.
Hannah’s 4th Note: If you’re making several batches of grapes, you may need to add more white granulated sugar to your bowl. If the sugar gets sticky and doesn’t adhere to the grapes any longer or sticks to them in clumps, just dump out the sugar, rinse and thoroughly dry the bowl, and put in fresh sugar.
As you roll the grapes in the white sugar, place them on the pan you’ve chosen with a small space separating them from touching each other.
Once the pan is full of sugared grapes, place it in your freezer in a nice flat space and let the grapes freeze overnight.
In the morning, get out a freezer bag, pluck the frozen grapes off the freezing sheet, and place them in the bag. Seal the bag, place it back in the freezer, and proceed marinating and freezing more grapes if you’ve chosen to make more than 2 bunches.
Serve these grapes frozen. They’re very refreshing on a hot, summer day and a great addition to a barbecue or a pool party.
Hannah’s 5th Note: Be careful with these grapes! They taste delicious, but if you’ve marinated them for a long time, they can pack a real wallop!
