Hedgewitchin' in the Kitchen Page 18
I pulled away from my mom’s embrace. “We should get going.”
“Nonsense. Your friend needs rest, and then she’ll be hungry for dinner. You know what I think would cheer you up while we wait?”
“Prozac?”
Mom smacked my arm playfully. “Let’s make some brownies.”
“That’s what I meant.” Her cooking worked better than most pharmaceuticals.
Mom opened the pantry, pulling out bags of flour and sugar. “You can take them back with you and share them with the staff. Wouldn’t that be nice? It might be a good way to make some friends. Nothing makes a better ice breaker than chocolate, don’t you think?”
That was my mom, fixing the world, one pastry at a time.
We made cream cheese raspberry brownies, using one of the jars of jam my mom had made in the summer. Everything she made always had to have some touch from her garden. I would never have guessed her magic fit into the Amni Plandai realm of affinities considering the results of her magic were most evident after consuming her baked goods. I had erroneously assumed she was a kitchen witch. And what was baking but alchemy and potions that one could eat? Maybe that was why Thatch got along with her and didn’t snub her even though she wasn’t a powerful Celestor.
Her potions tasted better than his did.
My worries melted away, occasional nudges prodding me to remember not to be careless. It was almost eleven when Periwinkle wandered into the kitchen as the brownies were cooling.
“What’s that smell?” she asked.
“Chocolate,” Mom said.
“Bacon,” I said.
We both giggled.
Periwinkle cracked a groggy smile.
We ate a second dinner then, Periwinkle with a first course of stew and a second course of pie and a third course of brownies. Mom and I stuck to the desserts.
“Oh, this is good,” Periwinkle gushed. “Felix told me how much he enjoyed Christmas dinner last year, but I didn’t believe it was this good.”
Mom waved off the compliment. “It’s not hard to beat cafeteria food if that’s what you’re used to.” She smiled, though, clearly pleased.
Periwinkle was actually cheerful, though her eyes still drooped with lingering fatigue. Mom had a natural ability for being able to draw reserved people out of their shells, and she soon had Periwinkle talking and laughing.
“Just wait until I tell Felix I was here without him. He’ll be so jealous!” Periwinkle moaned as she bit into the apple pie.
“Clarissa and I made more than enough brownies for you to take back. A double batch. You’ll be sure to share some with Mr. Thatch, won’t you?”
“We’ll see.” Periwinkle winked at me. “We might save one for him.”
Blackberry Pie
with a Candy-Coated Crust
Pie Crust
Makes two crusts for a 9-inch pie. Make the crust at least an hour in advance to making the filling of the pie. These store in the refrigerator well.
Ingredients
14 Tbsp. unsalted cold butter (just under a cup)
2 ¼ cups bleached all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. salt (for savory recipes, use 1 tsp. salt)
5 to 7 Tbsp. ice water
1 tsp. cider vinegar Optional (I especially like this for savory crusts)
¼ tsp. baking powder (if not using, double the salt)
Candy-coated Crust Ingredients (set aside)
1 cup water
¼ cup sugar
Directions
1. Mix dry ingredients.
2. Add butter. Cut with a pastry cutter or knives until the size of peas.
3. Add liquids slowly.
4. Roll out on a floured surface. Press into a pie shell and refrigerate for one hour.
5. For the second pastry shell, roll out on wax paper and store on a flat surface like a cookie sheet or bread board in the refrigerator.
6. To make the candy-coated crust, take one flat pie shell that has been refrigerated for at least an hour and place onto a floured surface. Sprinkle with water—a water bottle that spritzes works great, but if you don’t have one, you can flick water with your fingers. Sprinkle with sugar. Lightly roll with rolling pin. Place on pie filling with the sugar side up.
Berry Filling Ingredients
• 5 cups blackberries
• 1 ½ cup sugar
• 3 Tbsp. instant tapioca
• ½ tsp. cinnamon
• ¼ tsp. nutmeg
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350° F (180° C). Have prepared pie crust in dish ready to go.
2. In a large bowl, mix blackberries, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and tapioca. Allow it to sit for 15 minutes or longer so the tapioca will absorb some of the moisture.
3. Pour fruit mixture inside the crust.
4. Place the remaining shell onto the berry filling. If the shell is floured, turn the floured side down. The sugar side should be on top. Turn the edge of the shell over the edge of the bottom shell, and press against the pan to seal in the juices. Use fingers or a fork to make a pattern.
5. Poke a hole in the top middle of the pie so that heat is able to vent and it doesn’t explode. More holes can be poked as decorations.
6.. Bake for about 45 minutes or until the crust turns a golden brown.
Kitchen Witching Tip
I have been told that for a traditional English pie, only the top crust is necessary. You don’t need to use a bottom crust. It is a similar idea to shepherd’s pie or a chicken potpie with only a top crust.
Kitchen Witching Tip
If you start to make a pie and the edges of your crust are turning very dark but it isn’t cooked all the way in the middle, you can cover the edges of the pie with aluminum foil and it won’t get any darker.
Kitchen Witching Tip
The blackberry pie recipe can easily be modified to use other fruit that is in season. Because of the large size of my pie pans, I almost always increase the amount of fruit to 5 cups but leave the sugar the same.
Pie Table for Fruit Ratio
Amount of Fruit
in Cups
Instant
Tapioca
Sugar
Extra Flavors
Apple (sliced) 5-6 cups
2 Tbsp.
¾ cup
½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. nutmeg
*¼ tsp. allspice (optional)
*¼ tsp. ginger
Blackberry 4 cups
¼ cup
1 ½ cup
1 tsp. cinnamon
Blueberry 4 cups
¼ cup
1 cup
¼ tsp. cinnamon
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
Cherry 4 cups
¼ cup
1 ½ cup
¼ tsp. almond extract
Peach 4 cups
¼ cup
¾ cup
¼ tsp. cinnamon
* ¼ tsp. ginger
(optional)
Pineapple 4 cups
¼ cup
½ cup
brown sugar
¼ tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt
Raspberry 4 cups
¼ cup
1 ½ cup
1 tsp. cinnamon
Excerpt from Spell it Out for Me
As much as I loved magic, Womby’s, and a clandestine romance with a hot Fae prince, the banal normalcy of my old life was a welcome retreat. I took the girls shopping at the mall, thrift stores, and garage sales. I also went out alone, picking up three different kinds of lamb condoms while I was at the pharmacy. I used the Internet, went to the art-supply recycle store for free treasure, a.k.a. junk, for my art classes, and distracted myself with three days of bliss.
My vacation away from vacation couldn
’t last forever. On the fourth day we prepared a banquet that would have been worthy of a Thanksgiving dinner. We made cookies, pies, and pudding for dessert. I could only hope the roast vegetables, stuffing, fresh bread, and ham for dinner would make up for sending Thatch away so hastily.
He did look dazzled at all the food when he came to pick us up. “I hope you didn’t do all this work on my account.”
“I learned how to make bread,” Maddy boasted.
“I made the chocolate chip cookies,” Imani said, pushing one into his hand. “Try one. Mrs. Lawrence said they’re perfect.”
“You’re going to spoil my appetite for Womby’s delicious school food.” He nibbled on the cookie and nodded in appreciation. He looked to me. “Pray, what delicacy did you contribute?”
“The blackberry pie and the chocolate pudding.”
“And the love,” my mom said with a wink.
My cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
After dinner, Thatch ate two servings of pudding and two slices of blackberry pie. He didn’t touch the apple, even though I was pretty sure that was one of his favorites. Every time I looked up from my food or turned from conversation with my mom, I found him staring at me. The tortured gaze always disappeared under a smile and compliment of something he was eating.
Afterward my mom insisted all of us watch a movie together like a family.
“It’s getting late. I don’t want to impose,” Thatch said.
“Nonsense. It’s summer vacation. It doesn’t matter if the girls stay up for an extra hour watching a movie before you head back.”
The adults sat on the couch while Imani and Maddy sat on the floor. The girls chose Lord of the Rings, one of my favorites. I didn’t know if they selected it because it was long or because it was about a magic land where good triumphed over evil.
My mom insisted on sitting next to the end of the couch, an obvious attempt to play matchmaker. She curled her feet underneath her, taking up so much room it forced me to sit closer to Thatch. He couldn’t have been pressed closer to the other armrest if he’d been sitting on it.
Only once did he touch me, his fingers pressing against my wrist. The sensation sent a shiver of delight through me.
“Thank you for dinner,” he whispered.
He drew his hand back, but the longing in me remained.
I leaned closer to him. “I thought you weren’t supposed to thank Witchkin.”
He craned his neck downward. His breath was warm on my ear, tickling the hairs against my neck. “You can if you trust her.”
Bacon Caramel Popcorn
Try the basic recipe first. Add the optional ingredients like cinnamon, spice and everything chocolate at the end if it needs more zing or bitterness to balance out all the sugar.
Ingredients
• 6 slices bacon
• 5 cups popped popcorn (plain is best)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
• 4 Tbsp. salted butter (or bacon drippings)
• 2 Tbsp. light corn syrup
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/3 cup pecans (toasted, chopped)
* a dash cayenne pepper
* a dash cinnamon
* melted extra dark chocolate to drizzle across baked popcorn at the end.
Directions
1. Preheat your oven to 250° F (121° C). Use a rimmed baking sheet. Line in with foil. Spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Cook the bacon in a pan on the stove until crispy. Drain the fat from the pan and allow it cool. (Save the fat if you wish to use it instead of butter.) Once it is cool, coarsely chop the bacon into half-inch pieces.
3. Add the popcorn, bacon, and chopped pecans to a large bowl. Toss them together.
4. In a small cauldron—or saucepan—combine the brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup. Stir them over medium heat. Once the sugar and butter have melted, stop stirring and insert a candy thermometer.
5. Cook until the sugar reaches 238° F (114° C) on the candy thermometer. This should only take 3 to 4 minutes.
6. Immediately remove the pan from the heat. Add the baking soda. Stir vigorously. Be careful: the sugar mixture will foam up.
7. Pour the frothy sugar mixture over the popcorn in the bowl and quickly stir everything together. Ensure the popcorn, bacon, and nuts are all coated with caramel.
8. Spread out the popcorn on the lined baking sheet. Bake it for about 45 minutes. Stir every 15 minutes to distribute the caramel.
Kitchen Omens
When a glass is dropped but doesn’t break, it means you have loyal friends and sturdy friendships.
A dish of glass that breaks when no one is near is a sign someone in the family will soon die. Breaking glass while drinking a toast signals the death of the person being toasted.
Throwing a glass pan across a room after a dish has turned out burned is a sign someone is a bad cook and has a bad temper. Not to mention any names, but this description might fit someone we know. Vega Bloodmire perhaps?
Excerpt from Hex and the City
Mom came over and patted Thatch sympathetically on the shoulder. “You could watch a DVD here.”
“I’ll look at your selection,” Thatch said.
Mom showed him the cabinet. I looked up movies playing at the smaller theaters to see if there was anything tasteful an artist like Thatch might enjoy. I found three candidates. He came back with a movie in hand. He held it out to me. Pride and Prejudice?
He’d picked out one of my favorite movies of all time. Not just any version of P & P, but the six-hour BBC version. It was the same DVD I’d watched on a not-so-great Morty date years before.
I had wanted to go out on a date, but I couldn’t imagine a more perfect way to spend the evening. I spied my mom trying not to giggle behind him.
“Was this your idea or Mom’s?” I asked him.
“His,” she said.
He cleared his throat. “I happen to favor the classics.”
The three of us sat on the couch, Mom sitting a little apart from us. Lucifer crouched on the floor in front of us, giving Thatch the stink eye. Thatch’s shoulder rested against mine, but he didn’t hold my hand. That was one disadvantage of a date in my mom’s house. Already I was second-guessing my choice to not go out.
“I’ll go and make popcorn,” Mom said, leaving the room.
He planted a quick peck on my cheek. “Thank you,” he said.
“For what?”
“For indulging me. This has been a lovely evening.” He laced his fingers through mine.
His words warmed my heart. He made me feel less guilty since I thought I’d been the one asking to be indulged. “You aren’t just saying you enjoyed tonight because nothing caught on fire?”
“It helps.”
Lucifer leapt onto the couch and hissed at him. I pushed the evil cat off the couch before he took out one of Thatch’s eyes. Lucifer yowled indignantly and swaggered out of the room to the kitchen. I had no doubt that if he could tattle on me, he would.
Popcorn popped in the other room. Mom was taking a long time. At one point I smelled bacon and knew what she was doing. She was making her specialty caramel corn with bacon. I snuggled closer to Thatch, knowing that it would take her a while.
He circled an arm around my shoulder, a question in his eyes. “This is all right?”
I nodded. I wasn’t fifteen. It wasn’t going to kill my mom to see us sit close and cuddle. I savored the warmth of him beside me, wishing it could last forever. I tried not to imagine when our relationship might come to a premature end. I tried to lose myself in Pride and Prejudice and not think about anyone’s curses or deaths.
An hour later, my fairy godmother returned with a giant bowl of popcorn, setting it on my lap. Thatch leaned a little bit away from me and drew away his arm, but it wasn’t like she hadn’t seen him hugging me already.
Thatch inhaled the aroma of
popcorn. I took a big handful, the sweet and salty flavors perfection on my tongue. Thatch selected a clump and crunched into it. He moaned.
“What is this heaven?” he asked.
Bonus Recipe 14 for Those Who Have Been Counting
Quick Bread Cinnamon Rolls
With Cream Cheese Frosting
We also call these “Oh-My-God! Cinnamon Rolls” because they are that good.
Cinnamon Filling Ingredients
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 8 tsp. soft butter
Topping Ingredients
• 1 ¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 8 Tbsp. soft butter
• 6 Tbsp. honey
• 2 Tbsp. light corn syrup
* 2 cups pecans optional
Dough Ingredients
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp. white sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• ¾ cup milk
• 1 egg
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 425° F (220° C). Grease a 9-inch square baking dish or line with parchment paper.
2. Whisk the flour, 2 Tbsp. of white sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Mix in 3 Tbsp. softened butter into flour mixture using your hands or use a pastry cutter.
3. Beat milk and egg together in another bowl. Pour liquid ingredients into the flour mixture and stir until dough forms.
4. Knead dough onto a floured work surface and roll dough into a rectangle about ¼ inch thick. It should be about 15 x 9 inches.
5. Mix the ingredients in the filling in its own bowl. Spread the filling evenly across the flat surface. Roll up. Cut pieces about 1 inch thick.