A Second Helping of Murder (18 page)

E-MAIL TO AUNT STELLA

Hi, Aunt Stella!

I have to tell you some things, and I know that e-mail is the best way to reach you, you
bon vivant
!

First, the Dance Fest was a success. The arrest of Carla VanPlank (you remember her) for the murders of Claire and Phil Jacobson (and the attempted murder of me!) spread like wildfire, and finally Ty stepped up to the microphone and told everyone at the Dance Fest what had happened.

Instead of a downer, Ty stressed that the Dance Fest should be a celebration of Claire and Phil's life and that the black cloud had been lifted from Sandy Harbor, thanks to me!

I got several minutes of applause and a standing ovation. When they kept yelling, “Speech,” I took the microphone and told everyone that Cottage Eight would be taken
down and in its place would be a garden for Claire and Phil Jacobson.

I'm sure that you'll agree that this is the best for Cottage Eight. I'm thinking of building Cottage Thirteen, but some people are superstitious. Maybe I'll just call it Cottage Twelve and a Half!

The faux-reverend Buddy Wilder asked me if he could lead everyone at the Dance Fest in a prayer for Claire and Phil, and I handed him the mike. He said a nice prayer, gave a little eulogy, and it was quite lovely. When he was finished, Ty whispered in his ear, and they both stepped away from the dance floor and walked over to the state police car, where Buddy was handcuffed and taken away.

I gave a signal to Frankie to get the Polka Dots polka-ing, and he did, and everyone swarmed the dance floor. This will be a Dance Fest that Sandy Harbor will be talking about forever.

I found it interesting that Buddy's pals that drove with him from New York City, and saw him arrested, didn't leave the Dance Fest but were dancing away as Buddy was driven away.

Juanita, Cindy, and my waitresses along with Clyde and Max really pulled through, keeping the buffet hot and plentiful. Ray Meyerson (I think you know his parents) is working out fabulously and during the Dance Fest, he was busy busing tables and keeping the trash cans empty.

In conclusion, Aunt Stella, the first Silver Bullet Dance Fest in twenty-five years was very entertaining with two arrests. Around it all, Frankie and the Polka Dots were thumping out their polkas, but it wasn't the same without you playing the accordion.

How I'd love to hear you play again!

By the way, I danced the first dance (a polka, of course!) just like you used to do with Uncle Porky. I danced with Ty, who surprised me with how good he can polka for a cowboy from Texas, but his mother was Polish (Karpinski), and she taught him. Cool, huh?

I got my mother upset when I told her about Carla VanPlank holding a gun on me. I don't know how I did it, but thank goodness for cast-iron frying pans. I threw it at her as hard as I could, and it knocked the wind out of her.

I guess when there's a stressful situation, you get strength from somewhere, and I did. I wasn't going to let her shoot me when I had so much to do yet.

And dancing with Ty was something special. After Doug's betrayal, I never thought I'd trust another man again, but Ty is different. He makes me laugh, he challenges me, and makes me crazy all at the same time. He's fun to be with.

Love you,

Trixie

I hit
SEND
just after I deleted that stuff about Ty. That was the kind of thought that was meant for a diary—a little pink diary with gold-tipped pages, a gold lock, and a tiny rusty key.

I was going to keep Claire's diary after it was released from evidence. Ty said that I could have it as a memento of Claire since she didn't have any family remaining.

And that was sad. A life so promising, cut short over such stupidity.

But I'd read every word she wrote and remember what it was like to be so young and so in love. I'd experienced that for a while with Deputy Doug, a brief while.

I smiled as I headed to the kitchen of the Silver Bullet. It was time for my shift, and I couldn't wait to start making the orders and feeding everyone. There's nothing like great diner food. It's comfort food.

And a lot of people in this world need comfort.

The Silver Bullet and the Sandy Harbor Housekeeping Cottages (minus Cottage Eight) is my legacy. And soon the families would return and enjoy the lake and the grounds and my cooking.

Life is good.

From my friend Michele Masarech

Michele is a friend of mine who lived across the street in the old neighborhood. She's a very busy nurse who has been to Texas once, but she makes this cake for most every event because her time is limited and it's easy and fast to make for a crowd. She said that over the years, she's perfected the original recipe. Everyone at the Dance Fest raved about this cake, and Ty absolutely loved it since he's from Texas!

1 cup butter

1 cup water

¹
/
₂
cup cocoa

1 cup sour cream

1
¹
/
₂
cup coarsely chopped walnuts

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups sugar

¹
/
₂
tsp. salt

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

2 eggs (slightly beaten)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bring butter, water, and cocoa to boil in saucepan. Remove from heat.

Add remaining ingredients, mixing after each addition.

Pour batter into greased and floured 12
¹
/
₂
" x 17
¹
/
₂
" x 1" baking pan.

Bake 22 to 27 minutes.

¹
/
₂
cup butter

¹
/
₃
cup cocoa

4 cups confectioners' sugar

¹
/
₃
cup milk

¹
/
₂
to 1 cup ground nuts

In saucepan, bring butter, milk and cocoa to boil.

Add confectioners' sugar, adding more if needed to make it of spreading consistency.

Spread frosting on hot cake.

Sprinkle with ground nuts.

Mrs. D was from one of the Carolinas, I can't remember which one, but she passed away many years ago. Every time I make this, I think of her and the fun neighborhood barbecues.

¹
/
₂
cup oil

1 cup vinegar

2 Tbsp. salt

2 tsp. poultry seasoning

¹
/
₄
tsp. pepper

1 egg

Put everything in blender and let mix. Cover chicken with mix. Use remaining for basting on barbecue. If there's not enough, make another batch!

Dick Green is a very sweet guy that I used to work with when I was a tour guide in Philly. He made this for a work party, and I just had to have the recipe. I have to confess that I dislike coleslaw, but I love making it, and everyone tells me that this coleslaw recipe is the best.

Medium head shredded green cabbage (can mix in some red cabbage for color)

1 cup shredded carrots (about 2 to 3)

1
¹
/
₂
cups mayonnaise

2 Tbsp. sugar

¹
/
₄
cup cider vinegar

¹
/
₄
tsp. celery seed (or oregano)

¹
/
₂
tsp. salt

¹
/
₄
tsp. black pepper

1 small grated onion (if you desire)

In large bowl, combine ingredients, then mix in cabbage and carrots. Cover and chill 2 to 3 hours before serving.

Joan is a dear friend of mine from the old neighborhood. This recipe is a little twist from the standard coleslaw recipe because the dressing is heated and Grandma Wojcieson used to buy bagged coleslaw and then dress it.

2 1-lb. packages coleslaw

2 chopped onions

1 cup sugar

1 cup vinegar

1 tsp. celery seed

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. dry mustard

¹
/
₄
tsp. pepper.

1 cup vegetable oil

Bring onions, sugar, vinegar, celery seed, salt, dry mustard, and pepper to boil.

Remove from heat and pour in vegetable oil.

Pour over coleslaw, mix, and let set for at least 24 hours in fridge before using.

Joan says that this lasts a long time in the refrigerator.

There are many, many recipes for pulled pork, but mine is the absolute easiest. You won't believe this!

Boneless roast pork shoulder

Salt and pepper to taste

1 to 2 bottles barbecue sauce

Get a boneless roast of pork shoulder (the cheapest one possible).

Cut it in half or leave it whole to fit it into a Crock-Pot (depending on the size).

Cook on high all day (8 or more hours) with some salt and pepper, draining some of the juice now and then.

When it is done, pull it apart with two opposing forks.

Pour in your favorite barbecue sauce until it's well coated.

I've kept this recipe since I was in St. Margaret's Grammar School. My mother and I used to make these two-bite cheesecakes for every one of their numerous bake sales.

³
/
₄
cups sugar

2 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese

2 eggs

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla

box vanilla wafers

Beat all ingredients until fluffy. Place 1 vanilla wafer in lined cupcake pan (use small liners).

Fill
²
/
₃
full with cheese mixture.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 375 degrees.

When cool, top with spoon of pie filling.*

*Or whatever you'd like to top the cheesecakes with. For the Dance Fest, I used a dollop of lemon curd and 3 to 4 fresh blueberries because it was blueberry season. Sliced strawberries would work or any kind of fresh berry or even fruit jam.

Ready for another helping of Christine Wenger's Comfort Food Mysteries?

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