Bad to the Last Drop (21 page)

And even though she hadn't given much thought to her ministry or what she would do next, she now understood that somewhere along the way, she had made a decision.
Just wait until I tell Deb,
Pat thought.

Hand on the door knob, she heard a honk. Turning back to the car from which she had just come, she saw Deb leaning out the car window.

"Put the kettle on, will you, Pat? "

"You bet," she replied, smiling as she pushed open the door on her new life.

Deb returned from having tea with Pat. As she walked up the back stairway she marveled again at the novelty of not locking the door.
Such a blessed relief,
she sighed, especially after being in more dangerous areas of the world. The boys were gone, but Strider ambled into the kitchen and greeted her with wagging tail and rubbed his exuberant body against her with unbridled joy. The kitchen showed signs of life just left. No note, but her best guess was that father and son had gone to a movie together. It felt strange to be home after being so far away, and the weariness from the journey began to creep in. Her clients and their concerns felt far away—so far away that Deb wondered if she had made a decision about her future path. And she especially wondered if her future path would include her best friend, Pat.
Guess I'll have more to talk about at coffee tomorrow
, she marveled. Just then, she heard the car pull up in the driveway and the sound of her favorite boys walking into the house.

1 lb. white beans (like Great Northerns)

2 large onions, diced 2 tbsp. ground cumin 1 tbsp. chili powder

1 tsp. poultry seasoning

2 4 oz. cans diced green chilies

1 8oz. can salsa verde (optional)

7 cups "chicken-like" or veggie stock

2 bay leaves

¹
/2 lb. tomatillos, cleaned and quartered

1 c. fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped Salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp. fresh lime juice

1 c. chopped green onions

1. Soak beans overnight or use quick-soak method. (Cover beans by 1" of water. Bring beans and water to a boil for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and cover. Let sit 1 hour, and then proceed.)

2. Pour off soaking water and cover beans with fresh water and bring to full boil.

3. Lower heat and simmer.

4. While beans simmer, in a large soup kettle or Dutch oven, saute onions using your favorite method. When translucent, add cumin, chili powder, poultry seasoning, green chilies, and salsa verde.

5. Saute for 5 minutes, adding a little stock, bay leaves, tomatillos and
³
/4 c. cilantro. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered while beans continue to cook. When beans are just tender (1-2 hours) add them to the soup pot and simmer everything together for another
¹
/2 hour. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

6. Just before serving, add the rest of the cilantro and the lime juice, stir to blend. Ladle into big bowls and top with green onions.

2 cans chicken broth

1/8 lb. butter (not margarine)

¹
/2 C. flour

¹
/2 lb. Wisconsin Cheddar cheese onion, grated celery, grated carrots, grated beer,
¹
/2 to 1 bottle

Make white sauce from broth, butter and flour. When thickened, add grated vegetables. (Use your own judgment for how many.) Simmer
¹
/2 hour. Before serving, add cheese and stir. Then add beer very slowly. Stir well and enjoy!

12 oz. package wide egg noodles 2 tsp. salt

8 oz. sliced fresh mushrooms

1 onion, chopped

2 tbsp. butter

2 c. chopped broccoli (about
¹
/2 lb.) 2 cans (6 oz. each) tuna, drained

1 can Campbell's cream of mushroom soup (10-3/4 oz.)

2
¹
/2 cups grated cheddar cheese 1/3 cup milk

1 tbsp. cream

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup crushed potato chips

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. In a large (6 qt.) oven-proof pan, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add 2 t. of salt. Add noodles. Just before pasta is
al dente
(earliest cooking time minus 2 minutes), add the broccoli and cook for 2 minutes. Drain in a colander and set aside.

3. While the water is heating and pasta cooking, dry saute the mushrooms in a frying pan on medium high heat. When mushrooms have given up their moisture, remove from heat and set aside.

4. After the pasta has cooked and is draining in a colander, use the pasta pot (the oven proof one) to heat 2 T. of butter. Saute the onions until translucent. Add the pasta and broccoli mixture back into the pot; add the mushrooms. Mix together. Add the tuna, can of cream of mushroom soup, grated cheese, milk and cream, and mix together. Add salt and pepper to taste.

5. Sprinkle crushed potato chips over the top and cook for 20 minutes at 400 degrees F. in the oven, until the topping has browned.

1 cup white sugar

1 cup powdered sugar

³
/4 c. Crisco oil

1 cup butter

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla 4 cups flour 1 tsp. soda

1 tsp. cream of tartar

¹
/2 tsp. salt

¹
/2 cup chopped nuts

Cream first 4 ingredients, add eggs and beat well. Add flour that has been sifted with soda, cream of tartar and salt, beating after each addition. (Add vanilla before flour.) Add nuts. Chill overnight. Make into small balls; press down with fork that has been dipped into white sugar. Remember, one nut on top of each cookie. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

1 cup white chocolate chips

1 cup heavy cream

4 cups half-and-half

1 tsp. vanilla extract

¹
/4 tsp. peppermint extract

Vanilla whipped topping, for garnish

Peppermint liqueur, optional

White chocolate liqueur, optional

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine white chocolate chips and heavy cream. Stir continuously until white chocolate chips have completely melted. Stir in the half-and-half, vanilla extract and peppermint extract. Stir occasionally until heated through.

2. Pour into mugs and top with a dollop of vanilla whipped topping and a candy cane.

(For a tasty adult drink, add desired amounts of peppermint and white chocolate liqueurs.)

Who will it be? It seemed like forever, this waiting, like being stuck out on the big lake with no wind in your sails. I'll bet I've aged ten years; it's just not fair! It wasn't my fault, if only ...but no use going over it again
.

Dusting off the dried mud from his pants and taking out his handkerchief to mop his face, he put his work glove in his back pocket and looked out at the grounds. In spite of the rain, the volunteer crowd wasn't too bad. Like a big sleeping giant, the tent's skeleton was being put in place and the sounds of the metal to metal was like the waking groans of a mystical being. Alive, that's what it was, and dear God how he loved it. Waiting, restless, nervously picking at a spot on his face, he played the game in his mind for the hundredth time. Who would be the one? It hadn't been the very early crew, taking out the big bones with the tractor. He had known it wouldn't be them.

Phil had given him a quizzical look when he said he had strained his back and so wouldn't be helping with the heavy stuff today.

"More like strained your elbow from lifting a few too many last night, seems to me," he snickered.

And it was true. He had been drinking heavier lately.
Who wouldn't be?

He didn't realize he had said it out loud until a volunteer looked his way with a questioning glance. He forced a smile and waved him on. His mind and heart raced as if he were running in the Whistle-Stop Marathon in Ashland.

Why hadn't I moved it?
He couldn't even think "he." It was an it. Moved it before the winter, but the snow came so early this year and the skiers were here as soon as the first flakes began to fall. Damn it! Truth be told, he just couldn't make himself go into that barn again. Not with it there, let alone drag it to the car and ... Anyway, it was way in the back.

It would have meant getting around all the piles of stuff.

He shuddered, but not from the rain that was falling. Just from thinking of having to drag the dead weight.

I should have tried anyway.
Restlessly, he started pacing in front of the chalet.

Hell, he could even look in that direction.

"This is killing me," he spoke out loud, and then the irony of what he had just said made him laugh nervously. "I'll go crazy'" he mumbled. "No, calm yourself down," he told himself. "You've had six months to prepare for this day. You can do it."

Turning resolutely, he walked quickly into the chalet, almost knocking over Deb as she came out with a cup of coffee.

"Huh, sorry, Deb." He tried to smile, but his thoughts were screaming,
Who will it be? Who will it be?

Absentmindedly, he picked at the scab on his face.
Think about the great new season we're going to have; think about something else.
But in the back of his mind the question still rose like a bobber to the surface.
Who will it be? Who will find the body first?

Deb watched him go, her gaze puzzled, and then, turning, she went back to help the others.