“Well, Ashley got asked out, too. By Gus after they danced together.”
I wanted to shift the conversation away from my romantic life – whatever that was. I always got all antsy whenever anything about my love life came up.
“Really?”
Ted shifted his attention to Ashley this time. She rolled her eyes.
“Kind of,” she explained. “He said he’d like to dance with me again and I told him I’d take a rain check on that. He’s a little too old for me, so I don’t think I’ll take him up on the offer.”
“Looks like you guys had a very exciting night.”
At that moment, Cooter called everyone over to the grill and we all rushed over to get our burgers. I put all the fixings I wanted to on the patty and took a large bite while standing by one of the food tables.
“Kari, you’re going to get burger grease all over your face,” Ashley warned me.
I could hear Ted lightly chuckling in the background and could feel the burger getting all over my face.
“Here, use this,” he offered me a napkin and I used to get rid of the food I got all around my mouth.
“Better?”
“Better,” they said.
I continued, taking smaller bites, so I didn’t make as big a mess of myself. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was, so hungry, and the food was just so delicious. Cooter made his way over to me.
“Kari! It’s so good to see you!”
He brought me into a big hug that I wasn’t expecting but welcomed. It was the most touchy I’d ever seen Coot and I had a feeling I wouldn’t get another hug from him for a while.
“Hey, Cooter. Thanks for making this delicious food.”
“Well, it’s all to thank you for getting me out of jail. I don’t know if I would have gotten out without you.”
“You’re welcome. I’m glad you’re out and about.”
We talked a little longer before he went to entertain his other guest. I got the chance to talk with his friends and, like Coot, they were odd, but really nice folk. Ash and I stayed for a long time, until it was almost dark. It was just so much fun hanging out with Cooter’s crew.
We said goodbye to everyone – Ted and Cooter and the friends of Cooter we just met. We get the dogs into the car with a little snack to keep them preoccupied.
“That was fun,” Ashley said. “I never knew Coot was such a good barbequer.”
“He’s full of surprises.”
“So are his friends. What an odd bunch. I never realized what a colorful life he led.”
Cooter was like an Appleton staple. Without him, I felt like a piece of the town’s culture would have been lost.
“We should hang out with him more often – if he lets us.”
I was hoping this newfound openness would continue because after learning so much about Cooter’s life secondhand through this investigation, I wanted to learn more from the man himself.
“Do you want to have a cookout? I haven’t had one in so long and I could show you more Butler family recipes – we have a whole lot of filled up books – we could invite Ted or Greg or whoever you like, decorate the backyard, it’ll be amazing.”
A cookout did sound like fun.
“Maybe we could have other people bring their dogs and Biscotti and Shortbread could make some friends. They’ve been having such a good time at the obedience classes and I think they would like to have a few close by doggy friends. We could start having playdates.”
I was totally on board with this potential whenever it happened.
“I’ll get planning. A Southern girl loves to host. I can even show you a few of my tricks – of which I have many. It’ll be so much fun.”
I was already thinking of people in Appleton who had dogs who could come.
We pulled into our driveway and Biscotti and Shortbread got excited when they realized we were home. They had finished eating the snack we gave them and were leaning against the window.
When we’re all parked, it was when I first noticed that there was someone sitting on our porch, waiting for us. It was dusk, so I couldn’t tell who it was. We hadn’t gotten out of the car yet because I was feeling rather wary. Appleton had already proved to be a little darker under the surface, so I wasn’t about to approach a random shadowy figure sitting outside of our house.
“Were you expecting anyone?” I asked Ashley.
She shook her head. “No,” she also seemed concerned.
I slowly got out of the car to see if I could figure out who it was before getting to close. When I got out of the car, the figure stood up, rising to full height. My eyes went wide, but I wasn’t totally sure what I was seeing until –
“Are you going to invite my aching keister inside or should I just pitch a tent out here?”
Holy Shortbread’s business! It was Aunt Tavey!
She looked like she had the last time I saw her. I wasn’t sure what I had expected, if I ever got to see her again. There were a whole myriad of things that could have happened to her – and I had thought about all the possibilities – but I still wasn’t ready for her to just show up. I started having a tiny freak out because I hadn’t heard from or seen her in so long and now she was outside of my house just waiting for me. I had so many questions to ask her like where had she been or what was she doing here, but I couldn’t think of anything to say.
Ashley got out of the car with the two dogs and I heard her gasp when she saw who was standing there. She – everyone – knew about how Aunt Tavey had suddenly dropped off the face of the Earth, so this sudden appearance had also rendered her speechless.
“Aunt Tavey! Yes! Yes, of course, come inside,” I managed to spit out while walking up to the door.
I unlocked it and motioned for my aunt to go inside. I looked behind me at Ashley and mouthed an ‘oh my God’ before all of us headed inside.
Even after all that had happened, I was ready to have what would be, no doubt, a very enlightening conversation.
THE END
Succulent Southern Recipe
Ashley’s Cajun Shrimp and Catfish (or other kind of fish) Coubion
List of Ingredients
1 lb large peeled, deveined shrimp
1 lb catfish (could be replaced with white fish, tilapia, or various other fish depending on taste and preference) cut into chunks
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
3 cups red salsa
1 cup hot tomato sauce
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup minced parsley
1 diced bell pepper
2 diced stalks celery
1/2 diced onions
2 minced cloves garlic
2 TBSP unsalted butter
4 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
1 TBSP creole seasoning
1 TBSP black pepper
1/2 TBSP garlic powder
1/2 TBSP onion powder
1/2 TBSP paprika
1/2 TBSP chili powder
green onions to garnish
hot cooked rice
hot sauce to serve
Instructions
Mix seasoning blend together and then set aside while you work on further steps.
Add two tablespoons of olive oil to a pan, over medium heat.
Add bell pepper, onion, and celery to pan and saute for five minutes. Add garlic and cook for one minute more. Season with one tablespoon of seasoning blend, mix well.
Add in the butter and the remaining olive oil to the pan you’re using.
Stir in the flour and cook for five minutes, in order to brown the flour just a bit.
Add in the broth, tomato sauce, and red salsa, using the amounts listed above, to the pan.
Bring your mixture to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for thirty minutes, uncovered, on low.
While your sauce is cooking, do the following:
Season the shrimp with one tablespoon of seasoning blend.
Mix that well, and it set aside.
Season the fish with one table
spoon of seasoning blend.
After thirty minutes, increase thee heat to medium and add fish to the sauce.
Cook for ten minutes.
Add the shrimp and parsley to your sauce and stir gently.
Cook the shrimp for seven minutes.
Serve it over hot rice and garnish it with green onions.
Serve it with hot sauce if you or your guests enjoy it that way!
EXCLUSIVE Succulent Southern Recipe
Red Beans and Rice with Sausage
List of Ingredients:
Kidney beans, dry: 1 lb
Olive oil: 1/4 cup
Onion, yellow: 1 large, chopped
Bell pepper, green: 1, chopped
Garlic, 2 Tbsps, minced.
Celery: 2 stalks, chopped
Water: 6 cups
Bay leaves: 2
Cayenne pepper: 1/2 tspn
Dried thyme: 1 tspn
Dried sage: 1/4 tspn
Dried parsley: 1 Tbsp
Cajun seasoning: 1 tspn
Andouille sausage: 1 lb, sliced
Water: 4 cups
White rice, long gain: 2 cups.
Directions for cooking:
The night before:
Rinse the beans and soak them overnight in a large pot of water.
The next day:
Heat the oil over medium heat in a medium sized to large skillet.
Cook the bell pepper, onion, celery and garlic in the olive oil for 3 to 4 min.
Rinse the beans and then move them to a large pot with 6 cups of water in it.
Stir the cooked vegetables into the beans.
Season your creation with the cayenne pepper, bay leaves, sage, thyme, parsley, and Cajun seasoning.
Bring it all to a boil, and then reduce the heat to medium-low.
Let it simmer for 2.5 hours.
Stir the sausage into the beans and continue to let simmer for half an hour.
In the meantime, prepare the rice:
Bring the water and rice to a boil in the saucepan.
Reduce the heat, cover the saucepan, and let simmer for 20 min.
Serve the beans with sausage over the steamed white rice.
Enjoy!
EXCLUSIVE Succulent Southern Recipe
Buttermilk Fried Chicken
List of Ingredients:
Chicken thighs, boneless and skinless: 6
Chicken drumsticks: 6
Salt: 2 Tbsps
Egg, beaten: 1
Water, cold, to cover: 1 quart
Buttermilk, cold: 2 cups
Flour, all-purpose: 3 cups
Vegetable oil, for frying: 2 quarts
Chicken seasoning mix: 2.5 Tbsps
To make the chicken seasoning mix:
List of Ingredients:
Pepper, black: 2 Tbsps
Garlic powder: 2 Tbsps
Paprika: 1 Tbsp
Salt: 3 Tbsps
Instructions for Cooking:
Stir all of these ingredients together. You can alter the seasoning blend to taste if you find it too salty or too spicy. Store it in an airtight container.
Instructions for cooking:
The night before:
Put the chicken thighs and the drumsticks into a large bowl, cover with cold water, and mix in the salt.
Cover and refrigerate it for anywhere from eight hours to overnight.
The next day:
Rinse the chicken thoroughly.
Mix the beaten egg, buttermilk, and 1 teaspoon chicken seasoning in a large bowl until it is completely combined.
Place the chicken pieces into the buttermilk mixture and refrigerate for approximately forty-five minutes.
Heat the vegetable oil in a deep-fryer or in a large saucepan to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celcius).
Place the flour and 2 tablespoons of the chicken seasoning you made into a shallow bowl and mix it until it’s combined.
Remove the chicken from the buttermilk bath, shake off excess buttermilk, and press it all into the flour.
Tap off any excess flour.
Gently place the chicken into hot oil, three to four pieces at once.
Fry the chicken until it’s golden brown, for about twelve to fifteen minutes per batch.
Transfer the chicken pieces to a cooling rack set over paper towels so that this will remove any excess oil before you serve it.
Enjoy!
EXCLUSIVE Succulent Southern Recipe
Simple Peach Cobbler
List of Ingredients:
Peaches: Fresh if in season, frozen if not, skinned, pitted and sliced: 6
Sugar: White, 1.5 cups
Flour, all purpose: 2 Tbsps
Egg: 1
Butter, melted: 0.5 cup
Bread, white: 5 slices
Instructions for Cooking:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius).
Butter a baking dish, ideally eight inch square.
Cut the crust off the bread slices, and cut each of them into four or five strips.
Spread the peaches into the pan you prepared, and cover them with a layer of the bread strips you made.
Beat together the sugar, butter and flour, and then mix in the egg.
Pour the mixture you made over the fruit and bread.
Bake your creation in the pre-heated oven for approximately 35 to 45 minutes, or until it’s golden brown.
Enjoy!
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Your Sneak Peek of White Satin & Murder
Here is your free excerpt of White Satin & Murder,
which is the first book in my Val Masters Wedding Planner series.
Chapter One
Masters Wedding Planning
“Oh. Em. Geeeee. This menu says fish. Eww. Gross!”
It’s two days before the first wedding that my new wedding planning business has ever planned is set to take place, and Ginger, the bride of said wedding, is whining like a two-year old child. Scratch that – a two-year old has infinitely more class.
Ginger is whining like someone who has never known disappointment. Like someone who is so used to getting whatever she wants, that if anything doesn’t go her way, it’s time for a complete meltdown. Like someone I kind of want to punch in the face right now… but I won’t. Because I’m a professional.
“Don’t worry, it’s just a sample of different selections people can order from,” I tell her, glancing at the menu she’s pointing at on my desk, which was sent from one of the many caterers I’ve inquired about using for future events. “It’s not for your wedding, we already have your menu ready to go, and it definitely doesn’t include fish.”
“Well, that’s good. Because I told you, Valerie,” she says my name like a dirty word – as if all her troubles stem from my existence, “if anyone brings a single fish to my wedding I will throw it in your face and then stuff it down your dress because I have standards. I don’t want,” Ginger starts using her fingers to list all the fish types, like I don’t know what fish is, “cod, bass, haddock, mackerel, perch –”
I tune out from her completely unnecessary rant and look around at my new office. I actually really like it. I mean, I guess that shouldn’t be surprising, considering I decorated it myself – with tan carpet and ivory wallpaper, and wedding-inspired art work on the wall – so I made sure that it was somewhere I would enjoy coming in every day.
It’s only logical that I’d like it, but, I was worried that no matter how much time I spent on it, I would find something to dislike. But, nope – as it turns out, it suits me just fine.
It’s small but I’ve got an open floor plan, with a larg
e boutique window on the east side, which means natural light in spades. My office, technically, is in a two-sided duplex shop, but right now the second side is vacant, giving me plenty of space and privacy.
The shop is on High Street, the old main road in town and a tourist trap. I picked it because I can walk to the florist and bakery. Not to mention the fact that potential clients can’t miss it. It’s the perfect location and I’m doing something I’m passionate about: Wedding planning.
“Tuna, tilapia, trout, mahi mahi –” Ginger continues flipping her red hair to the opposite shoulder, while I absentmindedly nod my head, not really listening.
Wedding planning is a total departure from where I was six months ago – sitting at a cramped desk, stuck in a cubicle, doing whatever my boss asked me to do – even the most asinine tasks. I wouldn't say I hated my life, but I wasn't fulfilled. I wanted more. I craved more. So, now I’m my own boss at Masters’ Wedding Planning.
I love that it’s my name on the company header. Even if it is a company of one, it feels significant to me.
“Catfish, orange roughy, flounder –” Ginger is still listing fish.
I’m making opening my own business sound simple, but it wasn’t. A lot of risk went into making this decision. I took a second mortgage out on my house, and – in the beginning – I was feeling scared, but pretty good about my choice. I was being bold, making moves.
Starting your own business at twenty-five is gutsy, but the world knows that if everything is right in my life then something needs to go wrong pronto. Why? Because I can’t have nice things.
“Absolutely no eel or herring or –”
“I get it, Ginger!” I snap.
I realize I’m getting a little snippy when the bride frowns and scrunches up her face at me. Fortunately, I don’t get in trouble for this little slip-up – her two bridesmaids who have come along with her for this meeting don’t seem to care and the groom-to-be doesn’t even notice, as usual, since he never notices anything except for whatever’s on his phone screen. Lucky me.
Kari Jacobs Box Set Page 32