Truth Without the Trimmings

by Diane Muldrow

  To make the stuffed mushrooms, Peichi first removed the stems from the white mushrooms, then chopped the stems into tiny pieces. She sautéed the chopped mushroom stems, along with chopped carrot, celery, and onion, in some olive oil until the vegetables were tender. Then Peichi added bread crumbs to the vegetable mixture, and then stuffed each of the mushroom caps, placing each stuffed mushroom on a baking tray.

  “Done!” cried Peichi. “That was pretty easy. I’m taking these downstairs to the fridge.We’ll bake them at Ms. Barlow’s house. They’re going to taste so good!”

  For the artichoke dip, Shawn needed to use the food processor to chop the artichoke hearts, but Natasha was already using it for the hummus. Instead, Shawn measured all the ingredients so she would be ready as soon as Natasha was finished with the food processor. After measuring mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, cornstarch, Parmesan cheese, and minced garlic into a bowl, Shawn opened the jar of artichoke hearts. As soon as Natasha was done with the food processor, Shawn washed it out and dumped the artichoke hearts into the bowl. She quickly clicked the lid into place and turned the food processor on. Suddenly Shawn yelled, and jumped back from the appliance as everyone turned to look at her. Some of the oil the artichoke hearts were stored in was dripping from her face and hair!

  “Oh, no!” Mrs. Moore cried. “Shawn, I’m so sorry. I should have warned you—the lid is old, and it doesn’t fit as tightly as it used to! If you’re not really careful when you put it on, you can get sprayed.” Mrs. Moore quickly grabbed a wet towel and helped Shawn wipe the oil out of her hair. “I’m so sorry,” Mrs. Moore repeated.

  “That’s okay,” Shawn said. “I don’t mind, as long as I don’t smell like artichoke hearts all night!”

  “Well, if you do, I have some perfume you can borrow,” Amanda joked. Shawn smiled at her. “The baked brie is easy!” Amanda commented. “All I had to do was roll out the puff pastry—I used the premade kind—smooth it out with my fingers, spread some mustard on it and wrap the brie wedge in it. For the other one, I put the brie wedge on the pastry, made a slit down the center of the cheese, and then put some sliced apple on it and drizzled some honey on top before I wrapped it up. Then I’ll pour some more honey on top before we bake them at Ms. Barlow’s.”

  “Well, at least you don’t have to worry about getting brie in your hair!” Shawn teased her as she stirred the artichoke hearts into the other ingredients in the bowl.

  “Yeah, but she got some honey in her hair!” Molly said, handing her a wet paper towel.

  When Shawn and Amanda were done, they took their appetizers to the downstairs fridge.

  “Hurry back so you two can help me with the scallops!” Molly yelled after them. Her appetizer was the most complicated to prepare. She had already sliced some water chestnuts in half, and she was marinating the water chestnuts and scallops in honey and teriyaki sauce for fifteen minutes. Now Molly was struggling to cut strips of bacon in thirds. “The fatty parts are really hard to cut through!” she said, exasperated.

  “Here, sweetie,” said Mrs. Moore. “This knife is sharper than the one you’re using—that should make it easier. Just be very careful, okay?” She looked at her watch. “I have to drive Matthew to the toy store to get a present for Ben’s birthday,” she said. “I’ll check in as soon as I get home. You girls are really doing a great job!”

  “Bye, Mom,” said Molly, glancing up quickly at her mother, and then focusing again on cutting the bacon. “Thanks for everything.”

  Shawn and Amanda stepped in to help Molly. “Okay, what can we do?” Shawn asked.

  Molly checked the recipe, and then explained how to assemble the scallops. “Basically, we just have to take a scallop and a water chestnut, hold them together, wrap a piece of bacon around them, and stick a toothpick in the whole thing to secure it,” she said. “We won’t bake them until we get to Ms. Barlow’s house.” With three pairs of hands putting together the scallops, they were ready to go into the fridge in no time.

  Molly glanced at the clock. “I can’t believe it!” she said. “We’re done with the appetizers, and it’s only 10:30! We rock!”

  “And the turkey will be done really soon, too,” Amanda added. “The hard stuff is out of the way.”

  “Not quite yet,” Shawn reminded her. “We still have to do the desserts and stuff.”

  “Oh, yeah,” Amanda remembered. “Well, I’ll start the apple crisp right now.”

  “I’ll help you,” Shawn quickly volunteered.

  “Thanks!” said Amanda.

  “The rest of us can work on the cookies and the grapefruit salad,” Molly said. She reached into the freezer and pulled out rolls of chocolate chip, gingerbread, and sugar cookie dough that they had prepared last weekend.

  Amanda and Shawn got to work peeling all the apples and cutting them into slices that were a quarter of an inch thick. Then they added sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and a tiny bit of salt to the apple slices. “This tastes sooo good,” raved Amanda as she nabbed a slice of spiced apple.

  “Hey! No tasting!” Shawn cried, playfully tapping Amanda’s hand with a long wooden spoon. The girls giggled. Everyone was having a lot more fun now that the food prep seemed under control. And desserts were always fun to make!

  The rest of the day zipped by. Mrs. Moore helped the girls take the turkey out of the oven, and she supervised Amanda and Shawn’s work on the apple crisp. Molly steamed the green beans and tossed them with sliced almonds, olive oil, and little bit of fresh garlic. The chopped portobello mushrooms had been marinating in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, oregano, and a little bit of salt for about an hour. Then Peichi had stir-fried them quickly in olive oil until they were slightly browned. Natasha had boiled a package of fresh pasta, and they had tossed the mushrooms and pasta together, using the extra marinade as a sauce. All they would need to do at Ms. Barlow’s house is heat up the dish.

  “How will we ever get all this stuff over to Ms. Barlow’s?” Amanda asked as she looked down at the dishes, pots, and pans of food in front of her. There was food everywhere—on the table, on the oven and the counters. Mrs. Moore stood with the girls, looking over all the food.

  Amanda glanced at the clock. It was too late for her to get to Ms. Barlow’s early. She’d planned to set up ahead of the others, so that she could do more than her share in the beginning. But the cooking had taken so long that she hadn’t been able to get away. At about 2:30, the girls had stopped for a very quick lunch, eating sandwiches and chips. Amanda sighed. She’d just have to work extra hard at the party. That would make her feel less guilty about leaving early.

  “It all looks wonderful,” Mom said. “I think you should pack it in boxes and bring the fancy trays separately. That way, you can arrange it nicely over there. I can drive you over.”

  “Thanks,” Molly said. She turned to Mom. “Do you think it will look fancy enough?”

  Mom opened the refrigerator and pulled out a bunch of radishes. “Let me show you something,” she said. Taking a small, sharp knife from the drawer, she cut into one of the radishes. When she was done, she had created a red and white rosebud. “We can make a bunch of these and put them alongside the plates as decoration.”

  “That’s what Carmen calls a garnish,” Shawn recalled.

  “Awesome!” exclaimed Peichi.

  Mom showed the girls how to cut the radish rosettes. In a half hour, they had a large bag filled with them. “I have some parsley, too,” Mom said. “Sprinkle the parsley around the edges of the platters along with the radishes and it will look first-rate.” She glanced at the clock on the wall. “You girls need to go change for the party! It’s four- thirty!” Everyone scrambled up the stairs to Molly and Amanda’s room.

  Amanda reached into the closet and pulled out everyone’s outfits. As the other girls started changing, she reached for a dress she had hidden way in the back of the closet, still in a plastic bag from the store. Slowly, she pulled the bag off the dress. She’d been dreaming ab
out wearing this dress all week.

  “Amanda! Ohmygosh! That dress is gorgeous!” Peichi shrieked. Everyone spun around to take a look.

  And the dress was gorgeous. Made of soft, silky material, the color of the dress changed depending on how the light hit it—sometimes it looked black, sometimes it looked like a rich shade of purple. Best of all, it shimmered whenever Amanda moved. Tiny specks of glitter in the fabric reflected the light. As soon as Amanda tried it on, she knew she had to have it.

  “I got it at Lulu’s,” Amanda told the girls. “It cost almost all the money I have, but I think it was so worth it! Molls, zip me up, would you?” She twirled around so her friends could admire the dress some more.

  Natasha hung in the doorway, shyly. She wore a white button-down shirt tucked into a plaid skirt. She knew she looked nice, but…plain—especially compared to the other girls in the room. Shawn was wearing a sleeveless, bright green dress made out of crumpled silk, and Peichi had on a long gold skirt with a fuchsia-and-gold top.

  “You look nice, Natasha,” Amanda said, to be kind.

  “Do you think so?” Natasha asked. “I wasn’t sure if this was all right to wear—if it was fancy enough.”

  “No, it looks great,” Molly replied. Amanda didn’t even hear Natasha’s question. She was too busy spraying glitter in her hair.

  Once the girls were ready, they all went back down to the kitchen. Molly was the first one in, wearing Amanda’s skirt and top. “You look great, Molly,” Mom said. “Don’t you all look lovely!” she continued. “Before you go, I want to take a picture of you.”

  “Oh, no!” Natasha cried. Everyone turned and saw Natasha standing at the kitchen counter, her white blouse covered in red cranberry juice. The juice had spilled onto the table and was dripping to the floor. “I picked up the bottle of juice by the cap, but it had already been opened and the cap came off in my hand.”

  She looked at the twins’ mom. “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Moore. I’ll clean it up.” She grabbed a piece of paper towel from the roll on the counter and began mopping up the juice.

  “We’ll take care of it, Natasha,” Molly said. “You have to change that shirt right away!”

  “Come on, Natasha,” Amanda said. “Let’s find you another outfit! I have this purple dress I think would look great on you.”

  “Thanks. Thanks a lot,” Natasha said. “I’m really, really sorry.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Mom said as she began wiping the table. “Natasha, go into the bathroom and run cold water over your blouse right away. Amanda, you can bring the dress to her there.” Natasha grabbed her backpack and dashed up the stairs and into the twins’ bathroom as Amanda followed up after her.

  “Thanks for letting us have the sleepover here for New Year’s,” Peichi said to Mrs. Moore while they waited for the two girls to get back. “I think it’s going to be awesome.”

  “You’re welcome,” Mrs. Moore said with a smile.

  “Is Natasha coming this time?” Shawn asked.

  Molly frowned. “I don’t think so,” she said. “Her mom still doesn’t let her go to sleepover parties.”

  “No sleepovers!” Peichi cried. “That is such a bummer!”

  “I wonder if it would help if I called her mother,” Mom offered. “I think I’ll ask Natasha if she’d like me to do that.”

  Just then, Amanda and Natasha reappeared. Amanda led the way into the kitchen, while Natasha hung back shyly.

  “Doesn’t she look great?” Amanda asked proudly.

  “Wow, Natasha, you do look great!” said Shawn.

  Natasha smiled and said, “Thanks. This dress is so pretty. Thanks for letting me borrow it, Amanda! I promise I won’t spill anything else tonight!” The girls laughed, and then Molly cleared her throat.

  “Well,” Molly said, “it’s time to take all this food over to Ms. Barlow’s!”

  chapter 9

  Soon all the food was packed, and Mom drove them to Ms. Barlow’s in her big, old car. Amanda thought it was the most embarrassing car on earth. Mom loved it because she’d inherited it from her Aunt Hazel. The car didn’t bother Molly, but Amanda wished she would just drive a nice SUV like the other mothers in Park Terrace. Still, the girls were grateful for the ride. Ms. Barlow had promised to call them a car service to take them back home after the party.

  Mom drove the few blocks to Ms. Barlow’s house and pulled up to the curb in front. “A parking spot right in front,” she said. “Unbelievable!”

  “Awesome luck,” Molly agreed.

  Amanda nodded but didn’t say anything. In fact, she hadn’t spoken for the last ten minutes. As they grew closer to the actual event, she’d begun feeling more and more guilty about what she planned to do. No matter how many times she told herself that she would make it up to her friends by working extra hard, it still felt wrong.

  “Well, girls,” said Mom, “I think you all better get moving, don’t you?”

  “Guess so,” said Molly. “Wish us luck!”

  “I don’t think you’ll need it tonight—you’ve already got everything under control! Have fun!” said Mom as she hugged first Molly, then Amanda.

  “Thanks!” said Shawn, Peichi, and Natasha, waving good-bye to Mrs. Moore as she pulled out of sight.

  “All done with setting up!” Molly said as she plopped onto a kitchen chair.

  “Finally!” said Natasha, fanning herself with the edge of a tablecloth. “There are cloths on all the tables. The glasses and silverware are out. The napkins are all folded and laid out. Salt and pepper shakers are all full.”

  Peichi came in. “Okay. The punch is on the table. The ice bucket is next to it. Oops! I forgot to put the ladle in the punch.” She grabbed the ladle from the counter and hurried back out with it.

  “What a ton of work!” Natasha said.

  “We can’t stop now, we aren’t nearly done!” said Shawn. “The appetizers have to go into the oven. The platters have to be set out and garnished. The salads have to be tossed. We have to put little bowls of dressing next to the salads. The main courses have to be reheated and arranged on platters.”

  “Don’t worry,” Amanda said brightly as she hurried in. “I have everything under control. You all take a little rest.” She picked up a tray of the stuffed mushrooms and slid them into the oven on the shelf under the scallops. “How can I brown the top of the mushrooms if the scallops need to be browned, too?” she wondered aloud. “I know. I’ll just broil the mushrooms for a couple minutes after the scallops are done.” Then she pulled out the bowl of artichoke dip. “I’ll microwave this for a couple of minutes as soon as the first guest arrives. Then it will be warm and we won’t have to worry about using the oven any more than we absolutely have to.”

  “Wow! It’s super-caterer girl,” Shawn teased Amanda.

  Normally, Amanda would have laughed and struck a Supergirl pose. But her guilty conscience made her turn away, mumbling, “I just want to do my part.”

  Shawn gazed at Molly and Natasha with an expression that asked, Did I say something wrong?

  Molly could only shrug back at her. She had the feeling that something was up with Amanda, but she couldn’t figure out what it might be. Maybe she was just staying super-busy to keep her mind off of Connor’s party.

  Ms. Barlow swooped into the kitchen wearing a long, red, silky bathrobe with lace trim. On her feet were black high-heeled mules trimmed with feathers. Her hair was rolled in electric curlers, but her makeup was finished and she was wearing a ton of perfume. “It smells divine in here,” she said. “Is everything under control?”

  “Totally under control,” Amanda assured her.

  Ms. Barlow looked her up and down. “Oh, don’t you look gorgeous, Amanda.”

  “Thanks,” Amanda said. “You look really pretty, too.”

  “Oh, you all look lovely, girls,” Ms. Barlow said. “My guests will arrive in another fifteen minutes or so. Let them mingle for about ten minutes and then start with the appetizers.”
/>   “Sure thing,” Shawn told her.

  Ms. Barlow clutched her headful of curlers. “Good heavens! I thought I’d taken these out already! I’d better dash upstairs right away, right away!” She hurried out of the room, her long robe flapping behind her.

  Natasha giggled. “Wouldn’t it be funny if she’d forgotten the curlers altogether and wore them all night?”

  “How embarrassing,” Shawn said with a little laugh. She stood and stretched. “I just got a second blast of energy. I’ll start putting the main dishes on platters,” she said.

  “I’ll set out the garnishes on each platter,” Natasha volunteered.

  “I already garnished the platters,” Amanda said. “I’ve set a serving spoon beside each one and I’ve put the salads into bowls.”

  “You’d better slow down, Amanda,” Peichi said as she returned to the kitchen. “You’re going to be exhausted by the time this is over.”

  “You might be right,” Amanda said. She clutched her throat. “I am starting to feel a little funny.”

  “Then sit down and chill for a minute,” Peichi advised her.

  This was it. Amanda’s plan was about to begin. “Yes,” she said in a small, weak voice. “Maybe I should sit for a minute.”