by Gail Oust
Drawing a deep breath to steady a flutter of nerves—not unlike the ones I experienced a year ago on opening day—I straightened my shoulders, unlocked the front door, and stood aside. A bevy of friends and acquaintances, laughing and chattering, streamed through the door to find seats. Melly began circulating among the guests with her tray of cookies while Lindsey offered them coffee and sweet tea.
Reba Mae cleared her throat to draw her audience’s attention. “Welcome, ladies and gentleman.” She winked broadly at Hoyt, then waited for everyone to quiet. “Until today, my meemaw’s recipe has been a well-guarded family secret, but Piper convinced me to share it with y’all.”
I had to hand it to Reba Mae; it didn’t take my friend long to settle into her comfort zone. If she was still a “little nervous,” as she professed earlier, it didn’t show. She appeared much more relaxed and at ease than I’d been when demonstrating how to prepare roast lamb with rosemary and juniper before a full house.
With the main event successfully under way, I found a vantage point off to one side. Upon hearing the front door click open, I glanced over my shoulder expecting to direct a late arrival to an unoccupied seat in the last row. Instead, Wyatt McBride, wearing a starched and pressed navy blue uniform, slipped inside. Our eyes met, and my mind spiraled back to a year ago when he was the brand-new chief of police—and I the prime murder suspect. From the dimple-winking grin he gave me, I guessed our thoughts ran parallel.
Chad sidled over to stand next to me. “Hey, Mom,” he whispered. “Is that the guy?”
I smiled and nodded. “He’s the one.”
GINGER (ZINGIBER)
Ginger has been an important spice for more than three thousand years. The name ginger is derived from a Sanskrit word and it was traded by the Phoenicians. It was probably the West’s introduction to Asian flavors. Ginger is a rhizome, an underground stem of a plant similar to bamboo, and is a member of the same family as cardamom, turmeric, and galangal. In America, dried ginger is an essential ingredient in many breads, cakes, and pastries. Ginger is also used in many spice mixtures such as pickling spices and to add an extra flavor boost to carrots, winter squashes, and sweet potatoes. Fresh ginger is frequently used in Asian in curries, marinades, and stir-fries. Ginger ale, ginger beer, and ginger tea are popular beverages. Ginger is purported to have many medicinal benefits, the chief among them being relief of dyspepsia (indigestion) and prevention of motion sickness. Today ginger is readily available in many grocery stores in the form of rhizome, dried, or crystallized. If you are shopping for a fresh rhizome, look for firm flesh and shiny, unwrinkled skin. Powdered dry ginger should be a brilliant yellow color and not dull brown. Crystallized ginger should still be pliable and soft, not hardened. If you plan to use fresh ginger within three weeks of purchase, leave the peel on and place it in a sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator. It can be stored indefinitely by putting the root in the freezer with the peel on. When it is needed, simply take it out, grate what you need; and return it to the freezer.
PIPER’S POPPY-SEED SALAD DRESSING
2/3 cup light olive oil
½ cup sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice
1½ tablespoons poppy seeds
2 teaspoons finely chopped red onion
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon kosher salt
In a blender or salad dressing shaker, mix or shake above ingredients until well blended and smooth. This dressing can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. Serve at room temperature.
GINGER AND LIME MARINADE
Small piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
Grated zest of one lime
¼ cup lime juice
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon dry sherry
Mix above ingredients. Use for salmon and firm, meaty fish, such as swordfish. Also can be used for shrimp. Marinate fish for 1–2 hours, shellfish for up to 1 hour.
HUNGARIAN GOULASH
2 tablespoons canola oil
1½ cups chopped onions
¼ teaspoon caraway seeds
2 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika*
3 pounds lean stewing beef cut into half-inch cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
¼ piece of a green pepper
1 teaspoon marjoram
28 ounces beef broth
1 large potato, peeled and diced into half-inch cubes
2 cups sliced carrots
Roux:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
In a Dutch oven, heat the oil over low heat and sauté the onions until soft. Add the caraway seeds and sauté one minute longer. Remove the Dutch oven from the heat and stir in the Hungarian paprika. Add the cubes of beef, season with salt and pepper, and stir to coat well. Next add the green pepper, marjoram, and broth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 1½ hours.
While the goulash is simmering prepare the roux by melting butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Stir in flour and continue cooking, stirring constantly until golden brown.
After the goulash has simmered add potato and carrots and cook for an additional thirty minutes or until vegetables are tender. Discard the green pepper and stir in the roux. Raise the heat to medium-high and cook one minute longer to thicken and enhance the flavor.
Serve over hot noodles with a dollop of sour cream.
Yield: 6-8 servings
*Use only real Hungarian paprika for best results.
ITALIAN WEDDING COOKIES
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
¼ cup chopped pecans (if desired)
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Mix in the eggs and almond extract. In a second bowl, combine the flour and baking powder; stir into the creamed mixture until blended. Add pecans if desired. Divide dough into walnut-sized portions. Roll each piece into a rope, then shape into a loop. Place cookies two inches apart on prepared cookie sheets.
Bake for ten minutes until firm to the touch and golden at the edges. Allow to cool five minutes, then dust with confectioners’ sugar.
Yield: Approximately 3 dozen
ALSO BY GAIL OUST
Curried Away
Cinnamon Toasted
Kill ’Em with Cayenne
Rosemary and Crime
Whack ’n’ Roll
’Til Dice Do Us Part
Shake, Murder, and Roll
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
GAIL OUST is often accused of flunking retirement. Hearing the words “Maybe it’s a dead body” while golfing fired up her imagination for writing a cozy. Ever since then, she has spent more time on a computer than at a golf course. She lives with her husband in McCormick, South Carolina. Visit her online at www.gailoust.com, or sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
; Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Ginger (Zingiber)
Piper’s Poppy-Seed Salad Dressing
Ginger and Lime Marinade
Hungarian Goulash
Italian Wedding Cookies
Also by Gail Oust
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
GINGER SNAPPED. Copyright © 2017 by Gail Oust. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.minotaurbooks.com
Cover design by David Baldeosingh Rotstein
Cover illustration by Matthew Holmes
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-1-250-08126-1 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4668-9313-9 (ebook)
eISBN 9781466893139
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First Edition: December 2017