by Joanne Fluke
4 cloves of minced garlic (approximately 5 Tablespoons of jarred minced garlic)
1 can (14 and a half ounces by weight) canned whole tomatoes
⅓ cup tomato paste
1 can (14 and ½ ounces by weight) beef broth (I
used Swanson)
1 Tablespoon dried parsley (or fresh parsley, but cut it up and use 2 Tablespoons)
¼ teaspoon powdered oregano
¼ teaspoon powdered sage
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon tabasco sauce (I used Slap ‘Ya Mama because I like it much better)
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pound shelled and deveined shrimp (I used frozen salad shrimp – it’s already cleaned, and Moishe and Cuddles love it)
3 cups cooked rice
Hannah’s 1st Note: Traditionally, white rice is used in this recipe, but you can use brown or mixed rice if you prefer – just follow the package directions to cook it.
Spray the inside of the slow cooker crock with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray.
Hannah’s 2nd Note: This will make it much easier to wash later.
Cut the chicken into 1-inch pieces and put them into the bottom of the crock.
Clean the green bell peppers by taking out the seeds and stems. Chop them in pieces and add them to the crock.
Chop the onion and add it to the crock.
Chop the celery into slices (you can use the leaves if your stalk has them) and add them to the crock.
Add the minced garlic to the crock.
Add the whole tomatoes (and their juice). Also add the tomato paste to the crock.
Open the can of beef broth and add the broth to the crock.
Sprinkle in the parsley, oregano, sage, and salt.
Add the tabasco sauce (or your favorite hot sauce).
Stir in the cayenne pepper.
Hannah’s 3rd Note: You will add the cooked rice and shrimp shortly before serving after the rest of the ingredients above have cooked together.
Turn the slow cooker to LOW and cook for 8 to 10 hours.
When the cooking time is up, thaw the shrimp by putting it in a strainer and running cold water over it.
Add the shrimp to the crock and cook for another 15 to 30 minutes.
Hannah’s 4th Note: DO NOT ADD FROZEN SHRIMP to your crock. It could crack a hot crock and your whole meal would be ruined.
While your shrimp is cooking, cook the rice on the stove (or in the microwave if you bought the kind in pouches) according to the package directions.
Add the rice to the crock and stir it in right before serving the Jambalaya.
Hannah’s 5th Note: I usually put all the ingredients except the rice and the shrimp in the slow cooker the night before and store the crock in the refrigerator. In the morning, I return the crock to the pot and turn it on LOW to cook all day while I’m gone. When I get home, all I have to do is add the shrimp to the crock, cook the rice on the stove, and stir it into the crock right before serving.
Michelle’s Note: There is a hurry-up way to make this dish. If you turn the temperature dial to HIGH, it only has to cook for 3 to 4 hours. Then all you have to do is add the shrimp for 15 minutes, stir in the cooked rice, and you’re good to go.
CHEESY GARLIC CRESCENT ROLLS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F., rack in the center position.
2 eighteen-ounce (by weight) cans of refrigerated
Crescent Dinner Rolls (I used Pillsbury)
2 teaspoons crushed garlic
2 Tablespoons salted butter (1 ounce, ¼ stick), soft- ened to room temperature
1 large egg, beaten (just whip it up in a glass with a fork)
2 ounces finely shredded cheese (I used Kraft Cheddar)
While your oven is preheating, prepare your baking sheets by spraying them with Pam or another nonstick baking spray or lining them with parchment paper.
Hannah’s 1st Note: Parchment paper works best.
Open the cans according to package directions and unroll the dough on a lightly floured surface. DO NOT separate the rolls into triangles quite yet. Leave them in sheets for now.
Mix the crushed garlic together with the softened salted butter in a small bowl.
Spread the garlic and butter mixture evenly over the surface of the dough.
Mix the beaten egg with 2 ounces of finely shredded cheese.
Spread the egg and cheese mixture in a thin layer over the butter and garlic layer.
Separate the rolls into triangles and turn them so that they are point up, facing away from you.
Roll each triangle up from the base to the point and curve the resulting roll into a crescent shape.
Place your Cheesy Garlic Crescent Rolls on your prepared baking sheet.
Hannah’s 2nd Note: If you’d like darker brown rolls, brush the tops of each crescent roll with melted salted butter.
Bake your rolls at 375 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes or until they are golden brown.
Leave the rolls on the baking sheet for 2 minutes and then transfer them to a napkin-lined basket and cover them with another napkin.
Serve your Cheesy Garlic Crescent Rolls warm.
Yield: 16 delicious rolls to serve with any entree.
Michelle’s Note: If you invite Mike, Lonnie, and Norman to dinner, you’d better double this recipe!
Chapter Eleven
“More Jambalaya, Mike?” Hannah asked as Mike finished his third helping.
“Thanks, but I couldn’t eat another bite.” Mike leaned back in his chair and gave a satisfied smile. “You know something, girls?”
Hannah glanced at Michelle. They both knew what Mike was going to say. She gave a nod, Michelle nodded back, and they both spoke at once. “It was the best meal you’ve had in years!”
Mike looked shocked. “How did you know what I was going to say?”
“Just a lucky guess,” Hannah replied, winking at Michelle.
“Yes, just a lucky guess,” Michelle echoed her older sister. “The coffee’s all ready to go, and I’ll turn it on. Does anyone want dessert now?”
“We’ll wait until Lonnie and I get through interviewing you,” Mike decided for all of them. “Hannah? You’re up first. Let’s go in the kitchen where it’s private. Then I want to talk to Michelle, and after that, we’ll interview Norman.”
“Just let me bring the carafe of coffee out here before you start,” Michelle added. “Then I won’t have to come back in the kitchen to get anything.”
Once the carafe, cups, and cream and sugar were on the table, Hannah followed Mike and Lonnie to the kitchen table. She wasn’t looking forward to this interview because she’d have to admit that she hadn’t really known much about her husband’s background. Since she knew even less about P.K.’s private life, at least her interview shouldn’t take long.
As it turned out, Hannah was wrong. Mike had wanted to know everything about Ross’s life, including anything he’d told her about P.K. and even what she’d learned about Ross in college. Then Mike wrapped up her interview and sent her back to the table to tell Michelle to come in.
Once Michelle had left, Norman reached out for Hannah’s hand. “You look exhausted. Were they that hard on you?”
“No, not at all. It’s just that Mike wanted to know everything I knew about Ross in college and . . .” She paused and took a sip of her lukewarm coffee. “Those memories brought everything back.”
“Just as if everything were happening again?”
Hannah sighed. “Yes, and it made me realize how naïve I was. When I was in college, I took everything at face value, including anything that anyone told me. And I never compared what I thought I knew about Ross then with what he told me later.”
“There were discrepancies?”
“Yes. And I didn’t realize it until Mike pointed them out to me. Ross told me that he’d grown up in Minnesota, but Mike checked his college records and he was an out-of-state student. And back then Ross said he was an only child, but when we talked abou
t the wedding, he mentioned that his sister couldn’t come because she worked in London. I guess it’s possible that his father got divorced and remarried and his third wife had a daughter, but Ross has only been out of college a few years and his half-sister would be too young to move to London and work there.”
Norman shrugged. “Perhaps Ross’s father did get divorced again and his third wife had an older daughter from a previous marriage. Or they could have adopted an older child.”
“It’s possible, I guess, but there were other things, too. Little things that I didn’t think about before. I . . . I really don’t want to go into them now.”
“Of course not.” Norman slipped his arm around her shoulders. “You’ve had a long day.”
“It’s not that. It’s just that . . . that I’m beginning to doubt my husband and everything he told me. I don’t even know if that photo on our dresser is really his mother. Now I’m questioning everything, and that makes me feel disloyal.”
“Then why don’t you trust what Ross told you until it’s proven false. Give him the benefit of the doubt, Hannah. There may be a reasonable explanation for all of these discrepancies.”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I’ll do. That’s what a good wife should do. At least I think it is.”
“Loyalty,” Norman said. “That’s admirable, Hannah.”
“That’s true, unless that loyalty is misplaced and I’m wearing blinders. Then it’s just plain stupid!”
* * *
“That was a great cake, Hannah.” Mike shifted the box Hannah had given him to his other arm so that he could give her a hug. The box held three pieces of cake that Hannah suspected would be eaten by midnight. “Try not to worry, okay? We’ll solve this case and find Ross.”
Hannah nodded, even though she was beginning to doubt that Mike could find Ross unless Ross wanted to be found. “Thanks, Mike.”
“Bye, Shelly.” Lonnie gave Michelle a quick hug. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning. I’m going out to the garage to help Dad before I go to work . . . unless Mike needs me sooner, of course.”
“Not until ten,” Mike told him. “I have to make some calls when I get to the station and you can’t help me with those.”
Hannah turned to give Michelle a look that said, I’ll tell you later. Their sisterly radar must have been working because Michelle nodded back.
“I’d better find Cuddles and head home,” Norman said, after the door had closed behind Mike and Lonnie. He walked over to the couch, where she had been napping with Moishe, and then he turned back with a puzzled expression. “The cats aren’t there.”
Hannah smiled. “They’re probably on my bed. Moishe’s been going to bed early lately. Let’s go look.”
Hannah and Norman walked down the carpeted hallway and peeked in the open door to the master bedroom. It was clear that the cats hadn’t heard them coming because Moishe was still sprawled out on Hannah’s feather pillow and Cuddles was right next to him. Neither cat moved when they approached the bed or even twitched a whisker.
Hannah put her finger to her lips, and Norman gave a nod of agreement. Then both of them backed out of the room. When they got back to the living room, Hannah led the way to one of the soft leather sofas. “If you want to leave Cuddles, that’s fine with me. You can always pick her up tomorrow.”
“You do know she grows much longer during the night, don’t you? And she also gains weight. Some nights, when I try to move her, she weighs three hundred pounds.”
Hannah laughed. “That’s okay. I’m used to that phenomenon. Moishe does the same thing.”
“When you wake up in the morning, do you find yourself curled up into the smallest space possible so that Moishe can have the whole bed?”
“That’s exactly what happens, but my offer still stands. Cuddles can have a sleepover with Moishe.”
“Okay, as long as you know what you’re getting into. You’re leaving early tomorrow, aren’t you?”
“No. I’m taking Michelle out to Cyril’s garage, and he opens at seven for the people who want to leave their cars before they go to work. Michelle and I want to be there when he opens.”
“What time will you leave here?”
Hannah did some lightning-quick calculating. “We’ll leave here at six-thirty. Lisa said she’d come in early with Aunt Nancy and Marge to start the baking.”
“Then I’ll be here at six. That’ll give me time to have a cup of coffee with you and pick up Cuddles. My first appointment’s not until eight so I’ll have plenty of time to take her home before I go to the clinic.”
“Fine with me,” Hannah said, smiling at him. “Thanks for your support, Norman. I really was a wreck after that interview with Mike.”
“That’s understandable.” Norman stood up, pulled her into his arms, and gave her a hug. “I’ll let myself out. Good night, Hannah.”
“Good night, Norman.”
After Norman had left, Hannah sat there for a moment, thinking. She wasn’t sure just how she should feel if Ross had misled her about his background deliberately. Was that grounds for divorce? And did she really want a divorce? She considered it for a moment, and then she decided that she was borrowing trouble. As Norman had said, there could be a perfectly reasonable explanation for the discrepancies.
Feeling a bit better, Hannah got off the couch and headed for the bedroom. As she passed the door to the guest room, she glanced in and found Michelle already in bed, curled up on her side and sleeping. There was a slight smile on her face and Hannah wondered if her sister was dreaming about the car she would choose in the morning.
Five minutes later, Hannah was ready for bed and she climbed under the covers. A gentle nudge convinced the cats to move to the foot of the bed so she could reclaim her pillow, and before she could even think about how tired she was, she was in the exact same position as her youngest sister, fast asleep.
ULTIMATE FUDGY CHOCOLATE BUNDT CAKE
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
4 large eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup cold coffee (or water, if you don’t want to use
coffee)
8-ounce (by weight) tub of sour cream (I used
Knudsen)
1 box of Chocolate Fudge Cake mix with or without
pudding in the mix, the kind that makes a 9-inch
by 13-inch cake or a 2-layer cake (I used Duncan
Hines)
5.1-ounce package of instant chocolate pudding mix
(I used Jell-O, the kind that makes 6 half-cup
servings.)
12-ounce (by weight) bag of mini chocolate chips
(11-ounce package will do, too—I used Nestle)
Prepare your cake pan. You’ll need a Bundt pan that has been sprayed with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray and then floured. To flour a pan, put some flour in the bottom, hold it over your kitchen wastebasket, and tap the pan to move the flour all over the inside of the pan. Continue this until all the inside surfaces of the pan, including the sides of the crater in the center of the pan, have been covered with a light coating of flour. Shake out excess flour. Alternatively, you can coat the inside of the Bundt pan with Pam Baking Spray, which is a nonstick cooking spray with flour already in it.
Crack the eggs into the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix them up on LOW speed until they’re a uniform color.
Pour in the half-cup of vegetable oil and mix it in with the eggs on LOW speed.
Add the half-cup of cold coffee and mix it in on LOW speed.
Scoop out the container of sour cream, and add the sour cream to your bowl. Mix that in on LOW speed.
When everything is well-combined, open the box of dry cake mix and sprinkle it on top of the liquid ingredients in the bowl of the mixer. Mix that in on LOW speed.
Add the package of instant chocolate pudding and mix that in, again on LOW speed.
Finally, sprinkle in the 12-ounce bag of mini chocolate chips and mix those in on LOW speed.
Shut off the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and give your batter a final stir by hand.
Use a rubber spatula to transfer the cake batter to the prepared Bundt pan.
Smooth the top of your cake with the spatula and put it into the oven.
Bake your Ultimate Fudgy Chocolate Cake at 350 degrees F. for 55 minutes.
Before you take your cake out of the oven, test it for doneness by inserting a cake tester, thin wooden skewer, or long toothpick midway between the sides of the circular ring. (You can’t insert it in the center of the cake because that’s where the crater is!)
If the tester comes out clean, your cake is done. If there is still unbaked batter clinging to the tester, shut the oven door and bake your cake in 5-minute increments until it’s done.