Tricia raised her glass. “I’ll drink to that.” Out the corner of her eye, she saw Russ frown, but then he raised his glass, never breaking eye contact. “To us,” he mouthed.
Tricia sipped her champagne and smiled. The next few days, maybe weeks, maybe months-might be very interesting indeed.
She drank to that.
ANGELICA’S RECIPES
1½ pounds lean ground beef
⅔ cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1 egg, beaten
1 large onion, chopped
¼teaspoonsalt
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
¾ cup ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Combine breadcrumbs, egg, onion, salt, and pepper; mix well. Add to ground beef and mix well. Shape mixture into a loaf in a loaf pan. Mix ketchup with Worcestershire sauce and pour over the top.
Bake at 350º for 70-80 minutes (or until meat thermometer reads 160º).
Serves 4-6. 297
6 medium potatoes, peeledand quartered
4-6 garlic cloves
5-6 cups water
2 tablespoons olive oil (or softened butter)
½ teaspoon salt
Pinch ofpepper
Place potatoes and garlic in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until tender.
Drain, reserving ½ cup cooking liquid. Mash potato mixture. Add oil (or butter), salt, pepper, and reserved liquid; stir until smooth.
Serves 4-6.
1 baguette or small (8 ounces) loaf of French bread
¼ cup butter, softened
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon garlic powder (or 2minced garlic
cloves)
2 tablespoons dried parsley (but fresh is always
better)
Preheat oven to 400º.
In a small mixing bowl, combine butter with Parmesan cheese. Add other ingredients and mix well. Cut the baguette into half-inch slices-but do not cut all the way through. Spread mixture on both sides of each slice. Wrap in aluminum foil and bake for 15-20 minutes. (If you like it crispy, open the foil the last 5 minutes.) Serve hot.
Serves 4-6.
2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves diced garlic
2 good-sized potatoes (or about 1 pound)
2 good-sized leeks (or about 1 pound)
4 cups chicken broth
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup milk or light cream
Clean and chop white part of the leeks. Melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the chopped leeks and garlic. Saute them over low to medium heat until the leeks are soft (about 10 minutes). Stir frequently; do not brown.
Add all the remaining ingredients to the pan except the milk/ cream. Bring the soup to a boil and then let it simmer for 15- 20 minutes.
If you prefer a smooth soup, mash the potatoes in the pan, or puree them in a blender. Just before serving, pour the milk/ cream into the soup; stir well, and heat through.
Serves 4.
½ cup butter or margarine, softened
1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 slices bacon
¼ cup chopped green onion
2 eggs
½ cup half-and-half
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 (10-ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed and
well drained (use your hands to squeeze out the
water)
In a small mixing bowl, cream butter and cream cheese. Add flour; beat until well blended. Shape into 24 balls. Press balls into the bottom and the sides of greased mini muffin cups.
Preheat oven to 350º. In a skillet, cook the bacon until brown and very crisp; drain. Saute the onions in the same skillet with the bacon drippings for 5 minutes, or until tender, stirring constantly; drain. Place the onions in a medium bowl. Crumble the bacon into small pieces, and add to the onions. Add the eggs to the bacon and onions; beat well. Stir in the half-and-half, salt, nutmeg, and Parmesan cheese. Add the spinach; mix well to combine. Divide the mixture among crust-lined cups (do not overfill).
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes. Serve warm or cool. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
Makes 24.
Lorna Barrett
Lorna Barrett is the nom de plume of author Lorraine Bartlett.
Lorraine 's other alter ego, L.L. Bartlett, writes psychological suspense and the Jeff Resnick mystery series.
She's done it all, from drilling holes for NASA to typing scripts in Hollywood, and lives a life of crime in western New York.
Her first sales were to the confession magazine market. In all, she's sold nine short stories, including one on Amazon Shorts.
