Overdue for Murder (Pecan Bayou) (21 page)

"I really only ate one or two of her cupcakes, and they were dreamy, but with my lack of baking skills I guess I never really developed too much of a sweet tooth. Vanessa, on the other hand, had boxes hidden everywhere."

"Which, for someone who was conscious of her weight and appearance, probably made her feel the same guilt an overeater would feel."

"Yes, she was feeling like the same people she had probably been insulting for all of her life. Kind of ironic, isn't it?"

"So Peter goes off to live happily ever after with Edith ..."

"Update on that story," I said. "Now that he has the other woman, he's decided it's really not so exciting for him."

"Really?"

"I guess when you don't have to sneak around anymore, the thrill is gone. But from what I saw of Edith, she'll survive."

"She always has her writing."

"I'll say."

Leo leaned over and kissed me on the curve of my neck. I continued, trying to ignore him. "And then there's Oscar Larry. He was caught doctoring up a photo using pie plates hanging from a string. The UFO followers would have fallen for it if they hadn't seen the Mrs. Jones Baked Pies logo on the bottom of the saucer."

"Another person ruined by baking."

I laughed. "I guess so."

"And what happened to the vampire guy?"

"Damien Perez? I don't know. The last I heard, he was looking into writing about Mexican werewolves in Texas or the chupacabra. Gee, maybe he could write a book about a vampire and a werewolf both falling in love with a young girl?"

"Sounds familiar," Leo said. "So those are all the reasons you kept having to put off our weekend?"

I took a sip of my wine. "Oh, and one more. Zach was trying to break a world record with his cousin Danny."

"And did he succeed?"

"Only if there's a world record for the number of failed attempts to break a world record."

Fitzpatrick laughed and stirred the logs on the fire. He turned back to me and took me into his arms and began to kiss away all of the tension, worry and fears of the last month. I felt myself sinking into the moment ... Then my phone jangled in my pocket, making us both jump.

"Mom? I was wondering, do you have any matches?" Zach was still at it. "Danny and I are going to break the world record for lighted candles. Don't worry, we won't wake up Aunt Maggie. She's been snoring for the last hour ... "

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

How to Plunge a Sink or Tub

Most minor sink clogs can be cleared with a plunger. Partially fill the sink with water, then start plunging. Vigorously work the plunger up and down several times before quickly pulling it off the drain opening. If it's a double-bowl kitchen sink, stuff a wet rag into one drain opening while you plunge the other one. If it's a bathroom sink, stuff the rag into the overflow hole. This helps to put pressure directly on the clog.

Recycling Freezer Containers

When freezing food in gallon-sized bags, trying storing the bags in recycled cake mix and cereal boxes. Make sure you label the front of the box and the bag itself so you don't forget what you put into it. Also, put a "use by" date on your label. Here's a guide for the freezer life of various foods:

Fruits and vegetables: homegrown, 12 months; store-bought, 8 months

Muffins, biscuits: 2-3 months

Loaves, doughnuts, rolls: 1-2 months

Baked cakes: 4-6 months

Cupcakes and baked pies: 2-3 months

Cookies: 8-10 months

Cookie dough: 6 months

Roast beef, steaks: 6-9 months

Ground beef or cubes: 2-3 months

Beef stew: 6 months

Pork roast: 3-6 months

Pork chops/ribs: 2-3 months

Chicken: 10 months

Turkey or duck: 6 months

Lean fish: 6 months

Fatty fish: 2-3 months

Shellfish: 6 months

Cake Baking Tips

1. To cut an unfrosted cake in half, use a taut string or dental floss to do the job.

2. When decorating a cake with frosting, clip off the end of a sandwich or storage bag and fill it with icing. If you were using a tubed icing with a decorator tip, try using that tip with the baggie.

3. If you need to make black frosting, try adding blue food coloring to chocolate icing.

4.Using a lazy susan or turntable will make the frosting process easier because you can always have the part you are working on in front of you.

5. Level off any bumps or rises in your cakes with a serrated knife to have a more uniform cake for frosting.

6. Listen to Pattie and don't overcook the cake. Moist is better.

Betsy's Tater-Tot Casserole

2 lbs ground meat (beef or turkey)

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1 cup water

2 cups grated cheddar cheese

1 bag frozen tater tots

Brown ground meat and drain. Place in casserole dish. Combine soup and water; pour over meat. Sprinkle cheese over soup. Top with tater tots. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Serve hot. This recipe can be made lower fat by using fat-free cream of mushroom soup, ground turkey and fat-free cheddar cheese.

Coffee Creamer Recipes

Liquid Coffee Creamer

Basic Recipe:

1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups milk

Lowfat Version:

1 14 oz. can lowfat sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups skim milk

Powdered Coffee Creamer

Unflavored powdered coffee creamer

A bottle of your favorite coffee syrup

Boil 2 cups water, remove from burner, add 1 cup powdered creamer, mix, add flavored syrup to taste. Store in covered container in refrigerator.

The Magic of Dryer Sheets

Use a dryer sheet to dust your baseboards. Because of the coating on the dryer sheet, your baseboards will repel dust and pet hair better. You can also put your dryer sheet on your Swiffer mop to grab all the pet hair and dust off your floors.

Get Rid of Moths Without Mothballs

Make a small drawstring bag out of cotton or cheesecloth. Fill the bag with this mixture:

1 part dried lavender

1 part rosemary

1/2 part dried lemon peel

1 Tablespoon cloves

Fill the bag about half full and hang it in your closet. Scrunch the bag from time to time to release its scent. When the bag loses its scent, discard the herbs and refill it with fresh ingredients.