Wonder: A Soul Savers Collection of Holiday Short Stories & Recipes (11 page)

THANKSGIVING RECIPES

Recipes for you to try this Thanksgiving—or whenever—submitted by me and members of my street team, Kristie’s Warriors. I hope you enjoy them!

Jewels’ Human Dip

Submitted by Wendy Jahnke

This is a dip Jewels might enjoy on Thanksgiving in Amity.

Ingredients:

8 oz Braunschweiger

4 or 5 Tbsp. Sour Cream

1. Take Braunschweiger and cut in to cubes place in bowl.

2. Add sour cream and blend well. Serve with crackers.

Sundae’s Pack Stew

Submitted by Heather Wakefield

My mom always made the delicious, warm chicken and dumplings that made the house smell so good. Since wolves eat chicken and my mom gave me the middle name Sundae, this seems like the perfect stew Sundae the werewolf would make for her pack.

Ingredients:

Whole fryer chicken

1 medium onion, chopped

3-4 celery sticks, cut into chunky bits (bite size)

4 large carrots, cut into bite-size pieces

3 cloves garlic, smashed enough to break open

Parsley (pinch of dry or handful of fresh)

1. Cut the chicken, and put it into large pot. Boil with salt until meat pulls easily away from the bone. Skim foam off the top when it boils.

2. After boiling the chicken for about 30 minutes but before it is done, add the carrots and garlic, as well as other seasonings you like, such as paprika, chili powder, and cumin. Continue boiling for another 10-15 minutes, then add onion and celery, a few pinches of dry parsley or a small handful of fresh parsley. Let all of that simmer while you do the dumplings.

For the Dumplings

About 2 cups of all-purpose flour, seasoned with your favorite spice(s) for better dumplings

2/3 cup milk

1-2 eggs

3. Mix eggs and milk first, then slowly add flour. Make a ball with the dough then turn out onto floured surface and roll out. At this point, you can use a knife to create noodle like shapes, or you can use a cookie cutter. (Take note that less flour will give you softer dumplings. If the dough is thicker and easier to handle, then the dumplings will be firmer and a bit chewy. Both ways are good, so adjust to your textural liking. If you use a cookie cutter to create shapes it’s easier when the dough is firmer.)

4. Pull the bulk of the chicken out (at this time, you can debone your soup if you choose to). You need the cauldron to be at a slow boil, then drop some dumplings in. When they float, they are done. Keep adding more and using a big spoon to push the cooked ones out of the way until all the dumplings are done.

Blossom’s Oh So Tender Turkey!

Submitted by Heather Brandt

I imagine Blossom making her Thanksgiving turkey this way in the story Gratitude.

Ingredients:

One Butterball turkey 15lbs-20lbs (never had it turn out right unless I use Butterball)

Butter to coat turkey with

Your choice of stuffing (I prefer Mrs. Cubbisons)

1. This turkey will cook all night long on 200 degrees. You don’t have to preheat, but you’re welcome to preheat oven to 200 degrees if you’d like. First thing I do is clean my turkey out, rinse and place in turkey pan.

2. Next I mix the stuffing. The amount of stuffing will depend on the size of your turkey. I overfill as much as possible, since that’s my favorite part.

3. After stuffing is made and turkey is stuffed to your liking, butter the outside of your turkey.

4. Lastly cover turkey completely with foil and place in oven. I usually have my turkey in the oven between 8 P.M. - 9 P.M., and it’s done by 10 A.M. - 11 A.M. the next morning. You can also use a roaster to cook. I have had the same delicious results with either. You’ll wake to your whole house smelling of turkey and never worry about your turkey not being done on time!

Mindy’s Homemade Stuffing Craving

Submitted by Sue VanNort and Shelly Fenner

For Mindy’s craving for human food at Thanksgiving.

Ingredients:

Loaf of day-old bread, any kind you like, or pre-seasoned stuffing mix

1 stick butter or margarine

24 oz chicken broth

3 stalks celery, finely chopped

1 medium size onion, finely chopped

1 lb. ground sausage, browned

1 tsp sage

salt and pepper to taste

1. Melt butter in frying pan, add celery and onion. Stir continuously until softened.

2. Remove from heat. Mix all ingredients together. Be sure that the bread is completely moistened. I put mine inside the bird and cook it slowly at 325 degrees. It can also be placed in a baking dish and baked.

3. Be sure to cover and stir occasionally.

4. Inside the bird, stuffing is done when the bird is done. Baked separately in a baking dish, it’s done in about an hour at the same oven temperature as the bird. 

Mindy’s Fake It ’Til You Make It Thanksgiving Casserole – My Grandma’s Spin On the Traditional Green Bean Casserole

Submitted by Christina Silcox

Ingredients:

1 1-lb package frozen California vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots)

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 ½ cups shredded Swiss cheese

¾ cups milk

1 ½ cups French-fried onions

salt & pepper to taste

1. Mix cream of mushroom soup and milk in a large mixing bowl.

2. Stir in veggies, 1/2 cup of swiss cheese, 1/2 cup of French-fried onions, and salt and pepper. Pour into prepared baking dish.

3. Top with remaining Swiss cheese and French-fried onions.

4. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes, or until golden brown and heated through.

Blood on Snow Almond Fudge and White Chocolate Cranberry

Submitted by Zee Hayat

Ingredients:

1 cup white chocolate bits

½ cup slivered almonds

½ cup cranberries

¾ cup Condensed Milk

1 Tbsp. lemon zest

1 Tbsp. of butter

1. On a baking sheet, grease the foil with butter and set aside.

2. On medium heat, melt the white chocolate bits.

3. Stir in the condensed milk.

4. Pour in the cranberries, lemon zest and almonds and stir in.

5. Pour onto baking sheet and refrigerate for 2 hours.

6. Cut into squares and serve with fruits or as stand-alone dessert.

Sasha’s Delights – Dog Cookies

Submitted by Felicia Semmler

I love Sasha. She reminds me of my Pebbles, and Pebbles loves these cookies. She goes crazy for them, and they are better for the animals than store-bought animal treats. Even birds love them, and they’re safe. Sasha would enjoy these while her people ate Thanksgiving dessert.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

¾ cup oats

½ cup peanut butter

1 ¼ cups hot water

2 drops liquid imitation butter

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix flour and oats together then mix in water, imitation butter, and peanut butter (mix in more flour if it’s too sticky).

3. Knead the dough and roll out until it’s about ¼-inch thick.

4. Cut the dough into shapes with cookie cutters or cut into squares.

5. Bake on a lightly greased cookie sheet for 40 minutes or until they reach desired texture.

6. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week, in the fridge for 3 weeks, or freezer for 6 months.

CHRISTMAS STORIES

JOY

This first short story for Christmas,
Joy
, gives us a peek into how the Daemoni “celebrate” the birth of their enemy. We meet new characters that may or may not show up again in future Soul Savers stories, but know for sure that the events in this story have nothing to do with the actual series itself. I hope you enjoy this little fantasy.

Chapter 1

Christmas Eve day began with a clear dawn as the sun rose brightly in the sky and shone down on the city below, making everyone with high hopes of a white Christmas groan. Claire, however, grinned, reveling in their disappointment. After all, her magic kept the clouds away. Just barely, though. Even a warlock like her wasn’t powerful enough to completely change the weather, but she could at least ruin their expectations for a good part of the day, as long as nothing distracted her from her spell.

She’d had to start the magic at the top of the tallest building, but now she’d been able to move down to the fourth-floor apartment she shared with a couple of other Daemoni warlocks. The three attended the same university, where they used their magic to help the local vampire nest gain access to the students. With school closed for the break between semesters, the warlocks had other havoc to wreak.

Claire’s curly brown hair blew around her face as she stood on the balcony, taking in the scene below. Children ran excitedly up and down the sidewalk, laughing or even singing. Normans, loaded down with bags of gifts or food, smiled and tipped their heads at each other, wishing everyone they saw a Merry Christmas.

Claire frowned. Her plan hadn’t worked. The Normans kept their Christmas cheer even as the sun baked down on them.

“It takes more than weather to ruin this holiday,” said Inga, one of her roommates, who’d stepped outside with her. “Watch this.”

Inga’s index finger tapped on the balcony’s railing. Below, a child who’d been sitting on the edge of the sidewalk suddenly kicked out his leg. A woman who could barely see around the stack of boxes she carried tripped over his foot and hurtled into a man hauling a Christmas tree. As the man went to catch the woman, he threw the tree, which flew through the air and crashed into the windshield of a car, setting off its alarm. The woman’s boxes apparently held cakes and pies because she and the man were both covered in whipped cream, various colors of frosting, and fruit filling. Almost everyone nearby started yelling at someone else, pointing fingers and slewing profanities as they blamed each other for the fiasco and demanded remuneration for whatever harm they endured. Even those who’d only been bystanders were forced into the arguments as witnesses.

“Now
that
ruined a few people’s days,” Inga said, and both girls burst into laughter, their petite bodies doubled over.

“What are you two up to?” asked Kath, their other roommate, as she joined them on the balcony. She glanced to the street below and knew immediately what had happened. She chuckled but rolled her eyes. “That’s just child’s play. We have much bigger problems to cause. Are you two coming?”

Kath referred to the Daemoni celebration of anti-Christmas, as the older generations preferred to call it. Their generation called it Random Acts of Evil—the opposite of how their enemy’s leadership celebrated the holiday. Regardless of their name for it, all Daemoni hated the Norman Christmas more than any other holiday, because it marked the worst day of their lord’s immeasurable life. In reverence to him, they carried on their own traditions of destroying the faith and spirit of as many people as they possibly could. They did things that made Normans hate the holiday as much as they did or forced them to question how their God could allow such things to happen. Things like homes burning down, presents getting stolen, and loved ones being taken away forever.

“I wouldn’t miss it,” Inga said, her turquoise eyes practically glowing with anticipation. The warlock descended from a long line of witches on one side and warlocks on the other. Someone had once said she was named after her ancestor who had been Jordan’s mistress, the witch who tried to steal him away from Eris. The original Inga wasn’t exactly revered by the Daemoni because of everything that happened, so this Inga vehemently denied the relation or namesake. Daemoni were known liars, though, and Claire didn’t know whom to believe. She didn’t really care. In fact, she kind of envied all of the scandal surrounding Inga, whether it was true or not, because it seemed to make her even more Daemoni than average, at least in Claire’s eyes.

Kath peered through her own curly brown hair at Claire —the two mages looked so much alike, some people swore they were twins—waiting expectantly for her answer.

“Yeah, I guess,” she said with a shrug, and she turned away, back toward the street. She stared at the Normans still arguing and cleaning up below as her fingers played out a rhythm on the railing. The clouds she’d been holding at bay suddenly closed in, graying out the sun. The air temperature dropped drastically, and rain began to fall. The humans below cursed some more, making Claire feel a little better. But something bothered her inside.

“What do you mean,
you guess
?” Kath demanded. Claire didn’t have to look to know her roommate stood with her hands on her hips and one leg jutted out. “We
have
to. It’s part of our Daemoni duty.”

“Isn’t that kind of ironic?” Claire asked as she turned back to her roommates. “We’re Daemoni. We’re supposed to be able to do whatever we want to. But we’re always doing what
they
demand.”

Kath’s brows pushed together, and she squinted her eyes. “But ... don’t you
want
to do all of this?”

“It’s so much fun!” Inga agreed, clapping her hands together.

Claire blinked at them, not knowing how to answer. She’d been having this debate with herself for months now. On the one hand, she did enjoy her “job” of leading Normans to the vamps so they could be turned, or simply be dinner. She had fun with Random Acts of Evil antics and other ways the Daemoni asked her to use her magic to ruin human lives or, better yet, those of the Amadis. So she did kind of do what she wanted. But on the other hand, that made her a perfect little sheep, following orders, doing exactly as the higher-ups commanded. She was tired of doing everything everyone else wanted. What kind of Daemoni did that make her?

She tried to explain this conundrum to her roommates.

As she’d feared, Kath laughed. “There you go again, overanalyzing everything. You are so daft.”

“Mental,” Inga agreed, but then her head tilted as she studied her roommate for a few seconds. “Unless you’re talking about those horrible women you call mother and grandmother. And that dickhead Barry.”

“You mean Dingle-Barry?” Kath said with a laugh.

Claire snorted at their favorite nickname for the warlock her mother and grandmother insisted she marry when the time came. His douche-bagginess out-douched every Daemoni warlock they knew. And that was saying a lot. Claire couldn’t imagine being with him for one night, let alone life, which stretched out longer than normal for them. She’d grown tired of her mother’s comments about him being perfect for her because he was far from it.

“Yeah, they’re definitely not a barrel of laughs,” Kath said. “But don’t worry. We’ll make sure you have to have nothing to do with them tonight. We’ll keep you far away from them.”

“There you go,” Inga said conclusively, glad to have found a solution. “You won’t have to deal with them. We promise. So you’re good, right?”

Claire didn’t answer. Her mother and grandmother weren’t the only ones who tried to control her life, and for once she wanted
full
control. But her roommates obviously weren’t getting it.

“Of course she is,” Kath said. “They’re the only problem. Because, come on, we have it made. In the end, we always get to do what we want.”

“Always?” Claire countered. “You just said yourself that anti-Christmas is a
duty
.”

“So sometimes we have to follow commands,” Kath said, throwing her hands up. “So what? It’s fun stuff. That’s all that matters, right?”

Claire pressed her lips together, and blew a huff through her nose. But as always, she acquiesced in the end and nodded. “Yes, of course. I was just being stupid.”

“So you’re coming tonight?” Kath asked, her excitement renewed.

“Of course,” Claire answered with the best smile she could offer.

She went into her room to dress, and the heavy, cold rain pounded against her window. As she pulled on her knee-high, black leather boots over her tight, black jeans, she imagined herself by a lake at night, snow falling around her. She knew exactly where the lake was—far up north where she’d found escape after fighting some Amadis last winter—and the thought of flashing there right this very minute made her stomach tingle with giddiness.
The freedom
, she thought and wished for,
to do something for myself just once
.

She’d be violating direct orders, though, and the potential consequences frightened her. What would the Daemoni leaders do if she didn’t show up tonight? If she didn’t participate in the “family” tradition? Would they punish her for doing exactly what they preached—taking control of her own life and doing whatever the hell she wanted? Times were changing, of course, so they might. She chewed on her lip until a banging on her door made her jump.

“Claire, let’s go!” Kath yelled through the door.

The warlock gathered her black leather trench coat and pulled it on as she followed her roommates out of the apartment. Not wanting to draw attention to themselves quite yet, they walked through the city with umbrellas, although they could have easily manifested bubbles around themselves to stay dry. By the time they reached the city park, a small crowd of other Daemoni had gathered in the dark cover of the trees. Vampires, were-creatures, and other mages milled around, waiting for the leaders to announce what kind of mayhem they would cause tonight.

When the leaders arrived, the Daemoni pushed tighter together, encircling them. Claire stayed back, on the outer edge of the group even as Inga and Kath moved in closer. As she listened to the coven, nest, and pack leaders share their wicked plans that would destroy Norman property and even some lives, the image of the lake once again popped into Claire’s head. Did she dare? Would anyone notice?

She took two steps back, away from the group. Not a single eye seemed to have tracked her. Two more steps brought her into her own space, an obvious distance from the rest of the crowd. Still, no one seemed to notice.

Again she thought about how she’d always followed orders, performed exactly as expected, and did everything she was told to do. Once more, she considered how her perfect service to everyone else felt like it made her less ... bad. How could she terrorize others when she was too terrified herself? Too scared to break the rules, although they weren’t supposed to even have rules. That was the whole point of being Daemoni!

“It’s time to enjoy my so-called freedom,” she muttered to herself. “Time to take what I’ve always been promised.”

And without further thought, she envisioned the lake and flashed away.