“Me too,” Hannah said. “What type of wine is it, Sally?”
“It’s a Fumé Blanc made by the Mondavi Winery. And don’t let the name put you off. It’s true that they’re known for their cheaper wines, but this one is top of the line. It has a hint of sweetness, but only a hint. And it’s as smooth as one of my Chocolate Cream Pies.”
“Chocolate Cream Pie?” Hannah was immediately interested. “I’ll be delighted to try your new wine, but please tell me more about your pie. I’ve never seen that on the menu out here.”
“That’s because it’s never been on the menu before,” Sally told her. “I’m trying it out on my customers for the first time tonight. And I knew that just mentioning it would intrigue you, Hannah. Everyone knows you love chocolate.”
“So do I,” Lynne said quickly. “Chocolate is number one on my list of favorite things.”
“Not me, can’t stand it,” Mike said, and all three women turned to look at him in shock.
“I’m joking,” he told them. “Don’t look at me like I have three ears and two heads. I love chocolate and you know it, Sally. I order your chocolate soufflé every time I come out here.”
“That’s true. And the last time you ate it I think you must have licked out the inside of the soufflé dish. It was so clean, I thought twice about putting it in the dishwasher.”
“Forget the entrée,” Hannah told her. “I’ll just pig out on dessert.”
“Not a bad idea,” Lynne echoed her sentiments.
Sally gave a little laugh. “It’s okay, girls. I’ll bring a whole Chocolate Cream Pie to your table right after you order your entrées. And I’ll join you for the chocolate fest.”
“Then you’d better bring two pies,” Mike warned her. “Four chocolate lovers and only one pie doesn’t compute.”
“Done,” Sally promised. “I hope you’ll try my new soup tonight. It was Dick’s idea and he named it Pub Soup.”
“That sounds interesting,” Hannah commented. “What’s in Pub Soup, Sally?”
“It’s a really easy recipe, just cheddar cheese, cream, garlic, and beer. But the flavors meld perfectly and it’s delicious.”
“And the beer is why it’s called Pub Soup?” Lynne guessed.
“That’s right.”
Mike looked very disappointed. “I’d love to try it, but I’m afraid I’ve got to pass. I can’t have any alcohol when I’m working.”
“Not even a quarter cup of beer? I don’t think there’s even that much in a bowl of soup, Mike.”
“Well . . . I guess that would be all right.”
“Not only that, the soup is made on the stove in a large pot. If the surface area of the soup pot is large, some of the alcohol evaporates.”
“How much?” Hannah asked. She’d often wondered about that when she used alcohol in baking.
“Twenty-two percent of the alcohol is gone in twenty minutes if the soup is heated to one hundred eighty degrees. According to the article I read, it all depends on the surface area of the pan and how long it’s cooked or baked.”
“You convinced me,” Mike said, putting on his famous grin, the grin that was so sexy, it always made Hannah feel slightly out of breath. “And I’m sure you convinced the ladies, too, especially since Lynne is staying here and I’m driving Hannah home. All Hannah has to do tonight is eat your fantastic food, drink your special wine, and get some really good, peaceful sleep.”
If only life were that simple, Hannah thought, gazing at Mike as he continued to talk to Lynne. But life isn’t simple. Life is horribly complicated, filled with sorrow and longing for what might have been. I do want Mike to find Ross and lock him up for the pain he caused me. I really do. Ross hurt me emotionally, and now I know that he could hurt me physically, too. But at the same time, I want him to love me again, to hold me in his arms and tell me how much he loves me, only me. And it just about kills me to realize that something I want so badly just isn’t going to happen ever again.
PUB SOUP
You can use a Crock-Pot or make this soup on the stove.
3 cans (10.5-ounce each) condensed cheddar cheese soup (I used Campbell’s)
1 can of domestic beer
? cup real bacon bits (make your own or buy them at the store—I used Hormel real bacon bits from the store)
8-ounce package of shredded sharp cheddar cheese 1 teaspoon jarred fresh garlic (or 1 clove, peeled and crushed)
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper (or 1 tea- spoon seasoned pepper – I used Lawry’s Seasoned Pepper)
3 Tablespoons sour cream to float on top of the soup bowls 3 Tablespoons real bacon bits to sprinkle on top of sour cream to garnish 1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley to sprinkle on the bacon bits to garnish
If you are using a slow cooker to make this soup, spray the inside of the crock with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray. If you are using a large saucepan and making the soup on the stovetop, there’s no need to spray the inside.
Open the soup cans and empty them in the crock or the saucepan.
Hannah’s 1st Note: Save one soup can to use as a measuring cup. Don’t bother to wash it out because all it contained was the same soup that’s already in your Crock-Pot or saucepan.
Open the can or bottle of beer and fill the empty soup can. Pour it into the crock or the saucepan.
Add the third-cup of bacon bits to the crock or the saucepan.
Add the shredded sharp cheddar cheese to the crock or the saucepan.
Add the teaspoon of jarred garlic.
Add the teaspoon of coarsely ground black pepper.
Stir or whisk the contents of the crock or the saucepan until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined and the cold soup is smooth.
Turn the slow cooker on LOW and walk away. Since you worked so hard, you can finish the can or bottle of beer if you like.
Heat the Pub Soup for approximately 2 hours in the Crock-Pot or until the soup is piping hot.
If you’re using a saucepan for your soup, turn the burner on MEDIUM and heat your soup, stirring every minute or so. This will keep your Pub Soup from sticking to the bottom of the saucepan. Heat until the soup is piping hot.
Once your soup is the proper temperature, stir it again to check for thickness. It should be approximately as thick as cream of mushroom soup or potato soup.
If your soup is too thick, add a little heavy cream to thin it slightly. If your soup is too thin, add a little more shredded cheddar cheese and check for thickness again once the cheese has melted and you’ve stirred the crock or the saucepan again.
Ladle the Pub Soup into soup bowls or large mugs, spoon a dollop of sour cream in the middle of the bowl, sprinkle the top of the sour cream with bacon bits, add the finely chopped parsley on top of the bacon bits, and serve.
Hannah’s 2nd Note: When I eat this delicious soup, I always stir the garnishes in before I take my first spoonful.
Sally’s Note: At the Lake Eden Inn, we always serve bowls of Pub Soup with warm French rolls and soft salted butter, or a warm baguette with soft, salted butter. When Dick serves it at the bar, he teams it up with assorted salted crackers in a napkin-lined basket.
Hannah’s 3rd Note: Be sure to tell your guests that it’s perfectly acceptable to dunk their bread in the soup if they’re so inclined.
Chapter Twelve
She was terribly off-balance and everything around her was fading into little dots of color, very like a pointillist painting. The bright noon sky was taking on a reddish glow, and her legs were shaking as she gripped the branch above her and hung on for dear life. If she fainted now, she’d crash to the ground and break into little pieces like a china doll falling from a high shelf.
“I can’t do any more,” she told him. “I don’t feel good, Ross.”
“You have to do more. You promised you’d get a bushel for me. I need them, Hannah. I have to give them to Doug so he’ll give me the money.”
“But . . . I think I’m going to faint.”