Chapter Five
“My mom used to make cream puffs.” Lisa looked sympathetic after Hannah had told her about the book launch party.
“Do you have her recipe?”
“It’s probably in one of her recipe boxes. I’ll look tonight, I promise.”
“And I’ll look for that photo of those cheeseburger cookies,” Hannah exchanged promises, “right after I make dinner for Mike.”
“You’re fixing dinner for Mike?” Andrea, who was sitting at the counter talking to them both, looked confused. “I thought he was pulling a double.”
“He is,” Hannah told her. “He called me a couple of minutes ago and said he’d only have forty-five minutes once he got to my place.”
“That’s not much time for dinner,” Lisa commented.
“What are you making?” Andrea asked, and Hannah noticed that she looked a bit worried.
“Something quick and easy. And something substantial with plenty of calories. Whatever it is, it’s got to carry him through another eight-hour shift.”
“Substantial? Calories?” The worried expression on Andrea’s face intensified. “And you’re going to eat dinner with him?”
“Of course. But stop looking so worried. I’m having a diet meal. I promise I won’t even touch anything that’s left on his plate when he leaves.”
“That’s good!” Andrea gave her an approving nod. “Did he tell you why he’s pulling a double?”
“No. I just assumed that somebody was out sick.”
“Not exactly. Bill called me earlier and told me all about it. Rick Murphy’s taking compassionate leave, and everybody’s taking turns filling in for him.”
“What’s wrong?”
“His wife’s in the hospital. She went into labor last night, and she almost lost the baby. Doc Knight’s got her on strict bed rest.”
Lisa sighed deeply. “I hope they weren’t fighting about Ronni Ward.”
“You heard about that,” Hannah commented. She wasn’t surprised, but if the news had reached The Cookie Jar, people were definitely talking. No wonder Bridget had been so angry with Ronni at Bertanelli’s!
“Of course I heard. All I have to do is walk around with the coffee carafe and I hear everything that’s happening in Lake Eden. I heard all about Bridget confronting Ronni only ten minutes after it happened.”
“How?” Hannah was curious.
“A couple of Jordan High seniors were talking about it. The girls were here, and one of the boyfriends was texting his girlfriend on her cell phone.”
Hannah winced. She wasn’t sure which offended her more, the fact that all the Jordan High kids were sending text messages with improper spelling and no punctuation, or the fact that texting was fast becoming accepted as a word.
“I heard her telling her friends about Mrs. Murphy and Ronni,” Lisa went on. “There was something about a food fight and how they’d better not go out there for pizza for a while, but I’d been standing there for too long and I had to move on.”
“Invisible waitress trick,” Hannah said to Andrea. “It works every time.”
The bell on the door jingled, and all three of them turned to see who’d come in. Hannah gave a little wave as she recognized the man under the hooded parka with fur that hid most of his face.
“Hi, Phil.”
“Hi, Hannah. It’s snowing again, in case you hadn’t noticed.” Phil hung his parka on the coatrack by the door, but before he could take an empty seat at the counter, she hurried over to take his arm.
“Follow me, Phil. I’ve got something special boxed up for you in the kitchen.”
Once she’d settled Phil at the stainless steel workstation and presented him with a cup of coffee and two Minty Melts, she poured coffee for herself and joined him. It would take a bit of finessing, but it was the perfect opportunity to bring up the subject of Janice’s job opportunity at Kiddie Korner.
“These are really good cookies, Hannah.” Phil wiped his mouth with the napkin. Then he picked up his second cookie and took a large bite. “They remind me of peppermint schnapps.”
“Really?” Hannah was puzzled. “But peppermint schnapps tastes like peppermint. It doesn’t taste like chocolate…” Hannah hesitated as she realized she’d never actually tasted peppermint schnapps. “It doesn’t taste like chocolate, does it?”
“No, but it should. It would be a lot better that way.”
Hannah waited until Phil had taken the last bite. Then she whisked away the napkin and slid one of her distinctive bakery boxes in front of him.
“Is that it?” he asked her.
“Yes. Take a peek and tell me what you think.”
Phil opened the box and stared down at the giant-sized cookie inside. When he looked up he was grinning from ear to ear. “That’s perfect, Hannah!”
“Lisa and I thought so. The roses around the edge were her idea, and she wrote on the words. She said that any wife who got a cookie that said I Love You in chocolate frosting from her husband couldn’t possibly be down in the dumps.”
“I really hope Lisa’s right.” Phil gave a little sigh. “I just hate to see her this way. She used to smile and laugh all the time.”
“She’ll smile and laugh again,” Hannah said, crossing her fingers for luck. “But that cookie’s not all I have up my sleeve. I think Sue needs a break from your condo and from Kevin, so I found her a job.”
“A job?!” Phil began to frown. “But she’d never agree to go back to work. Neither one of us wants Kevin to grow up with a babysitter!”
“Oh, there’s no need for a babysitter,” Hannah said, reaching out to pat Phil’s hand. “Kevin gets to go right along when Sue goes to work.”
“You’re talking about an employee nursery like some of the big companies run?”
“Not at all. I’m talking about a teacher’s aide job at Kiddie Korner. Janice Cox needs a helper, and it’s only Monday through Friday in the afternoons. Sue would work from noon to four, and Kevin would come along to play with the other kids in Janice’s class.”
Phil leaned back and blinked. “That sounds ideal for Sue. But isn’t Kevin too young for Kiddie Korner?”
“Yes, he is. Janice would never take him as a regular student, especially for all day. But she thinks it would be good for the other kids to have a toddler around in the afternoons. It would be like a play date for Kevin, but with older children.”
Phil took another sip of his coffee. “That sounds good, Hannah. I know Sue likes Janice. They talk after church practically every Sunday. I’m sure she’d like to help Janice out, and it would be something new she could do with Kevin, something that gets her out and away from the condo.”
“Exactly. Did I mention that there’s a salary?”
“Sue gets out of the house, Kevin gets new friends, and there’s a salary?”
Hannah laughed at the utterly amazed look on Phil’s face. “That’s right. I don’t know how much the salary is, but it’s something. And whatever it is, Sue can have a little money of her own.”
“Egg money.”
“Exactly. I know you earn good money, Phil. And I know you tell Sue that it’s her money, too. I’ve heard you say it. But Sue might like to have a little something of her own to spend.”
“I can understand that. I’d feel that way if Sue had the job and I stayed home with Kevin. It would be a little strange to have to ask my wife for money to buy her a birthday present.”
“That’s exactly what I mean.” Hannah gave him a big smile. “Janice told me she’ll call Sue tonight and make her a formal offer…if it’s okay with you, that is.”
“You bet it’s okay. When would Janice want Sue to start?”
“Yesterday. She’s really shorthanded all by herself. I know she’s been advertising the position, and a few people have applied, but most of them want full-time work.”
“Well, part-time is perfect for Sue.”
“That’s what I thought.”
“I’m going to do my best to talk Sue into it.” Phil got to his feet and picked up the box with Sue’s cookie. “Not that she’ll need much encouragement from me. This is just perfect for her.”
“Tell her I’ll see her down at Kiddie Korner one of these days. I promised I’d bring more cookies.”
“Okay. Thanks again, Hannah. You really ought to hang out a shingle and charge for solving problems right along with your cookies.”
MINTY MELTS
Do not preheat oven yet. Dough must chill before baking.
1? cups melted butter (3 sticks, 3/4 pound)
2? cups white (granulated) sugar
2 beaten eggs (just whip them up with a fork)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
3 drops red food coloring (or more if needed)
4 cups flour (there’s no need to sift it)
1/2 cup white sugar for later
Hannah’s Note: In the original recipe, these cookies are partially dipped in chocolate. If I don’t feel like dipping and drying all those cookies, I take a little shortcut you might want to try someday. Right before I mix the flour into the cookie dough, I add a 12-ounce (2 cups) package of miniature chocolate chips. (If they don’t have the mini-chips in your store, you can use regular and chop them up in smaller pieces with a knife or in a food processor.) Once the flour is mixed in, chill the dough and bake according to the original directions.
Another trick we use at The Cookie Jar is to make half of the batch pink and the rest green for a pretty mix of cookies on the platter.
Melt the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Add the sugar and stir. Let it cool slightly. Then add the beaten eggs, baking soda, salt, and peppermint extract, stirring after each addition.
Add the red food coloring, stir it in, and then check the color of the dough. It should be bright pink. If the color’s too pale, add another drop or two of food coloring and stir it in thoroughly.
Add flour in one-cup increments, stirring after each one. The dough will be quite stiff.
Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours. (Overnight is fine too.)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
Place the 1/2 cup of white sugar in a small bowl.
Spray two cookie sheets with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray. Or use parchment paper to line the two cookie sheets.
Roll the chilled dough into walnut-sized balls. Roll the balls in the sugar so that the whole ball is coated.
Place the dough balls on the cookie sheet, 12 to a standard-size sheet. Press the balls down just a little with a metal spatula (or the palm of your impeccably clean hand) so they won’t roll off when you carry them to the oven.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. They’ll flatten out the rest of the way all by themselves.
Let the cookies cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet, and then move them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Once the cookies are cool, transfer them to sheets of wax paper and prepare to dip them in chocolate. (If you used parchment paper, you can frost them right on that.)
CHOCOLATE DIP
2 cups chocolate chips (12 ounces)
1 stick butter (1/2 cup, 1/4 pound)
Melt the chips and the butter in a microwave-safe bowl on HIGH for 90 seconds. Stir to make sure the chips are melted. If not, heat in 20-second increments until you can stir them smooth.
Hannah’s Note: Keep this dip fairly hot so that it’s thin and it won’t glop up when you dip in the cookies. If it cools and thickens too much, just return it to the microwave for 10 seconds or so to heat it so it’s thinner.
Dip the cookies, one by one, so that one-third to one-fourth of the cookie is chocolate coated. Place the cookies back on the wax paper (or the parchment paper) faceup to dry and harden the chocolate.
When the chocolate dip is dry (approximately 1 hour), store the cookies between sheets of wax paper in a cool place.
Yield: approximately 8 dozen (depending on cookie size) pretty and tasty cookies.
These cookies can be frozen in single layers between wax paper.