Susan Mallery's Fool's Gold Cookbook: A Love Story Told Through 150 Recipes (Fool's Gold #12.1)

For scones:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick cooking pad. Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add apple chunks and a palmful of cinnamon sugar; cook 3 minutes, until lightly browned and softened, stirring often.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer on low speed, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add diced butter, cream and egg. Mix on low speed just until batter comes together. Do not overmix. Remove from mixer; gently fold in apple chunks.

3. Scrape batter onto a lightly floured countertop. Form dough into a 6-inch round. Cut into 4 large wedges and transfer to prepared baking sheet at least 2 inches apart. Sprinkle wedges with additional sugar. Bake 27 to 30 minutes, until golden and just firm. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

For glaze:

1. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in brown sugar. Bring to a simmer; simmer 2 minutes, until deep brown but not scorched, swirling mixture in pan as it cooks. Stir in milk (mixture will boil vigorously). Remove from heat; let cool at least 20 minutes. Whisk in powdered sugar until glaze forms. Drizzle over cooled scones.

TIP: Mix the batter only until combined—overmixing makes for heavy scones.

CHAPTER 8

Greg grabbed Ana Raquel by the hand and led her out of the trailer. They both turned and saw that a large SUV had backed into the front corner of the trailer. The outside was ripped and cracked, but more upsetting was the big buckle in the frame.

Ana Raquel pulled free of his hold and moved toward the damage. A man in his thirties jumped out of the SUV and hurried over.

“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice thick with anguish. “I have allergies. I sneezed and my foot slipped and I hit the gas instead of the brake. Are you okay?” He barely stopped speaking for Ana Raquel’s nod. “I have insurance. I’m going to call my agent right now.”

He pulled out a card from his wallet and started to dial on his cell.

The rational side of her brain knew that the trailer could be fixed. That while the frame damage meant more time in the shop, nothing was irreparable. But her heart whimpered about another truth. That by the time the repairs were done, the street food season would be over. Instead of ending things with a fun weeklong party of different dishes, as she’d planned, she would be forced to simply call it a season.

A crowd began to gather. This was Fool’s Gold and everyone’s business was fair game. There was also plenty of concern as people she knew hurried forward to make sure she was okay.

“We weren’t hurt,” Greg said, moving close and lightly putting his hand on her shoulder. “We were in the trailer when it happened. It rocked some, but we’re fine.”

Ana Raquel nodded because she was afraid that if she started to speak, she would begin to cry. She told herself that one great summer was enough. That she would have the trailer back for next year.

Greg shifted his hand so he had his arm around her. When the tourist who had backed into her started giving her his insurance info, Greg was the one who wrote it down. When the tow truck showed up, he helped her make sure all the propane lines were turned off and together they packed up the perishables. Less than an hour later, Ana Raquel watched as her dream was towed away.

Her little red truck, the one she used to pull her trailer, looked naked there on the street. There was a flyer for her business on a nearby pole. As she watched, a gust of wind caught it and tugged the paper free of its anchor. The sheet disappeared up into the sky.

“What on earth happened?”

“Are you okay?”

The familiar voices had her turning. Her two sisters, Dellina and Fayrene, hurried up to her. They reached for her and hugged her close.

“Are you hurt?” Dellina asked.

“Tourists are idiots,” Fayrene muttered.

She let their care and concern wash over her. Tomorrow she would be rational about what had happened. Today she was going to wallow.

She sniffed, then stepped back. “How did you know what happened?”

“Greg called me,” Dellina said. “I called Fayrene.”

Greg had taken charge, but in a good way, she thought. She turned to thank him, but he’d disappeared into the crowd, leaving her in the capable arms of her family.

Move Directly to Chapter 9

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Casseroles and Soups

Roasted Tomato Soup with Cheddar Crostini

Chilly Day White Bean, Kale and Sausage Soup

Baked Potato Leek Soup

Coconut Acorn Squash Bisque

Black Bean Soup with Lime Cream

Homemade Chunky Vegetable Soup

Day-After Turkey and Wild Rice Chowder

Denise’s Many-Layered Tamale Pie

Rich Red-Wine Beef Stew

Dinner Party Scalloped Potatoes

Italian Sausage and Pepper Casserole

One-Pot Chicken Pasta with Broccoli and Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce

Sweet Potato and Spinach Gratin

Baked Ziti with Butternut Squash and Ricotta

Mushroom and Three-Cheese Lasagna

Baked Wild Mushroom Risotto

Curried Lentil and Sweet Potato Stew