Hannah was silent. She wasn’t quite ready to cave in yet.
“Your mother said to tell you that she knows you’re busy at The Cookie Jar and you have to be in New York for the dessert competition very soon. She’s absolutely certain that everything will be ready so that you can get married, have a reception at the Lake Eden Inn, and leave for New York the next morning.”
“Mother can pull off a big wedding in less than three weeks?”
“Yes. And you don’t have to do any wedding planning. Your sisters and Delores are completely prepared to arrange everything.”
Again, Hannah was silent. She didn’t like the idea of turning everything over to her mother and sisters, but it seemed like the only reasonable option since she’d made such a mess of it on her own.
“Delores said to tell you that there are only two things you have to do,” Grandma Knudson spoke again. “The first thing is to choose your wedding dress. Your mother has already consulted with Claire at Beau Monde, and Claire has ordered more than a half-dozen gowns for your approval. When they come in, Claire will let you know so that you can run next door to try them on. All you have to do is choose the one you want to wear and Claire will do any alterations you might need.”
Hannah gave a slight smile. At least they were letting her choose her own wedding gown! And it was true that she didn’t have time to organize a big wedding. The nightmare of trying to arrange Delores’s wedding was still fresh in her mind. There was no way she wanted to get involved in a morass like that again, but she was the bride and it was a bit disconcerting not to be involved in any of the planning. “What’s the second thing they want me to do?” she asked.
“Show up at the church on time.”
Hannah’s sarcastic nature kicked in, and the question popped out of her mouth before she could exercise restraint. “Do they want me to show up with or without Ross?”
Grandma Knudson burst into laughter. “With Ross. Not even your mother could accomplish a wedding without a groom.” The older woman reached out to take Hannah’s hand. “Are you all right with this plan, Hannah? If you’re not, we can try to come up with something else that’ll work.”
Grandma Knudson was waiting for an answer and Hannah took a deep breath. “Yes, I’m all right with it as long as Ross and I can get married before the Food Channel competition. Do you think that’s possible?”
“Your mother assured me that it was.”
Hannah gave a reluctant nod. “All right then. I’ll do it, if you’ll do something for me.”
“What’s that?”
“I’d like a second piece of your lemon pie, and I’d also like to have the recipe. It’s the best non-meringue lemon pie I’ve ever tasted!”
EASY LEMON PIE
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
Note from Grandma Knudson: I got this recipe from my friend, Lois Brown, who lives in Phoenix, AZ. She has a lemon tree in her backyard so she always has lemons to make this pie.
Hannah’s 1st Note: You can make this recipe in a food processor or a blender. We use a food processor down at The Cookie Jar.
1 frozen 9-inch piecrust (or one you’ve made yourself)
1 whole medium-size lemon
? cup butter (1 stick, 4 ounces, ? pound)
1 cup white (granulated) sugar
4 large eggs
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Sweetened whipped cream to put on top of your pie before serving
If you used a frozen pie crust, take it out of the package and set it on a cookie sheet with sides while you make the filling for the pie.
If you made your own piecrust, roll it out, put it in a 9-inch pie pan, cut it to fit the pie pan, and crimp the edges so it looks nice. Then set it on a cookie sheet with sides to wait for its filling.
Cut the tough ends off your lemon. Cut it in half and then cut each half into 4 slices. (The slices should be round, like wagon wheels.)
Cut the other half-lemon into 4 similar slices to make 8 slices in all.
Examine the slices and pick out any seeds. Throw the seeds away.
Place all 8 seedless slices in a blender (or a food processor).
Turn on the blender or food processor and process the lemon slices until they are mush. (This is not a regular cooking term, but I bet you know what I mean!)
Melt the half-cup of butter in the microwave or on the stovetop. (If you’d rather do it in the microwave, this should take about 50 seconds on HIGH.)
Pour the melted butter over the lemon mush in the blender.
Add the cup of white sugar.
Crack open the 4 eggs and add them one by one.
Turn on the blender or food processor and blend everything until it is a homogenous mush. (Another nonregulation cooking term.)
Pour the lemon mixture into the crust.
Bake your Easy Lemon Pie at 350 degrees F. for 40 minutes or until the mixture turns solid and the top is brown.