Read Online Miss Julia Stirs Up Trouble: A Novel by Ann B. Ross - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Ann B. Ross
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truth be told. So, figuring that she was home by this time, I dialed the phone in her single-wide at the Hillandale trailer park.
“Etta Mae?” I said when she answered. “This is Julia Murdoch. I have a favor to ask of you.”
“Uh, Miss Julia, I really don’t think I can go back to West Virginia anytime soon.”
“West Virginia? I’m not going to West Virginia or anywhere else, for that matter. No, I’m calling about something else.” And I went on to explain what I was doing and what I hoped she could do to help me.
“Recipes? Oh, sure, I can do that,” Etta Mae said in a considerably lightened tone of voice. “And I’d love to get in the kitchen with Hazel Marie—that’d be fun. Let me think a minute. I don’t do a whole lot of cooking, but my granny taught me how to fix a few things.”
“What’s a good day for you?” I asked, my calendar at the ready. “Mildred Allen and Ida Lee are going over tomorrow, and LuAnne Conover has Monday and Wednesday. She wants to do two days, but I doubt anybody else will.”
“Oh, I can do next Friday, a week from today. I have it off because I’m working that weekend. Would that do?”
“It’ll do perfectly,” I said, putting her name on the calendar. “Now, Etta Mae, we need a main dish, although you can submit a couple of others if you want to. But the main dish has to be something simple, something you can show her how to make. And remember it’s Hazel Marie we’re dealing with.”
“Okay,” Etta Mae said. “I’ve got the perfect thing right here in my recipe book. One of the shut-ins I look after gave it to me, and I’ve been meaning to try it. Looks like it can be put together early in the day, then it just simmers for a while. I’ll read it off to you.”
Etta Mae’s Chicken Cacciatore
Flour, salt, and pepper 4 chicken breast halves (with or without bone, as preferred)
Heat 1 1 / 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 1 / 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a Dutch oven. Sauté 1 clove of minced garlic, 1 large chopped onion, and 1 large chopped bell pepper.
Add and saute the prepared chicken breasts until the chicken is golden brown.
Then add the following:
2 cups canned tomatoes with juice
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons parsley
1 large pinch each of thyme and oregano (dried is okay)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup dry red wine (Burgundy or claret)
Cover and simmer gently for at least 1 hour—longer is fine. Then add 2 cups of sliced mushrooms (preferably fresh, but drained if not) and cook 30 minutes more. Serve over rice.
Serves 4.
(Hazel Marie, even if this comes out right when Etta Mae makes it, if I were you I’d wait for Lillian to look it over before attempting it yourself.)
“That sounds delicious, Etta Mae,” I said, more than a little surprised because I’d thought her recipe would be for Hamburger Helper or sloppy joes or some other such throw-together dish. I halfway wished it had been, instead of an untried one. “Now, if you’ll make out a grocery list of all the ingredients and drop it off here, we’ll have everything at Hazel Marie’s ready to go next Friday. But be prepared, because you’ll have to show her how to sauté.”
“That’s no problem,” Etta Mae said, laughing. “I’ve been frying stuff my whole life.”
“There’s one other thing,” I said, thinking that I should put the word out wherever I could, and went on to explain what had happened to James which resulted in Hazel Marie’s dire need of help. “So, if you know anybody who could help with him or with the babies or just come in to fix breakfast and lunch, I’ll, well, I’ll dance at your wedding.”
“Shoo,” she said, laughing, “that won’t be anytime soon. I’ve been down that road too many times already.” Then, turning serious, she went on, “I wish I could come over and help, Miss Julia, but my boss is threatening mayhem if any of us even look like we want time off. But let me think about it. I know a lot of
“Etta Mae?” I said when she answered. “This is Julia Murdoch. I have a favor to ask of you.”
“Uh, Miss Julia, I really don’t think I can go back to West Virginia anytime soon.”
“West Virginia? I’m not going to West Virginia or anywhere else, for that matter. No, I’m calling about something else.” And I went on to explain what I was doing and what I hoped she could do to help me.
“Recipes? Oh, sure, I can do that,” Etta Mae said in a considerably lightened tone of voice. “And I’d love to get in the kitchen with Hazel Marie—that’d be fun. Let me think a minute. I don’t do a whole lot of cooking, but my granny taught me how to fix a few things.”
“What’s a good day for you?” I asked, my calendar at the ready. “Mildred Allen and Ida Lee are going over tomorrow, and LuAnne Conover has Monday and Wednesday. She wants to do two days, but I doubt anybody else will.”
“Oh, I can do next Friday, a week from today. I have it off because I’m working that weekend. Would that do?”
“It’ll do perfectly,” I said, putting her name on the calendar. “Now, Etta Mae, we need a main dish, although you can submit a couple of others if you want to. But the main dish has to be something simple, something you can show her how to make. And remember it’s Hazel Marie we’re dealing with.”
“Okay,” Etta Mae said. “I’ve got the perfect thing right here in my recipe book. One of the shut-ins I look after gave it to me, and I’ve been meaning to try it. Looks like it can be put together early in the day, then it just simmers for a while. I’ll read it off to you.”
Etta Mae’s Chicken Cacciatore
Flour, salt, and pepper 4 chicken breast halves (with or without bone, as preferred)
Heat 1 1 / 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 1 / 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a Dutch oven. Sauté 1 clove of minced garlic, 1 large chopped onion, and 1 large chopped bell pepper.
Add and saute the prepared chicken breasts until the chicken is golden brown.
Then add the following:
2 cups canned tomatoes with juice
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons parsley
1 large pinch each of thyme and oregano (dried is okay)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup dry red wine (Burgundy or claret)
Cover and simmer gently for at least 1 hour—longer is fine. Then add 2 cups of sliced mushrooms (preferably fresh, but drained if not) and cook 30 minutes more. Serve over rice.
Serves 4.
(Hazel Marie, even if this comes out right when Etta Mae makes it, if I were you I’d wait for Lillian to look it over before attempting it yourself.)
“That sounds delicious, Etta Mae,” I said, more than a little surprised because I’d thought her recipe would be for Hamburger Helper or sloppy joes or some other such throw-together dish. I halfway wished it had been, instead of an untried one. “Now, if you’ll make out a grocery list of all the ingredients and drop it off here, we’ll have everything at Hazel Marie’s ready to go next Friday. But be prepared, because you’ll have to show her how to sauté.”
“That’s no problem,” Etta Mae said, laughing. “I’ve been frying stuff my whole life.”
“There’s one other thing,” I said, thinking that I should put the word out wherever I could, and went on to explain what had happened to James which resulted in Hazel Marie’s dire need of help. “So, if you know anybody who could help with him or with the babies or just come in to fix breakfast and lunch, I’ll, well, I’ll dance at your wedding.”
“Shoo,” she said, laughing, “that won’t be anytime soon. I’ve been down that road too many times already.” Then, turning serious, she went on, “I wish I could come over and help, Miss Julia, but my boss is threatening mayhem if any of us even look like we want time off. But let me think about it. I know a lot of
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