Fruit of All Evil Read online

  I nodded.

  “Are they on their way?” Allison asked.

  “Yep. Ian called a few minutes ago. They’re almost here.”

  I’d wanted to be the one to pick them up and explain the wedding surprise, but the chauffeuring task had understandably been passed off to Ian.

  Drew and Linda had been told the details of the murder the night before. It had been rough on them both, but knowing the truth had been a relief of sorts. At first they argued with Ian about going ahead with the wedding plans, but he’d managed to talk them into being ready to be picked up. They thought they were going to meet me at the justice of the peace’s office. I hoped they were ready for the surprise when Ian brought them to Bailey’s. It was a risk—Drew’s family had been completely torn apart in the last week. But when he married Linda, he would be well on the way to a new family. He was leaving Friday, no matter what. It was time to make things better, and a wedding would surely do the trick. Right?

  “Hey, Al, thanks for saving our lives,” I said.

  “You’re welcome.” Allison smiled. “I’m glad you’re still here.”

  Ian walked through the tent opening with Drew and Linda. Though the surprised looks on the bride’s and groom’s faces needed my immediate attention, I took a moment to fully appreciate my adorable boyfriend.

  Ian, having been promoted to the position of best man since Alan was in jail, was decked out in a suit—one he must have purchased recently, because I was pretty sure I knew every piece of clothing in his closet and I’d never seen it before. The gray suit, white shirt, and blue tie wasn’t a normal ensemble for him, but it worked very well. His ponytail was smooth and perfect.

  He’d made it to the hospital in record time the day before, and hadn’t stopped attending to me until I sent him to get Linda and Drew a couple hours ago. He caught my glance and smiled. He subtly raised his fingers to his lips and blew me a kiss. I didn’t know it was possible to fall in love over and over again with the same person, but he kept busting any myth that falling in love was all done in one swoop. That morning, I’d told him that I couldn’t wait to go to Iowa with him. He told me he wouldn’t accept that answer until I said it to him while I wasn’t in a pain medication-induced state. I wouldn’t change my mind, but I got his point.

  I approached the bride and groom. “Linda, Drew, I see you’re surprised.” Linda’s eyes were tearing, and Drew put his arm around her shoulders. “I know it’s been a rough time, and this isn’t exactly what you envisioned, but we wanted you to have a real wedding, not just a trip to the justice of the peace. I hope you don’t mind.”

  They were both struggling. It might have been too much for them to process, so I slipped my good arm through Ian’s and we gave them a moment.

  “It probably isn’t appropriate, I know that,” I said. “But we thought, maybe Drew could leave on a happy note.”

  “You okay with this?” Linda finally asked Drew.

  “What about you?” Drew replied.

  “I think it’s lovely.”

  “Then I think it’s perfect. Thank you, Becca.” Drew smiled.

  At that moment, I didn’t think I’d ever admired someone more than I did Drew. He’d lost his mother, his family had betrayed him, he was about to leave on some top-secret and dangerous mission, and he still wanted Linda to be happy. Maybe he was perfect, or maybe he was just a good guy and he and Linda were as lucky to have each other as I was to have Ian.

  Though I’d been married twice, I’d never officially walked down an aisle. You know, it wasn’t so bad after all. It was simply one step after the other.

  Linda and Drew’s wedding was beautiful. We all ignored the bad things and focused on the good things and a hopeful future.

  Despite everything else—the murder, the craziness, and the injuries—when it was spring in South Carolina, and friends and family were all around, and there was a wedding to witness, it was hard not to call it a pretty good day.

  Recipes

  Mamma Maria’s Simple and Quick Mini Banana Cream Pies

  6 mini piecrusts—Mamma uses the graham

  cracker crusts, but some people claim that

  chocolate is good, too.

  1 box banana cream instant pudding

  2 cups whole or 2 percent milk (for the pudding)

  2 medium bananas, sliced

  ¼ to ½ cup toffee pieces—Mamma uses the Heath

  English toffee bits found in the grocery store by

  the chocolate chips.

  Whipped cream—Mamma likes heavy cream, but

  if you prefer the taste of nondairy whipped top-

  ping, that’s okay, too.

  Make pudding according to package directions.

  Slice bananas and place 2-3 slices in the bottom of each mini piecrust.

  When the pudding is ready, whisk a big dollop (½ to 1 cup) of whipped cream into it. Mix until combined.

  Fill the piecrusts with the pudding mixture and top the pudding with remaining banana slices.

  Place pies in the refrigerator to cool.

  Once the pies are cool, sprinkle them with toffee bits. Don’t be shy with the toffee. It adds a great crunchy flavor.

  Right before you serve the pies, top them with more whipped cream. Of course, Mamma piles it high!

  Qan’s Lavender Cookies

  ⅝ cup butter

  ½ cup white sugar

  ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

  1 large egg

  1½ cups all-purpose flour

  1 teaspoon lavender flowers, crushed with a mor-

  tar and pestle *

  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease one regular sized cookie sheet.

  Cream together the butter, sugar, and vanilla.

  Beat the egg, and blend into the butter mixture.

  Mix in the flour and the lavender flowers.

  Drop batter by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheets.

  Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until golden. Remove the cookies and cool them on racks. Makes eighteen cookies.

  *When you’re baking or cooking with lavender flowers, make sure you purchase culinary lavender. Culinary lavender is grown without herbicides or pesticides. Some lavender is better in savory dishes, some better in sweet dishes. Royal Velvet lavender works well with sweets such as cookies.

  Mamma Maria’s Peach Delight

  Given to her from Mamma Marilyn

  FILLING

  1 (21 ounce ) can peach pie filling

  1 (16 ounce) can peach slices in light syrup, well

  drained

  TOPPING

  1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

  1 cup all-purpose flour

  ½ cup quick-cooking oatmeal

  ½ cup butter, softened

  CAKE

  1 cup sugar

  1 cup butter, softened

  2 large eggs, slightly beaten

  1¼ cups light or nonfat sour cream

  1 tablespon vanilla extract

  3 cups all-purpose flour

  1 teaspoon baking powder

  1 teaspoon baking soda

  ½ teaspoon salt

  GLAZE

  1 cup confectioner’s sugar

  1-2 tablespoons skim milk

  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

  Stir together filling ingredients, then set them aside.

  Stir together all topping ingredients until crumbly; set the mixture aside.

  In a large mixer bowl, beat sugar and 1 cup butter at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until light and fluffy (1-2 minutes).

  Add eggs, sour cream, and vanilla; continue beating, scraping bowl often, until smooth (1-2 minutes).

  Add all remaining cake ingredients and continue beating, scraping bowl often, until smooth (1-2 minutes).

  Spread half of batter in greased 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Spread peach filling over batter. Drop spoonfuls of remaining batter over filling. (Do not spread it.) Sprinkle with topping.

  Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick in
serted in the center comes out clean. Cool at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in small bowl stir together glaze ingredients until smooth; drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake.

  Makes 15 servings.

  After a weekend together full of farmers’ market shopping and cooking, this recipe was given to Mamma by the amazing and wonderful Marilyn Peterson. Thanks, Marilyn!

  George’s Quiche Jeanine

  George makes quiche using only Jeanine’s farm-fresh eggs. He makes many variations, but everyone’s favorite is his version of quiche Lorraine: quiche Jeanine.

  1 9-inch pastry piecrust

  8 slices bacon

  4 large eggs, slightly beaten

  ½ cup sliced onion

  1 cup sliced mushrooms

  1½ cups light cream or half-and-half

  ¼ teaspoon salt

  1½ cups shredded Swiss cheese

  1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

  Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

  Place the pastry crust in a 9-inch pie pan and bake the crust for 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove it from oven and reduce temperature to 325 degrees F.

  In a large skillet, cook the bacon until it’s crisp. Drain it, but save 3 tablespoons of the grease. Crumble the bacon and set it aside. Sauté the onion and mushrooms in the reserved grease until the onion is tender. Drain the vegetables.

  In a large bowl, mix together the cream, salt, and eggs. Stir in the bacon, mushrooms, and onion. In a separate bowl, toss the cheese and flour together, then add to the egg mixture. Be sure to mix well. Pour the egg mixture into the piecrust.

  Bake in a preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of the quiche comes out clean. If necessary, cover the edge of the crust with foil while baking, to prevent burning or overbrowning. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

  Serve with a salad and the yummy bread of your choice!

  Becca’s Strawberry Chocolate Preserves

  This new flavor was as easy as adding the chocolate to Becca’s original strawberry preserves recipe. I’ve repeated the original recipe below, adding the chocolate changes in boldface type.

  4 pints strawberries, to yield 4 cups crushed

  berries

  7 cups sugar

  3 ounces liquid pectin

  Strawberry huller (if you don’t have a huller, you

  can use a small knife,or even a paperclip)

  1½ cups of grated bittersweet chocolate

  128-fluid-ounce canning jars

  Baking sheets

  Jar lids

  Colander

  Food processor

  Big saucepan

  Boiling water canner (some people use a pressure

  canner, but I prefer the boiling water method)

  Tongs

  Boil jars (at least 5 minutes). My dishwasher has a fancyschmancy Sterilize mode, but that feature is still rare.

  Remove the jars with tongs and place them on a cookie sheet to dry and cool.

  Prepare lids by placing them in a saucepan of gently boiling water. I never use the dishwasher for the lids.

  Prepare the strawberries by dipping them in a sink of cold water and immediately lifting them into a colander to drain.

  Hull the strawberries. Place half the strawberries at a time into a food processor and process them for 10 to 15 seconds; they should still be slightly chunky. This step becomes intuitive over time. Some people like larger chunks of fruit in their preserves, but I prefer uniform pieces that make an even “spread.” (Hint: the chunks of fruit are what make the preserves. Jams are made with totally crushed fruit and, typically, less sugar.)

  Place the strawberries into a 6- or 8-quart pot. Stir the sugar into the fruit and mix well. Bring the mixture to a full, rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly.

  Add the pectin and return the preserves to a full, rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly to prevent scorching.

  Remove the preserves from the heat and skim off and discard any foam, using a metal spoon. Stir in the chocolate.

  Cover and refrigerate the mixture overnight.

  The next day, bring the preserves to a boil again; boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

  Remove the preserves from the heat and discard any foam, using a metal spoon.

  Ladle the preserves into a liquid measuring cup and immediately fill the jars to within 1/8 inch of the top.

  Wipe the jar rims and threads with a clean, damp cloth.

  Place the lids on the jars and screw them on tightly.

  Fill the canner half full of water; then cover and heat the water to boiling.

  Using a jar lifter, place the jars filled with preserves on the rack in the canner. If necessary, add boiling water to bring the water to 1 to 2 inches above the tops of the jars. Do not pour boiling water directly on the jars. Cover the canner.

  Boil the jars for at least 5 minutes, and longer at higher altitudes. (Check the recipe on the package of pectin.)

  As soon as the processing time is up, use a jar lifter to remove the jars from canner. If liquid has boiled out of the jars during processing, do not open them to add more. Do not retighten the screw bands, even if they are noticeably loose.

  Check the seals after one hour, to make sure the lids are curving down. If the seals are not tight, refrigerate the jars and use the preserves as soon as possible.

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