Sounds of Murder
Page 20
“Let’s eat,” said Rocky. As he led her into the dining room, she realized his threat had been a ruse. He’d prepared all her favorite dishes and the dining room table was gleaming with candles.
“You devil,” she pouted, “You tricked me.”
“How does it feel?” he said, smiling
She breathed in the heavenly aroma and proceeded to nibble on his ear. “It feels wonderful,” she whispered.
“Maybe an appetizer in the bedroom?”
“Sounds good.”
“No,” he said, putting his finger over her lips, “Absolutely no talk about sound tonight. And no talk about murder.” With that, he scooped her up in his arms and they disappeared into the bedroom.
Rocky’s Recipes
Comfort Cocoa
2 TB. Sugar
4 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 C. milk
¼ tsp. vanilla
½ C. skim milk (for topping)
Rocky mixes the sugar and cocoa powder with a bit of the milk and the vanilla, forming a paste in a saucepan. Then he slowly adds the rest of the milk and heats it on the stove until almost (but not quite) boiling. After putting the finished cocoa in the serving cup, he prepares a foam topping of ½ cup skim milk (which works best for foam) in a small saucepan. He heats the milk while foaming it with a handheld latte foamer until the milk is light and frothy. He tops the finished cup of cocoa with the foam and a sprinkling of shaved chocolate or cinnamon.
Sergeant’s Stew
1 lb. beef stew meat
1 onion
1 clove garlic
1 potato
1 carrot
1 celery stalk
1 small can of peas
1 medium can of diced tomatoes
1 cup of red wine
1 16-oz container of chicken stock
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
2 TB.steak sauce
2 TB olive oil
Rocky sautés the stew meat in a TB of olive oil in a large frying pan until browned on all sides. Then he adds the red wine and simmers for 20 minutes. While waiting, Rocky next chops the onion and garlic clove and sautés them together in a TB of olive oil in a separate pan over medium heat until soft and brown. Then, he peels the potato and carrot. He chops the potato, carrot, and celery stalk into small chunks. Finally, he places all remaining ingredients in a large stew pot, and adds water if necessary to cover the raw vegetables. He lets the stew simmer on the stove for three or four hours, stirring occasionally.
Italian Sausage Soup
1 lb. Italian sausage
1 onion
1 clove garlic
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 cup white wine
1 16-oz. container chicken stock
1 large potato
1 cup fresh spinach
fresh grated parmesan cheese
Rocky first removes the sausage from the casings and sautés it in a frying pan. He chops the onion and garlic finely and sautés them in a separate pan until golden brown. He peels and chops the potato into small chunks. Eventually, he puts all ingredients except the cheese into a large pot and lets them simmer on the stovetop for several hours. He sprinkles the cheese over each bowl just before serving.
Patricia Rockwell has spent most of her life teaching. From small liberal arts colleges to large regional research universities—and even a brief stint in a high school, her background in education is extensive. She was on the faculty at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette for thirteen years, retiring in 2007. Her publications are extensive, with over 20 peer-reviewed articles in scholarly journals, several textbooks, and a research book on sarcasm, published by Edwin Mellen Press. In addition to publications, she served for eight years as Editor of the Louisiana Communication Journal. Dr. Rockwell is presently living in Aurora, Illinois, with her husband Milt, also a retired educator. The couple has two adult children, Alex and Cecilia. She maintains two blogs: Communication Exchange (http://communicationexchange.blogspot.com) and Subjective Soup (http://subjectivesoup.blogspot.com).
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25