by Jessica Beck
“You’re going to actually accept it?” Jake asked, clearly surprised by my decision about getting a new Jeep.
“Why not? I’m not thinking of it as their money. The way I look at it, Jasper is thanking me for finding his killer, and I can live with that.”
“I’ll let them know,” he said. “Listen, we only have a minute before a crowd rushes in here and takes you away from me.”
“Are they going to operate? How bad is it?” I asked. There wasn’t a great deal of dread in the question. I was at the point where no matter what my fate might be from that moment on, I was going to accept it as best I could.
“No, you’re going to be fine. The cuts are all superficial, and I’m not saying that the bruised ribs don’t hurt, but at least none of them are broken. They’re checking you for a concussion, but that looks good, too. All in all, I’d say you were lucky this time.”
Funny, but I didn’t feel so lucky.
“Luckier than Jasper or Bethesda, at any rate,” I said. “If they aren’t taking me to surgery, then who’s coming?”
“Who’s not?” Jake asked me with a smile. “To start with, your mother and Phillip are nearly here. Grace and Chief Grant are right behind them, and the entire Blake family is coming, too. This is going to be some kind of party.”
“Well, it surely beats a wake, doesn’t it?” I asked as I winced a little again from the pain.
“Just before you woke up, the nurse told me that you could have something more for the discomfort. It might knock you out, though.”
“Let’s hold off then, at least for now,” I said.
“Listen, you don’t have to act tough for me. I know you’re strong.”
“It’s not that,” I said. “I just want to be fully aware when everybody comes in. If they give me drugs, I might miss it, and that’s something I’m not willing to do.”
“I love you, Suzanne,” Jake said as he kissed me gently again.
“I love you, too,” I answered, just as the crowd of people, each of whom I loved beyond belief, came streaming in.
I’d nearly lost everything that I held dear, so I was going to embrace this time now, no matter how much incidental pain I might feel.
My heart felt just fine—perfect, actually—and in the end, that was all that really mattered to me.
Recipes
Cranberry Delights
Just like Jasper in the book, my family loves cranberry donuts. There’s something about the combination of donuts and berries that is a real treat. The only problem is that sometimes I don’t have the time or the energy to make up a fresh batch of donuts from scratch. That’s when I turn to a muffin mix, already in a packet and almost ready to go into the fryer or the oven. If you’re a hardcore donut maker, I urge you to give these a try anyway. They are true delights to eat, as well as to share.
Ingredients
— 1 package premixed cranberry muffin mix (approx. 7 ounces)
— 3/4 cup unbleached flour
— 1 egg, beaten
— 3/4 cup buttermilk (1% or 2% milk can be substituted)
— Dried cranberries (optional, and certainly not required, but they make a nice addition to the dehydrated berries already in the mix).
Directions
Heat enough canola oil in a large container to 360 degrees F in order to fry the donuts. While waiting for the oil to reach its proper temperature, place the muffin mix in a medium-sized bowl. Then add 1/2 of the flour to the mix, the beaten egg, and the buttermilk. Stir everything together until the dry ingredients are all absorbed into the liquid, but don’t overstir the mix. If you’re adding cranberries, coat them with the remaining flour and add them now as well. If you’re not, add the flour on its own, but remember, don’t overstir.
Once the oil is heated to temperature, drop in teaspoon-sized bits of batter. Once they brown on one side, approximately two minutes, flip them over with a long chopstick or other utensil, then remove them from the oil, drain them on paper towels, and then add powdered sugar if desired. If you want to go all out, make up the simple icing listed below and coat them while they are still warm.
Makes 12 to 14 donut rounds
Cranberry Oatmeal Donuts
At my house, we love cranberries in baked goods, whether it is in donuts, bread, or muffins. Lately I’ve been using dried cranberries in place of raisins with excellent results. So I can feel good about feeding my clan donuts, I also add some oatmeal into the mix so at least it has some semblance of something healthy in it! These donuts are real comfort food to me, and I make them whenever I’ve had a particularly stressful day.
Ingredients
— 1 egg, beaten
— 1/2 cup sugar (plain granulated white is best)
— 1/2 cup milk (2% or whole milk will do, and if you’re desperate, go with 1%)
— 2 tablespoons canola, or any vegetable, oil
— 1 teaspoon vanilla
— 1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
— 1 teaspoon baking powder
— 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
— 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
— 1/4 teaspoon salt
— 2 tablespoons oatmeal (old-fashioned, not quick)
— 2 tablespoons dried cranberries
Directions
Heat enough canola oil in a large pot to 360 degrees. While you are waiting, you have plenty of time to mix the batter.
Take a large bowl and beat the egg, then add the sugar slowly until it’s incorporated. Next, add the milk, oil, and vanilla, stirring well as you go. Next, sift in the dry ingredients one at a time, but hold out the oatmeal and cranberries for last. Near the end, add them and stir only until the batter is smooth.
When the oil reaches its proper heat, scoop out a tablespoon of batter and rake it into the fryer with another spoon. If the dough doesn’t rise from the bottom soon, gently nudge it with a chopstick, being careful not to splatter the hot oil. After 2 minutes, flip the donut rounds, frying for another minute on the other side.
Makes around 8 small donut rounds.
The Cruelest Cruller Around
Just kidding! These are absolutely delightful! I’ve long been a fan of the store-bought cruller, but these are fun to make, if not as sweet as you might be used to eating. I recommend these for folks who don’t like super-sweet treats. I know there are some of you out there, even though I’ve never run across one personally!
Enjoy!
Ingredients
— 3 eggs, beaten
— 1/2 cup plain white granulated sugar
— 3 tablespoons salted butter, melted
— 1/4 cup whole milk (2% or even 1% will be fine in a pinch)
— 1 teaspoon baking soda
— 3 cups unbleached flour
— 1 teaspoon nutmeg
— 1 teaspoon cinnamon
— 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
Directions
Heat enough canola oil in a large pot to fry your donuts. I’ve found that 360 degrees is a good temperature.
While the oil is heating, take a large mixing bowl and beat the eggs together, then add the sugar and butter, incorporating it all into the mix. In a smaller bowl, put in the milk and dissolve the baking soda, then add that to the liquid as well. For the dry ingredients, sift together the flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cream of tartar. Add these sifted ingredients to the wet, stirring gently as you work.
Roll the dough out to approximately ¼-inch thickness, cut out the donut rounds, and then immediately fry the rounds as well as the holes for two minutes on one side, one on the other. Drain them on paper towels and eat with a simple sugar glaze or with powdered sugar.
Makes 8 to 10 donuts
A Simple Glaze Good For Any Donut
&
nbsp; Here’s the easiest recipe I use to make my glaze. Honestly, it couldn’t be any simpler. If it’s too runny, add more sugar. If it’s too dry, add more milk. You might end up with more glaze than you can use that way, but that’s never been a problem at my house!
Ingredients
— 1/4 cup powdered confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar also works fine)
— 1 to 2 teaspoons whole milk (2% or 1%)
— 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (use the real thing, not imitation)
Instructions
In a small bowl, add the confectioner’s sugar and the vanilla extract. Then add the milk ½ a teaspoon at a time until you have a good consistent blend and the glaze drips lazily off your spoon.
When your donuts are still hot, drizzle as much or as little glaze on top of them as you’d like, and then enjoy!
Makes enough to glaze 6 to 10 donuts, depending upon how generous you are with your glaze!
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Other Books by Jessica Beck
The Donut Mysteries
Glazed Murder
Fatally Frosted
Sinister Sprinkles
Evil Éclairs
Tragic Toppings
Killer Crullers
Drop Dead Chocolate
Powdered Peril
Illegally Iced
Deadly Donuts
Assault and Batter
Sweet Suspects
Deep Fried Homicide
Custard Crime
Lemon Larceny
Bad Bites
Old Fashioned Crooks
Dangerous Dough
Troubled Treats
Sugar Coated Sins
Criminal Crumbs
Vanilla Vices
Raspberry Revenge
Fugitive Filling
Devil’s Food Defense
Pumpkin Pleas
Floured Felonies
Mixed Malice
Tasty Trials
Baked Books
Cranberry Crimes
The Classic Diner Mysteries
A Chili Death
A Deadly Beef
A Killer Cake
A Baked Ham
A Bad Egg
A Real Pickle
A Burned Biscuit
The Ghost Cat Cozy Mysteries
Ghost Cat: Midnight Paws
Ghost Cat 2: Bid for Midnight
The Cast Iron Cooking Mysteries
Cast Iron Will
Cast Iron Conviction
Cast Iron Alibi
Cast Iron Motive
Cast Iron Suspicion
