by Ashton Lee
“How much time are you spending with your parents before you go back to your classes at the university?” Connie said. “I know Susan and Paul are really looking forward to seeing you—and not just for a random weekend. You really do owe them that much.”
“I promised them a solid two weeks so they could get to spend more time with Celice—and me for that matter. I guess they really have gotten the short end of the stick so far. So we’ll be bunking it together in Brentwood after we leave here. I fully expect to be spoiled the way you spoiled me down here in Cherico, but that might take a little doing.”
Then Connie couldn’t resist being a little nosy, catching Alex’s gaze. “By the way, a little birdie told me that you might be planning to go visit Elise and the baby up in Evansville sooner rather than later. Am I right?”
“We’re working on it,” Alex said, reassuring her with a wink. “As soon as I’m through with this semester out at the high school, as a matter of fact. We have a few dates circled.”
“And I might come down here from time to time,” Elise added. “One of the things that Maura Beth and I agreed upon a while back when we were eating our way through our pregnancies was that it’s hard to quit this little town of Cherico. It has staying power when it comes to making good friends. And The Cherry Cola Book Club is something else.”
“Douglas and I are so glad we retired here from Nashville. We’ve never regretted it for a second,” Connie said. “The important thing to remember is that Cherico is always here waiting for you anytime you miss it.”
Elise snickered. “Greater Cherico, right?”
“I’ve asked around, but nobody seems to have the vaguest notion who invented that particular term,” Connie said. “But it sure did stick, and everybody loves the implied ambition behind it—like everyone is still convinced that Cherico will amount to something one day. They can have their faults, but the truth is, sometimes the smallest towns are the greatest places to settle down.”
* * *
An hour or so after the Second Generation celebration and potluck had ended and everyone had gone their separate ways, Maura Beth and Jeremy found themselves out at the deck railing of the library, looking out over the lake. They each had a hand on Liam’s stroller, as he was “down” for the moment. It was a calm April afternoon with no hint of the unpredictable blustery weather that so often came to Cherico in the spring and frequently wreaked havoc for as long as it cared to remain. At the moment, several bass boats had ventured out on the water to try their luck but seemed to be having not a bit so far.
“Not a single fish hauled in since we’ve been here,” Jeremy was saying, shaking his head. “But they’re probably out there just for the pure relaxation of it. I know I would be.”
“My office relaxes me the same way,” Maura Beth said. “The smartest thing I ever did was to have the architect give me those big windows right there on the water. Just call it the ultimate director’s privilege. When I shut my office door, I’m in my own little universe.”
“Fess up, and I think I already know the answer to this one, but have you ever taken a nap?”
“The answer that would keep me out of trouble would be that it comes with the territory. Renette has woken me up more than once with a buzz from the front desk. She can vouch for the occasional snort and unintelligible grunt she hears at the other end when I pick up.”
They both laughed, but the conversation lapsed for a while. It was enough to savor Lake Cherico on a day like this. It was enough to stand on the deck of the vision in Maura Beth’s head that had materialized after years of struggle in a hopelessly outdated building that was an embarrassment to Cherico. In fact, the old, ex-tractor warehouse of a library on Shadow Alley had since been razed to make way for a downtown parking lot, a far better use of that small patch of real estate, which ironically had never featured any parking for patrons.
Memories of what had gone on there for so many years remained, however; particularly of that first meeting of The Cherry Cola Book Club that had begun the transformation of Cherico into a community that had finally learned how to get things done and look after one another. And one feisty young librarian had made all the difference.
Maura Beth and Jeremy turned away from the water together for a moment to smile down at their sleeping Liam.
“Second generation,” she said, almost in a whisper.
Then they returned to the lake and its placid surface, which stretched all the way to the horizon.
The Complete Cherry Cola Book Club Cookbook
With the popularity of all of the recipes that have graced the end of all of The Cherry Cola Book Club novels, we thought we’d round them up and put them in one place for interested readers. They’re all here—from tomato aspic to hot tamales to crème de menthe wedding cake to Chicken on the Sofa. Toward the end of this compilation, you’ll find a batch of new recipes for Book Club Babies. They are a tribute to the Sip ’N’ See chapter in which Periwinkle Place invites her friends in for light fare and drinks to see her precious new baby.
For the most part, all of these recipes are easy to fix and perfect to trot out anytime for entertaining on any occasion. What’s more, when Ashton Lee has traveled all over the country working with libraries and book clubs on talks and signings, he’s found that many of these dishes have been waiting for him and the patrons and members to sample. What a thoughtful readership he has!
If you have a book club that would be interested in hosting Ashton Lee, you can contact him on his Ashton Lee, Writer, page at facebook.com/ashtonlee.net to work out the details. And thanks for being a reader of The Cherry Cola Book Club series: in order, The Cherry Cola Book Club, The Reading Circle, The Wedding Circle, A Cherry Cola Christmas, Queen of the Cookbooks, and Book Club Babies.
From The Cherry Cola Book Club (Book 1)
Becca Broccoli’s Easy Peasy Chicken Spaghetti
Ingredients you will need:
1 whole chicken
1 package of thin spaghetti
1 stick of butter
1 chopped onion
½ cup chopped green pepper
1 cup chopped celery
1 large can of mushroom soup
1 can of diced pimentos
2 cups of grated cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Cook chicken in salted water until tender. Remove chicken and dice the meat. Use chicken broth to cook spaghetti until tender. Saute butter, onion, green pepper and celery until onions are translucent. Add veggies to pasta; then add large can of mushroom soup, chicken and pimentos; pour into casserole dish and sprinkle cheese over top. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until golden bubbly.
—Courtesy Mrs. Rose Williams Turner, Natchez, Mississippi
Connie McShay’s Frozen Fruit Salad
Ingredients you will need:
8 ounces cream cheese
½ cup sugar
1 cup mayo
1 cup white raisins
½ cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)
1 can fruit cocktail
Poppy seed dressing
Mix cream cheese and sugar; add mayo, raisins, nuts and fruit cocktail; pour cocktail into twelve lined muffin tins and freeze; package in large Ziploc bag. (For additional flavor, add two tablespoons of poppy seed dressing upon serving.)
—Courtesy Alice Feltus, Lucy Feltus, and Helen Byrnes Jenkins, Natchez, Mississippi
Periwinkle Lattimore’s Baked Sherry Custard
Ingredients you will need:
2 tablespoons sugar
1⅓ cups whole milk
Dash of salt
3½ teaspoons sherry
1½ teaspoons vanilla
3 egg whites
1 additional tablespoon of sugar
Combine the two tablespoons of sugar, milk, and salt in a pan; cook on simmer to low heat until sugar dissolves—approximately five minutes; remove and then add sherry and vanilla together.
In a separate bowl, combine the egg whites with the ad
ditional tablespoon of sugar; whip or beat into soft-peak stage; and add the milk mixture slowly. Use sieve to strain the entire mixture into a two-cup baking dish; place dish in a baking pan with water bath (usually halfway up the sides) and bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for about an hour. If toothpick comes out clean when inserted in middle of mixture, custard is done. Serve warm or cold.
—Courtesy Helen Louise Jenkins Kuehnle, Natchez, Mississippi
Becca Broccoli’s Cherry Cola / Lime Punch
Ingredients you will need:
1 liter any chilled cola beverage (do not use diet variety)
1 liter any chilled ginger ale beverage (do not use diet variety)
1 jar maraschino cherries
3 limes
Pour cola and ginger ale into large punch bowl and stir. Add jar of stemless maraschino cherries and one half the liquid. Cut limes in half and squeeze juice into mixture. Stir everything together and serve.
—Courtesy Lauren R. Good, Memphis, Tennessee
Periwinkle Lattimore’s Tomato Aspic with Cream Cheese
Ingredients you will need:
2 cups tomato juice (or V8 juice)
½ cup chopped onion
2 chopped celery ribs
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
¼ cup cold water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Dash of hot pepper sauce
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Boil tomato juice, onion, and celery for about twenty minutes, or until veggies are tender; drain tomato juice and set aside. Soften gelatin in ¼ cup cold water and add to tomato juice; then add lemon juice, pepper sauce, and Worcestershire sauce.
Ingredients you will need for cream cheese filling:
8 ounces cream cheese
2 tablespoons mayo
1 teaspoon grated onion
Salt and pepper to taste
Paprika (optional)
Make small balls of filling ingredients; put at the bottom of individual mold or at the bottom of a casserole dish and cut into squares. Pour tomato aspic liquid over the cheese balls; after everything has congealed, serve chilled. For additional flavor, top with dollop of mayo and sprinkle paprika over that for color.
—Courtesy Mrs. Rose Williams Turner, Natchez, Mississippi
Maura Beth Mayhew’s Chocolate, Cherry Cola Sheet Cake
Ingredients you will need for the batter:
2 cups flour
Dash of salt
2 cups sugar
1 cup any cola beverage
⅓ cup oil
1 stick butter
3 tablespoons dry cocoa
½ cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 tablespoons maraschino cherry liquid
1 jar of finely chopped maraschino cherries
2 eggs
Mix flour, salt and sugar in bowl. In separate pan, bring to a boil the cola drink, oil, butter and cocoa. Add hot liquid to the bowl and beat heavily; then add buttermilk, baking soda, vanilla, cherry liquid, cherries and eggs and continue beating. When well-mixed, pour into sheet cake pan sprayed with nonstick spray and bake for twenty-five minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Ingredients you will need for the icing:
1 stick butter
3 tablespoons cocoa
6 tablespoons whole milk
3 tablespoons maraschino cherry liquid
1 pound confectioner’s sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup finely chopped pecans
Heat the butter, cocoa, and milk until the butter has liquefied; add the remaining ingredients and beat well. Pour icing onto cake while it is hot or still warm for ease of spreading; cut when cake has cooled.
—Courtesy Marion A. Good, Oxford, Mississippi
Mr. Parker Place’s Lemon / Lime Icebox Pie
Ingredients you will need for the crust:
1 7.05-ounce box of Carr’s Ginger Lemon Creme Tea Cookies
2 tablespoons of butter or margarine
Empty box of Carr’s Ginger Lemon Crème Tea Cookies into food processor and pulse until crumb consistency is reached; or, empty box of cookies into Ziploc bag and pound/roll with rolling pin until crumb consistency is reached.
Pour crumb mixture into a 9-inch aluminum-foil pie pan; melt butter and then drizzle into crumb mixture; mold mixture into crust, adhering to pie pan; set aside.
Ingredients you will need for the filling:
1 can fat-free condensed milk
3 eggs
4 limes or 4 lemons
Note: Using limes will give the pie a tarter taste; using lemons will give it a sweeter taste.
Pour can of condensed milk into large mixing bowl. Crack three medium eggs and separate yolks from whites (if you wish to save whites for omelets, etc., do so; otherwise discard.) Put yolks into condensed milk and stir thoroughly until well-blended.
Juice four limes or four lemons (do not use reconstituted lemon or lime juice); add juice into condensed milk-egg mixture in small portions and mix in thoroughly each time until all juice has been added and blended.
Pour mixture into pie pan and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about twenty-five minutes; overbaking will make the texture of the filling mealy. Cool before cutting and serving. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Serves up to six.
—Courtesy Mr. Parker Place (Joe Sam Bedloe, Cherico, Mississippi)
And finally: Stout Fella’s Instructions for “Islanding” Ice Cream
Ingredients you will need:
1 tablespoon (fresh and hot from being cleaned in the
dishwasher, if possible; if not, blow on metal until warm)
1 gallon of previously untouched, unopened ice cream, any
flavor
Take ice cream out of freezer; put it on counter, and yell at it to hurry up and soften just a tad bit. Open the hatch or the top and begin testing the edges; start scraping on all four sides; keep going deeper until you have reached the bottom and created an “island,” or your wife comes in and screams at you to “Stop, you’ll spoil your appetite for dinner!” whichever comes first; repeat, if she goes away; and rinse (the spoon).
—Courtesy Justin Rawlings “Stout Fella” Brachle, Cherico, Mississippi
From The Reading Circle (Book 2)
Mr. Parker Place’s Egg Custard Pie
Ingredients you will need:
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 ½ cups half-and-half
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ tablespoon almond extract
1 whole nutmeg grated
1 deep-dish pie shell
1 tablespoon butter
Beat eggs well. Slowly add sugar while beating with mixer. Add half-and-half, vanilla and almond extracts, and grated nutmeg. Beat on medium speed for 1and ½ minutes; pour into pie shell (may be raw or slightly baked). Slice butter and lay super-thin slivers all over top of pie; place on cookie sheet with a deep lip. Add water under pie and bake in 350-degree Fahrenheit oven for 1 hour or until brown crust has formed over pie. Allow to cool and refrigerate. Best if made a day ahead.
—Courtesy Abigail Jenkins Healy, Natchez, Mississippi
Periwinkle Lattimore’s Easy Banana / Cranberry Bread
Ingredients you will need:
2 very ripe bananas
1 cup Stevia sweetener
1 box Chiquita Banana Bread Mix
⅓ cup water
1 egg
1 cup dried cranberries
Mash bananas well. Add Stevia, banana bread mix, water, egg, and cranberries. Spray loaf pan with cooking spray; then pour batter into pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, allow to cool, then turn out onto paper towel. May be stored in refrigerator or breadbox. Good cold or toasted with jelly.
—Courtesy Abigail Jenkins Healy, Natchez, Mississippi
Mr. Parker Place’s Clam Canapes
Ingredients you will need:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese
3 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
1 teaspoon minced green onions
Salt to taste
Dash of red pepper
Paprika (optional)
Parsley (optional)
Whip the cream cheese with a fork. Add clams and mix well; add other ingredients and whip well. Place in refrigerator in covered dish until ready to bake. Spread on plain Saltines and bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with paprika or parsley and serve.
—Courtesy Helen Byrnes Jenkins, Natchez, Mississippi
Periwinkle Lattimore’s Cashew Cheese Log
Ingredients you will need:
1 pound yellow cheese
2–3 ounces of cream cheese
