The Secret Ingredient

by George Edward Stanley

  “I’ll get it!” Katie Lynn shouted.

  She grabbed the receiver, hoping it was her grandmother. “Hello?”

  “Is this the Katie Lynn Cookie Company?” a strange voice asked.

  What?

  Was this some kind of joke? “Is that you, Tina?”

  “No. This is Jason Chesterfield. I’m the owner of Chesterfield’s Restaurant. I’d like to put in an order for cookies. Is there someone there who can help me?”

  Katie Lynn had to sit down before she could answer. “Uh, well, yes, I guess that’s me.”

  Text copyright © 1999 by G. E. Stanley.

  Illustrations copyright © 1999 by Linda Dockey Graves.

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States of America by Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto.

  www.randomhouse.com/kids

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

  Stanley, George Edward.

  The Secret Ingredient / by G. E. Stanley;

  illustrated by Linda Dockey Graves.

  p. cm. — (The Katie Lynn Cookie Company; 1)

  “A Stepping Stone Book.”

  Summary: At first Katie Lynn is excited when people start buying the walnut chocolate chunk oatmeal cookies she is baking with her grandmother’s secret recipe, but then things get terribly complicated.

  eISBN: 978-0-307-81704-4

  [1. Cookies—Fiction. 2. Moneymaking projects—Fiction. 3. Grandmothers—Fiction.]

  I. Graves, Linda Dockey, ill. II. Title. III. Series: Stanley, George Edward.

  Katie Lynn Cookie Company: 1.

  PZ7.S78694Se 1999 [Fic]—dc21 98-51569

  A STEPPING STONE BOOK and colophon are trademarks of Random House, Inc.

  THE KATIE LYNN COOKIE COMPANY is a trademark of Random House, Inc.

  RANDOM HOUSE and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

  v3.1

  To Ruth, my “twin connection”—

  and to

  Gwen and Charles and James and Tambye,

  with all my love

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  1. Grandma’s Cookies

  2. The Trip to Florida

  3. I Can Do It!

  4. The Secret Ingredient

  5. Real Money

  6. Time Out!

  7. Grandma’s Big Surprise

  About the Author

  About the Illustrator

  Grandma’s Cookies

  “I am so hungry,” Tina said. “Do you have anything to eat in your house?”

  Katie Lynn chuckled. “Are you serious? You know what an awful cook my mom is. My dad always throws away the leftovers when she’s not looking.”

  “But I’m starving to death, Katie Lynn! I forgot to eat breakfast this morning.” Tina paused. “Is there anything your mom didn’t cook?”

  “Well, maybe we can find something.” Katie Lynn stopped the porch swing with her bare feet. “Come on. Let’s go look.”

  Katie Lynn led the way to the pantry.

  “Wow! I’ve never seen so many cans of soup before!” Tina cried. “Who eats them all?”

  “My dad. After my mom goes to bed.”

  “Hey! Wait a sec! There’s a bag of cookies up there—on the top shelf.”

  Katie Lynn looked up. “I think we’ve had those since Christmas.”

  “Who cares,” Tina said, climbing up onto the counter.

  Tina handed the bag of cookies to Katie Lynn. “Let’s take them up to your room.”

  When the girls got upstairs, they both went for the big beanbag. Tina won, so Katie Lynn flopped on her bed.

  Tina took a cookie out of the bag and stuffed it in her mouth. “Eww!” she said after a couple of chews. “It’s kind of dry.” She threw a cookie to Katie Lynn. “Taste one.”

  Katie Lynn ducked. The cookie hit the wall and crumbled onto the carpet. Katie Lynn picked up the pieces and threw them at Tina.

  “War!” Tina shouted, jumping to her feet. She started hurling cookies, one after the other.

  “Stop it! Stop it!” Katie Lynn cried. She covered her head and started giggling.

  Finally, there were no more cookies in the bag. But there were cookie pieces all over the room.

  Katie Lynn looked around. “What a mess!”

  “Those cookies were awful,” said Tina. “Now I have a bad taste in my mouth. And I’m still hungry.” Tina’s stomach made a gurgling sound.

  Katie Lynn laughed.

  “It’s not funny,” Tina said. But soon she was laughing, too.

  Katie Lynn sighed. “I wish my grandmother was here. She makes great cookies.” Just thinking about her grandmother’s cookies made her mouth water.

  Tina rolled over and looked out the window. “I feel like we’ve been out of school for a hundred years. It’s so boring around here. There’s nothing to do.”

  “If Jonathan Wilbarger were here, we could go to his house,” Katie Lynn said. “But he’s on vacation. He won’t be back for a week.”

  “We’ll be gone for a week, too,” Tina said. “My dad said we’re going to the lake again this summer. Are you going anywhere?”

  Katie Lynn thought for a minute. “Florida. To see my grandma. I’ll get a vacation and some of my grandma’s cookies, too!”

  Her parents hadn’t actually told her they were going to Florida that summer. But Katie Lynn was sure they would like the idea. Her mother was always saying, “I wish your grandmother could see you now!”

  “In fact, I’m going to get a head start on packing,” Katie Lynn said. She stood up. “If you want, you can stay and help.”

  The Trip to Florida

  “I wish we were going to Florida, too,” Tina said sadly. “I’m tired of that dumb old lake.”

  Katie Lynn frowned. “Really? I thought you liked it there.”

  “I do. But we go every summer,” Tina explained. “And I’ve never been to Florida before.”

  “Tina! I have a great idea! Why don’t you come with us?”

  Tina frowned. “Do you think your parents would let me?”

  “Of course they will!” Katie Lynn said. “You’re my best friend!”

  Katie Lynn started taking clothes out of her closet. “I can’t wait for you to meet my grandma. You’ll love her.”

  “I don’t know about your grandmother, but those cookies sure sound good.” Tina headed toward the door. “I better go pack, too. Call you later.”

  Katie Lynn started cleaning up cookie crumbs. When she was finished, she went downstairs. Her parents were in the living room, talking in low voices.

  “Mom, where are the suitcases?”

  Mrs. Cooke grinned. “Why do you need a suitcase, dear? Are you planning to run away?”

  “Don’t be silly, Mom. I’m packing for my trip to Grandma’s.”

  Her parents gave each other a look.

  “I don’t think we can go to Grandma’s this summer,” Mr. Cooke said. “I may be busy.”

  “That’s okay, Dad. You and Mom don’t have to go. Tina’s going with me.”

  Her father sighed. “I don’t think so, Katie Lynn. The truth is, we can’t afford it.” Mr. Cooke picked up the newspaper and pretended to read.

  Katie Lynn didn’t know what to say.

  Suddenly, a great idea popped into her head. She ran back upstairs, grabbed her piggy bank, and shook all of the money onto her bed. She counted her change twice. Seventy-five cents!

  Well, that certainly wasn’t going to buy a plane ticket to Florida.

  She threw herself across
her bed. How could she make enough money to go to Florida? There just had to be a way.

  Katie Lynn snuggled up against her stuffed animals. She thought and thought. But nothing came to her.

  It didn’t look like she was going to Grandma’s, after all. How was she going to break it to Tina?

  “Katie Lynn?”

  Mr. Cooke was standing in her doorway. He looked excited about something. “Your mother and I have a surprise for you.”

  “You do?” Katie Lynn cried. She scrambled to her feet. Maybe they’d changed their minds about the trip!

  Before he could answer, Mr. Cooke scrunched up his nose. “What’s that smell?” he asked.

  Katie Lynn sniffed. “Dad, I think it’s … smoke!”

  I Can Do It!

  “It’s coming from the kitchen!” Katie Lynn shouted as they raced downstairs.

  “Oh, no! Not again!” her father cried.

  They burst into the smoke-filled kitchen.

  “Kathy?” Mr. Cooke called through the haze. “Are you in there?”

  Mrs. Cooke coughed a couple of times. “Yes!” she gasped. “But I think we need to call the fire department right away!”

  As she dialed 911, Katie Lynn heard sirens approaching.

  Somebody started banging on the front door.

  Katie Lynn ran to answer it.

  “I saw smoke coming out your kitchen window!” explained Mrs. Merchison. “I knew your mother was trying to cook again, so I called the fire department.”

  Suddenly, two firefighters dashed through the front door.

  “The fire’s in the—” Katie Lynn began.

  “We remember where to go,” one of the firefighters interrupted her. “Same as last week, right?”

  “Oh, if only your poor mother would let me teach her how to cook,” Mrs. Merchison said.

  Katie Lynn tried not to laugh. Mrs. Merchison’s cooking was even worse than her mother’s.

  “Just a little smoke damage,” one of the firefighters said as he came out of the kitchen. “Everything is fine.”

  “Tell your mother to call me anytime,” Mrs. Merchison said. “I’ll come over with all of my cookbooks.”

  “I’ll tell her, Mrs. Merchison,” Katie Lynn promised. “Thank you!”

  The firefighter gave Mrs. Merchison a funny look. “Didn’t we put out a fire in your kitchen yesterday?”

  Mrs. Merchison blushed and scurried out the door. Laughing, the firefighters followed close behind.

  Katie Lynn started to close the front door, but the smell was so bad she left it open.

  Just then, she saw her mother going upstairs.

  “Are you all right, Mom?” Katie Lynn asked.

  “Of course I am, dear. But I wanted to surprise you with some cookies—just like your grandmother’s. I wanted to make up for the trip to Florida. I’m so sorry I burned them.”

  “Oh, that’s okay, Mom,” Katie Lynn said. “You don’t have to bake anything for me. Really.”

  Just then, the telephone rang.

  “If it’s for me, I can’t talk right now,” Mrs. Cooke said. “I need to take a shower to get rid of this smoky smell.”

  Katie Lynn ran to answer it. “Cooke residence.”

  “Katie Lynn! It’s so good to hear your voice! I miss you so much!”

  “Grandma! I’ve been thinking about you and your cookies all day! I wish I had some of them right now.” Katie Lynn glanced around and lowered her voice to a whisper. “Mom just tried to bake some, but it didn’t work out.”

  “Katie Lynn, if you want cookies, you should bake some yourself.”

  “Me? Are you serious, Grandma?”

  “You’ve seen me do it a million times, dear. Weren’t you paying attention?”

  “Well, yes, but …”

  “Then I’m sure you can do it. Your mother has all of my recipes in her recipe box. You know, the gray metal thing covered with dust?”

  “I guess I could try, Grandma.”

  “That’s my girl. Just do yourself a favor—keep your mother out of the kitchen!”

  “Don’t worry. I will.”

  “Speaking of your mother, is she there?”

  “She can’t talk now, Grandma.”

  “Then just tell her I called and I’ll talk to her later.”

  After Katie Lynn hung up, she punched in Tina’s number.

  “I can’t go to Florida,” she explained. “Don’t tell anyone, but my parents said we can’t afford it this summer.”

  “That’s okay. Don’t worry about it. Maybe we’ll get to go next summer.”

  “Maybe,” said Katie Lynn. “The good news is, I just talked to Grandma. She said I should try to bake some of her cookies myself. So I think I’ll try today.”

  “Can I help?”

  “Sure. My mom has all of her recipes. I’m going to bake my favorite kind first. Oatmeal Walnut Chocolate Chunk.”

  “Oh, wait a minute,” Tina said. “I can’t right now. I have to baby-sit my little brother all afternoon. How about tomorrow?”

  Katie Lynn thought for a moment. “I have an idea. You can sleep over. Then we can get started first thing in the morning.”

  The Secret Ingredient

  “Rise and shine!” Katie Lynn sang.

  Tina opened her eyes and groaned.

  Katie Lynn peered at her watch. “It’s four o’clock.”

  Tina yawned. “I can’t believe we slept so late.” She rolled over in her sleeping bag.

  “It’s four o’clock in the morning,” Katie Lynn replied.

  “What?” Tina cried. “Why did you wake me up so early?”

  “Real bakers start at dawn,” Katie Lynn said. “Besides, I want to surprise my mom and dad at breakfast.”

  “Cookies for breakfast?” Tina said. “Hmm. That actually sounds pretty good.”

  The girls made a beeline for the kitchen.

  “First things first,” said Katie Lynn. She read the ingredients for the Oatmeal Walnut Chocolate Chunk Cookie recipe out loud.

  ¾ cup vegetable shortening

  1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

  ½ cup granulated sugar

  1 egg

  ¼ cup water

  1 teaspoon vanilla

  3 cups uncooked oats

  1 cup all-purpose flour

  1 teaspoon salt

  ½ teaspoon baking soda

  1 cup walnuts

  1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks

  Tina took an egg out of the refrigerator and dropped it on the floor. Katie Lynn could tell that her friend was still half asleep. She searched the pantry for the rest of the ingredients.

  “Believe it or not, we have everything,” Katie Lynn said finally. “Grandma must have bought this stuff the last time she was here.”

  At that moment, Mrs. Cooke came into the kitchen. “What are you two doing down here so early?” she asked as she turned on the coffeemaker.

  “We’re baking some of Grandma’s cookies,” Katie Lynn explained.

  Tina giggled. “Cookies for breakfast.”

  “Why are you up so early, Mom?”

  “Your father and I couldn’t sleep,” Mrs. Cooke replied. “So I came down to make some coffee. I might as well stay and help you bake your cookies.”

  “No, really, Mrs. Cooke! You don’t have to do that!” Tina turned to Katie Lynn. “We want to do it all by ourselves, don’t we?”

  Katie Lynn nodded. “It’s very important that young people learn to be independent, Mom. We … uh … learned that in school last year.”

  “Well, okay. If you’re sure you don’t need my help. But don’t forget the secret ingredient,” Mrs. Cooke added.

  Katie Lynn frowned. “Secret ingredient?” It sure wasn’t written on the recipe card. She had no idea what her mother was talking about.

  Mrs. Cooke opened the refrigerator. “I think it was something unusual. Something you wouldn’t expect.” She took out a bottle of ketchup and set it on the counter next to the ingredients. “T
ry this.”

  “I really don’t think Grandma would put ketchup in her cookies, Mom.” Katie Lynn put the bottle of ketchup back in the refrigerator.

  “Well, you have to use the secret ingredient,” her mother said. “It’s what makes your grandmother’s cookies so special. Call Grandma if you don’t believe me.”

  Katie Lynn picked up the phone and punched in the numbers she knew by heart. Her spirit sank when the machine came on.

  “Hi, Grandma, it’s me. When you get this message, call me immediately. Mom says we’re nowhere without the secret ingredient. I wish you were here!”

  Katie Lynn hung up and turned to Tina. “Let’s get started. Maybe she’ll call back before we bake.”

  Shaking her head, Mrs. Cooke poured two cups of coffee and left the kitchen.

  Katie Lynn rolled her eyes. “That was a close call.” She finished reading the instructions, then turned on the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Tina got out the measuring cups, the measuring spoons, a mixing bowl, and a cookie sheet.

  One by one, Katie Lynn measured out the shortening, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, water, and vanilla into the mixing bowl.

  Tina beat everything together with a wire whisk until it was creamy.

  Katie Lynn mixed in the oats, flour, salt, and baking soda.

  Tina picked up the cup of walnuts, then put it back down. “Sorry, but I just don’t like nuts.”

  “Then let’s leave them out,” Katie Lynn said. “All that really matters is the chocolate.”

  Suddenly, Mrs. Cooke appeared in the doorway. “I remember the secret ingredient!” She threw open the refrigerator door. “It’s pickle juice! I’m sure of it!”

  Katie Lynn grabbed Tina’s hand and squeezed hard.

  Mrs. Cooke took a jar of pickles out of the refrigerator and set it on the counter. “It’s a good thing I still have these from last summer.” She poured two more cups of coffee and left the kitchen.

  Katie Lynn put the jar of pickles back in the refrigerator. “Mom gets a little funny after too much coffee,” she explained. “The secret ingredient is definitely not pickle juice.”

  Tina took a look for herself. “There’s nothing else in here except a jar of mayonnaise. Do you think that’s the secret ingredient?” Tina asked.