by Kathi Daley
Alyson got down off the bed. “Amanda, Amanda, Amanda. How do I make you understand? I’m not going anywhere. I live here. Haven’t you been paying attention?”
“I’ve been paying attention, but that doesn’t mean I have to accept what I’m seeing. If you were me, you would act like me. Because you don’t, my only conclusion is that you’re a figment of my imagination.”
Alyson walked over to me. We were exactly the same height, so her blue eyes looked directly into mine. “What happened to you? Don’t you remember being Alyson? Don’t you remember wearing jeans and going barefoot and having fun? Don’t you remember how happy you were once you were able to shed Amanda and her zillions of dollars, private schools, and designer shoes that felt like torture every minute you wore them?”
I glanced down at the pantsuit I was wearing with matching pumps. I really was dying to kick them off and pull on some baggy sweats. Of course, Amanda didn’t own baggy sweats. “I do remember,” I said. “But that wasn’t real. Alyson wasn’t real. It was as if I took a vacation from my life, but somewhere inside I knew Amanda was always there waiting to come out when it was safe to do so.”
Alyson shrugged. “Suit yourself. If you’re going to empty that fancy car of yours that probably cost more than you paid for this house, you’d better hurry. It’s starting to rain.”
Ghost me was right. It was starting to rain. I paused for just a moment and then hurried down the stairs to get the things I’d left in my trunk. When I returned she was gone. Perhaps she’d been an illusion after all.
Recipes
Baked Fruit Pie—submitted by Nancy Farris
Peanut Butter Chess Pie—submitted by Jean Daniel
No Name Cake—submitted by Patty Liu
Lemon Tea Cookies—submitted by Vivian Shane
Baked Fruit Pie
Submitted by Nancy Farris
This is a go-to when I need to take a side dish to a party. There won't be another one like it there and there won't be a drop of it left!
1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, melted, plus 1 tbs. to coat casserole
½ cup packed light brown sugar
6 tbs. flour
8 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 20-oz. can pineapple chunks in pineapple juice, drained into a measuring cup. Reserve 6 tbs. juice.
1 20-oz. can sliced peaches, drained and cut in chunks about the size of the pineapple chunks
1 cup crushed Ritz crackers
Preheat oven to 350°. Butter a 2-qt. casserole dish and set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together the brown sugar and flour. Stir in the cheese. Add the pineapple and peach chunks and stir until combined. Pour into casserole dish.
In a small bowl, mix together the melted butter, reserved pineapple juice, and the cracker crumbs. Stir until well blended.
Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the fruit mixture.
Bake at 350° for 30–40 min. or until brown and bubbling. Let stand 5 min. before serving.
Peanut Butter Chess Pie
Submitted by Jean Daniel
This is a great pie for Easter or Sunday dinner, which is what my family uses it for.
1 unbaked pie crust
½ cup butter (1 stick), melted
½ cup creamy peanut butter
4 eggs
1½ cups sugar
2 tbs. cornmeal
1 tbs. flour
1 tbs. white vinegar
1 tbs. vanilla
Heat oven to 350°.
Stir the melted butter and the peanut butter together until smooth. Whisk in the eggs, sugar, cornmeal, flour, vinegar, and vanilla. Pour all into crust and bake for 50 min. or until browned. It will still jiggle in the middle a little. Really good with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
No Name Cake
Submitted by Patty Liu
1 pkg. yellow cake mix
1 large can pineapple, crushed
1 cup sugar
1 pkg. (6-serving size) Jell-O Instant Vanilla Pudding mix; prepare according to package directions
1 large container Cool Whip, thawed
Flaked coconut (toasted, if desired)
Prepare according to directions and bake cake in a 2 x 9 x 13-inch pan. Bring pineapple and sugar to a boil, then let cool completely. Once baked cake has cooled, poke holes in it with a fork and pour pineapple mixture over it; drain excess juice prior to pouring over cake. Spread prepared pudding over top of pineapple layer; refrigerate. Shortly before serving, spread Cool Whip over cake and sprinkle with coconut, if desired.
Serves 12 to 14
Lemon Tea Cookies
Submitted by Vivian Shane
These cookies taste like little lemon cakes. I made them for Mother’s Day brunch for many years and more recently for a “grown-up” tea party with my girlfriends.
½ cup milk
2¼ tsp. lemon juice
1¾ cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup butter
1½ cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel
Stir together milk and 2 tsp. lemon juice and set aside. Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, beat the butter until softened. Add ¾ cup sugar and beat until fluffy. Add egg and lemon peel and beat well. Add flour mixture and milk mixture, alternately beating until well mixed. Drop by rounded teaspoon onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350° oven for 12–14 min. Meanwhile, stir together ¾ cup sugar and ¼ cup lemon juice until well combined. Remove cookies from oven and immediately brush with lemon mixture. Cool and enjoy!
Books by Kathi Daley
Come for the murder, stay for the romance.
Zoe Donovan Cozy Mystery:
Halloween Hijinks
The Trouble With Turkeys
Christmas Crazy
Cupid’s Curse
Big Bunny Bump-off
Beach Blanket Barbie
Maui Madness
Derby Divas
Haunted Hamlet
Turkeys, Tuxes, and Tabbies
Christmas Cozy
Alaskan Alliance
Matrimony Meltdown
Soul Surrender
Heavenly Honeymoon
Hopscotch Homicide
Ghostly Graveyard
Santa Sleuth
Shamrock Shenanigans
Kitten Kaboodle
Costume Catastrophe
Candy Cane Caper
Holiday Hangover
Easter Escapade
Camp Carter
Trick or Treason
Reindeer Roundup
Hippity Hoppity Homicide
Zimmerman Academy The New Normal
Ashton Falls Cozy Cookbook
Tj Jensen Paradise Lake Mysteries by Henery Press:
Pumpkins in Paradise
Snowmen in Paradise
Bikinis in Paradise
Christmas in Paradise
Puppies in Paradise
Halloween in Paradise
Treasure in Paradise
Fireworks in Paradise
Beaches in Paradise – July 2018
Whales and Tails Cozy Mystery:
Romeow and Juliet
The Mad Catter
Grimm’s Furry Tail
Much Ado About Felines
Legend of Tabby Hollow
Cat of Christmas Past
A Tale of Two Tabbies
The Great Catsby
Count Catula
The Cat of Christmas Present
A Winter’s Tail
The Taming of the Tabby
Frankencat
The Cat of Christmas Future
Farewell to Felines
Writers’ Retreat Southern Seashore Mystery:
First Case
Second Look
Third Strike
Fourth Victim
Fifth Night
Sixth Cabin – May 2018
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Rescue Alaska Paranormal Mystery:
Finding Justice
Finding Answers – May 2018
A Tess and Tilly Mystery:
The Christmas Letter
The Valentine Mystery
The Mother’s Day Mishap – April 2018
Sand and Sea Hawaiian Mystery:
Murder at Dolphin Bay
Murder at Sunrise Beach
Murder at the Witching Hour
Murder at Christmas
Murder at Turtle Cove
Murder at Water’s Edge
Murder at Midnight
Seacliff High Mystery:
The Secret
The Curse
The Relic
The Conspiracy
The Grudge
The Shadow
The Haunting
Haunting by the Sea:
Homecoming by the Sea – April 2018
Road to Christmas Romance:
Road to Christmas Past
USA Today best-selling author Kathi Daley lives in beautiful Lake Tahoe with her husband Ken. When she isn’t writing, she likes spending time hiking the miles of desolate trails surrounding her home. She has authored more than seventy-five books in eight series, including Zoe Donovan Cozy Mysteries, Whales and Tails Island Mysteries, Sand and Sea Hawaiian Mysteries, Tj Jensen Paradise Lake Series, Writers’ Retreat Southern Seashore Mysteries, Rescue Alaska Paranormal Mysteries, and Seacliff High Teen Mysteries. Find out more about her books at www.kathidaley.com
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