Candy Cane Murder (Hannah Swensen #9.5)(23)

Hannah was about to make a sarcastic crack about the blind leading the blind when she remembered something Delores had told her. “I think you should buy her a silk wreath.”

“You mean … a Christmas wreath?”

“No, a flower wreath. Delores just bought one made from dried pink roses for her guest bath and Carrie thought it was beautiful. She said she might look for one for herself, but she wanted hers to be blue hydrangeas.”

“I’m not really big on flower names. Are hydrangeas the velvety looking blue flowers clumped together on a stalk?”

“Good description! But hydrangeas aren’t just blue. They can also be pink, depending on the pH value of the soil.”

“That’s interesting,” Norman said, and Hannah knew he was one of the few guys who would think so.

“Grandma Ingrid liked the pink ones,” Hannah went on.

“She used to take me outside to garden with her and I remember helping her dig around the hydrangea bushes so she could sprinkle in some chemical.”

“It was probably lime. She would have used aluminum sulfate or sulfur if she’d wanted the blue. Maybe I should plant some hydrangeas. They’re like nature’s litmus strips.”

“Red cabbage.”

“What?”

“Red cabbage really is nature’s litmus strip. I noticed it 78

Joanne Fluke

when I tested Minnie Holtzmeier’s recipe for Scandinavian Red Cabbage for the Lake Eden cookbook.”

“Now why doesn’t this surprise me?” Norman glanced at her, gave her a quick smile, and then quickly returned his attention to the road. He’d been in Minnesota long enough to know that it was dangerous to get distracted when you were driving in the winter. “What, exactly, did you notice?” he asked her.

“I shredded some red cabbage in the food processor and kept it in some cold tap water in the cooler until I was ready to use it. By that time it was bluish purple instead of red. Tap water is slightly alkaline, isn’t it?”

“Usually. I’m almost sure it is here in Lake Eden.”

“That’s what I thought. When I’d finished gathering the other ingredients, I drained the red cabbage. The water was fairly blue by that time. Then I added the dry red wine the recipe called for and the cabbage turned red again.”

“The red wine was acidic.” Norman gave her another quick glance. “You would have made a good scientist, Hannah.

You’re very observant.”

“And you’re not,” Hannah smiled to take the sting out of her words.

“What makes you think I’m not observant?”

“Because we just passed the last entrance to the mall and now you have to look for a place to turn around and drive back.”

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CHRISTMAS DATE COOKIES

Do not preheat oven quite yet. This dough must chill before baking.

2 cups chopped pitted dates (You can buy chopped dates, or sprinkle whole pitted dates with a quarter-cup flour and then chop them in a food processor. I couldn’t find chopped dates, and a 10-ounce by weight container of whole pitted dates ended up being exactly 2 cups when I chopped them in my food processor.) 3?4 cup boiling water

1 cup melted butter (2 sticks, 1?2 pound) 2 cups white (granulated) sugar 2 teaspoons baking soda

1?2 teaspoon salt

4 beaten eggs (just beat them up in a glass with a fork)

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (that’s a 12-ounce package)

51?2 cups flour (don’t sift—pack it down in the cup when you measure it)

1?2 cup white (granulated) sugar in a small bowl for later

Pour the boiling water over the chopped dates, give them a stir with a fork, and set them aside on the counter to cool.

Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl (I used a pint Pyrex measuring cup) for 90 seconds on HIGH. Set the melted butter on the counter to cool.

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In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the white sugar, baking soda, salt and eggs. Beat well. (If you don’t have an electric mixer, don’t worry. You can do this by hand, but it’ll take a bit of effort.) Feel the bowl with the date mixture. If you can hold it comfortably in your hands, add it now and mix thoroughly. If it’s too hot, let it cool another couple of minutes.

Once the dates are mixed in, add the chocolate chips to your bowl and mix. Then add the melted butter and mix thoroughly.

Add the flour in half-cup increments (that’ll be 11 half— cups) beating after each addition. Take the bowl from the mixer, give it a final stir by hand, cover it with plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to chill. (Overnight is fine, too.) When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F., rack in the middle position. (Yes, that’s 325 degrees F.—most of my cookies bake at 350 degrees F., but these are best if they bake slowly at a lower heat.) Roll the dough into walnut-sized balls with your hands.

This dough may be sticky, so roll only enough for the cookies you plan to bake immediately and then return the bowl to the refrigerator.

Roll the dough balls in the bowl of white sugar and place them on a greased (or sprayed with nonstick cooking ! % { # 9

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spray) cookie sheet, 12 to a standard sheet. Flatten them slightly with your hand so they won’t fall off on the way to the oven.