Cinnamon Roll Murder (Hannah Swensen, #15)(16)

“What do you think, Mother?” Michelle asked, noticing that Delores had finished her cookie.

“I think they’re just what I need. And I think I’ll have another. Please hand me one, will you, dear?”





“Ready?” Michelle asked, inserting the key in the lock on Hannah’s condo door, but not opening it.

“I’m ready.” Hannah stood several feet in front of the door, her legs spread out a bit for balance.

“How about Cuddles? Does she do it, too?”

“Not yet. I’m hoping she doesn’t learn it from Moishe. I don’t know if I can handle two cats at once.”

“Here goes.” Michelle opened the door and stood to the side to make room for the orange and white blur that leaped out and hurtled into Hannah’s waiting arms.

“Oof!” Hannah said quite involuntarily. “I think he’s gotten heavier.”

“You could weigh him to see. Just stand on the scale with him in your arms. And then put him down and weigh yourself.”

“Not a good idea.” Hannah walked into her living room and set her cat down in one of his favorite places. Moishe loved to sit on the back of the couch and peer through the living room window.

“Why isn’t it a good idea?”

“Because I don’t want to weigh myself. And if I want to find out how much Moishe weighs, I’ll have to do it.”

“Oh.” Michelle walked over to the arm of the couch where Cuddles, a much smaller grey tabby, was sitting. “Hi, Cuddles,” she said, giving her a scratch under the chin. “When’s Mike coming over? And shall we feed him?”

“I think we’d better. He made a point of telling me he didn’t have time to eat dinner.”

“Good. I’m hungry, too.”

“But you had a cinnamon roll and four cookies,” Hannah reminded her.

“I know, but now I need something substantial, something with meat, something really good. What shall we make?” Michelle hung her coat in the closet, rubbed Moishe’s ears as she walked by, and headed to the kitchen.

“I don’t know.” Hannah followed her.

“Then let’s see what you’ve got, and maybe it’ll give us some ideas.”

“I doubt it. I’ve been so busy, I haven’t been to the Red Owl for at least a week.”

“I can see that,” Michelle said, surveying the nearly empty refrigerator shelves. “Do you have any hamburger?”

“I think there’s some in the freezer.” Hannah opened the door to look. “Here’s a one-pound package of lean ground beef. Will that do?”

“It’s perfect. Let’s thaw it right in the frying pan.”

“Okay. I’ll put it on.” Hannah got out a frying pan, unwrapped the frozen hamburger and plunked it in, covered the pan and turned the burner on medium heat. “What are we making?”

“I don’t have a name for it yet. Do you have any frozen veggies?”

Hannah went back to the freezer and looked. “Broccoli, cauliflower, frozen chopped onions, and a bag of peas and carrots.”

“Is that last one a mix?”

“Yes. It’s the kind with green peas and carrots cut in little cubes.”

“Great! I need a cup.”

Hannah carried the bags to the counter. She opened the peas and carrots, poured out a cup for Michelle, and put a twist tie on the bag. “How many chopped onions do you need?”

“Forty-seven.”

“What?” Hannah paused, the open bag of onions in her hand.

“Just kidding. Take out a quarter cup or so. I don’t think that proportions will be that critical.”

Hannah measured the onions, twist tied the bag closed, and put the bags back into the freezer. “You have a recipe for whatever you’re making, don’t you?”

Michelle laughed. “Not really. I’m winging it.”

“What kind of meal do you think it’ll be?”

“A hamburger bake. I do bakes every week or so at college. Most of the time they turn out to be good. If they’re not, we just smother them in ketchup and eat them anyway.”

Hannah began to smile. Michelle was turning out to be a real Minnesota cook, using whatever was in the refrigerator, freezer, or pantry and coming up with her own dish. “Do you want the onions in the frying pan with the hamburger?” she asked.

“Yes. Do you have any canned soup?”

Hannah added the frozen onions to her frying pan. “I’m pretty low on canned soup. I was going to pick some up last week, but I forgot.” She opened the cupboard door and surveyed her canned goods. “I’ve got split pea, cream of asparagus, and cheddar cheese. Will any of those work for you?”

“Sure. I’ll take the cheddar cheese. It’s condensed, right?”

“That’s right. You have to add milk.”

“We will, but not as much as it calls for. Do you have a quarter cup of milk?”

“I’m sure I do. And if it’s too old to use, I’ve got a can of evaporated milk.”

“That’ll do. I think I saw half a package of shredded cheese in the meat drawer. Will you check to see what kind it is?”

Hannah went to the refrigerator while Michelle flipped the hamburger and onions. “It’s cheddar,” she reported.