Raspberry Danish Murder (Hannah Swensen #22)(30)

At the sound of his best friend’s name, Moishe lifted his head. Then he sat up, gave a little shake, and watched her as she washed her face, brushed her hair, and changed to a clean sweater.

“Let’s go see how Michelle is doing in the kitchen,” Hannah said, and Moishe jumped off the mattress to pad down the hallway after her as she walked toward the kitchen.

As Hannah passed her desk in the living room, she noticed her personal checkbook sitting next to her daily calendar. She paused to pick it up, and put it in her saddlebag purse. She knew her balance because she subtracted the amount of every check she wrote and kept a running balance. She had three hundred and seventy-six dollars in that account, and she might need some or all of that money if Michelle’s car cost more than Cyril could get from the sale of Ross’s car. If the car Michelle chose cost more than that, she would pay it off on Cyril’s time-payment plan.

As she entered the kitchen, Hannah began to smile. The Jambalaya she’d made smelled wonderful. She moved to the slow cooker, peered through the glass lid, and saw that Michelle had thawed the shrimp and stirred it in.

“You’re up,” Michelle said. “I made coffee if you want some.”

“Coffee would be great,” Hannah told her, taking her favorite cup from the cupboard and heading for the coffeepot to fill it. Then she sat down at the kitchen table and watched Michelle as her sister carried a covered pot to the crockpot and set it down on a folded kitchen towel.

“Rice?” Hannah made an educated guess.

“Yes. I made a mixture of brown rice, red rice, and white. Is that all right?”

“That’s perfect. Variety’s always nice when it comes to food. Did you have time to frost the cake, or shall I do it?”

“It’s frosted, and I put it in the refrigerator. It should be refrigerated for at least thirty minutes so the frosting will set.”

“When did you have time to do all that?”

“While you were sleeping. You needed the rest, Hannah. I checked on you a couple of times and you were out like a light.” Michelle reached down to pet Moishe, who was looking at his food bowl expectantly. “Moishe was out like a light, too. He was even snoring.”

At that instant, Hannah had an unwelcome thought. Did she snore and was that why Ross had left her? She was almost afraid to ask, but she had to know. “Was I snoring, too?”

“No. At least I don’t think you were. You had the blanket pulled up over your face so I’m not sure I would have heard it.”

“I was just curious,” Hannah said, deciding it was best to change the subject. “I’ll set the table.”

“Sounds good.” Michelle went to the counter, finished rolling up the last Cheesy Garlic Crescent Roll, and carried the pan to the refrigerator. “I’ll put these in the oven when they get here.”

As Michelle opened the refrigerator door, Hannah spotted her Ultimate Fudgy Chocolate Cake. Michelle had frosted it perfectly, and it looked delicious. There was a large salad bowl on the middle shelf, and she asked, “What’s in the salad bowl?”

“I made a cut green bean, chopped hardboiled egg, and crumbled bacon salad. There’s a sweet vinegar and ginger dressing in the bottom of the bowl, and I’ll toss it when the guys arrive.”

“But . . . I didn’t buy any green beans. How did you . . . ?”

“You had a package in the freezer,” Michelle explained, anticipating the rest of Hannah’s question. “All I had to do was cook them. And you had a couple of hardboiled eggs in the refrigerator.”

Hannah got out a clean tablecloth and walked to the dining room table. As she folded the matching cloth napkins, she thought about how much easier it was to entertain when Michelle stayed with her. She went back into the kitchen to gather dishes, bowls, glasses, and silverware, but before she opened the cupboard door, she went to Michelle and gave her a hug.

Michelle smiled and hugged her back. “What was that for?” she asked.

“That was because I love you. And it was also a thank-you for all the work you did while I was sleeping.”





JAMBALAYA


(Make this recipe in a 3-and-a-half or 4-quart slow cooker.)



12 ounces of boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 green bell peppers

1 medium onion

2 stalks crisp celery

4 cloves of minced garlic (approximately 5 Tablespoons of jarred minced garlic)

1 can (14 and a half ounces by weight) canned whole tomatoes

? cup tomato paste

1 can (14 and ? ounces by weight) beef broth (I

used Swanson)

1 Tablespoon dried parsley (or fresh parsley, but cut it up and use 2 Tablespoons)

? teaspoon powdered oregano

? teaspoon powdered sage

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon tabasco sauce (I used Slap ‘Ya Mama because I like it much better)

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 pound shelled and deveined shrimp (I used frozen salad shrimp – it’s already cleaned, and Moishe and Cuddles love it)

3 cups cooked rice





Hannah’s 1st Note: Traditionally, white rice is used in this recipe, but you can use brown or mixed rice if you prefer – just follow the package directions to cook it.





Spray the inside of the slow cooker crock with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray.