A Peach of a Murder Read online

  Chapter 33

  The six of them walked away from the gravesite. It was September now, but still warm. Fall wouldn’t even begin to arrive for another few weeks. Despite that, there was a sense of finality in the air, a feeling of something coming to an end. How could it be otherwise in a cemetery, Phyllis thought, where a dear old friend had just been laid to rest?

  Sam, Mike, and Sarah were slightly in front, with Phyllis, Eve, and Carolyn behind them. The service had been very well attended. Over half the current teachers in the district and many former teachers had been there. A crying Dolly Williamson had hugged all of them. Most of the mourners were aware, at least to a certain extent, of what had happened, but of course nothing was said about that. They were there to honor a woman who had done good all her life.

  “I hope this is the last funeral I have to go to for a long time.” Carolyn said fervently.

  “I couldn’t agree more, dear,” Eve put in. “I’d much rather attend a wedding than a funeral. Not that I intend to ever get married again.” She looked pointedly at Sam. “Although plans can always change, of course.”

  Skillfully, Sam pretended not to have heard that comment, even though Phyllis could tell that he was well aware of what Eve had said. He sort of confirmed that by changing the subject.

  “You know, I was readin’ in the paper the other day that there’s a fair or a festival or an expo or something like that somewhere in Texas nearly every week out of the year. And most of them have cooking contests that go along with ‘em.”

  Carolyn perked up at that. “Really? I’ve heard of such things, but I didn’t know there were so many of them.” “It’s the gospel truth,” Sam said. “I’ll show you the article in the paper. It even had a list of some of the contests.” “You know, I’ve always said that a good cook ought to be able to come up with a recipe for any situation. I’ll bet I could enter almost any of those contests and stand a good chance of winning.”

  “You think so, do you?” Phyllis said.

  “I don’t see why not. Of course, with some cooks, it’s better if they stick to the one thing they do well … or even not so well, as the case may be.”

  Phyllis looked over at her with narrowed eyes. “Is that a challenge?”

  “Certainly not. I just understand why you wouldn’t be interested in anything like that, Phyllis.”

  Sam said, “What’s that line from that old Dirty Harry movie? `A man’s got to know his limitations.’ I guess a cook does, too.”

  Phyllis stopped short, forcing the others to come to a halt, as well. “I know what you’re trying to do,” she said. It was little short of amazing that Sam and Carolyn would cooperate on anything, even something like snapping her out of the funk that had gripped her these past few weeks. But it was obvious to her that was what was going on….

  And she loved them all for it.

  Carolyn sniffed. “I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Uh-huh,” Phyllis said. “What kind of cooking contests are we talking about?”

  “Oh, all kinds,” Sam said blithely. “Chili cook-offs and pie contests and the best recipe for goat stew and barbecue and strawberries and, oh, yeah, the peanut festival, can’t forget the goobers… ;’

  They walked on toward the cars, through the late summer sunshine and the dappled patches of shade from the post oaks, past flower beds and granite markers, out of death into life, and by the time they left the cemetery the challenge had indeed been laid down. As Sam had said, there were contests and cook-offs and bake-offs all over Texas. A person could stay busy entering just half of them, and could see a lot of interesting sights at the same time.

  Too busy, Phyllis hoped, to ever run across another murder.

  Phyllis’s Spicy Peach Cobbler

  1 Tbsp. cornstarch

  1/2 cup water

  1 1/2 Tbsp. minced candied ginger

  4 cups sliced peaches

  1/2 cup brown sugar

  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

  Combine cornstarch, minced candied ginger, brown sugar, and water in saucepan. Cook until thickened and then add peaches. Cook until peaches are hot, about 5 minutes.

  Pour into buttered 9-inch pan, making sure the ginger is evenly distributed.

  Basic Pie Crust

  for 1 (9-inch) pie crust.

  1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

  3 Tbsp. ice water

  1/2 cup shortening

  1 tsp. granulated or turbinado (raw) sugar

  1/2 teaspoon salt

  Mix flour and salt in chilled bowl, then cut shortening into the flour with a pastry cutter, until mixture resembles the texture of tiny split peas. When the mixture is the right texture, add the ice water and combine with a fork. Quickly gather the dough into a ball and flatten into a 4-inch-wide disk. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Remove dough disk from refrigerator. If stiff and very cold, let stand until dough is cool but malleable. Using a floured rolling pin, roll dough disk on a lightly floured surface until it’s bigger than the pan. Transfer dough by carefully rolling it around the rolling pin, then lift and unroll dough, centering it over the fruit. Vent crust, and sprinkle granulated or turbinado (raw) sugar on top to give a delightful sparkling appearance. Bake cobbler for 50 minutes or until golden brown.

  The candied ginger gives this dessert a warm, zesty taste.

  Carolyn’s Peaches-and-Cream Cheesecake

  8 oz. cream cheese, softened

  2 cups fresh sliced peaches

  1 cup sour cream

  1/2 cup sugar

  3 Tbsp. sugar

  2 eggs

  1/2 tsp. vanilla

  1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

  Mix cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar together. Beat in eggs and add 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla. After well blended pour cream cheese mixture into a deep-dish, baked nutty graham cracker crust. Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes. Arrange a layer of sliced peaches on top of the baked cheesecake. Mix sour cream, 3 Tbsp. sugar and 1/2 tsp. vanilla until blended. Spread on top of peaches and bake 5 minutes.

  Cool.

  Refrigerate.

  Nutty Graham Cracker Crust

  1 cup finely ground graham cracker crumbs

  3 Tbsp. butter, melted

  2 Tbsp. finely chopped pecans

  2 Tbsp. white sugar

  Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, melted butter or margarine, and pecans until well blended. Press mixture into a deep-dish 9-inch pie plate. Bake at 375 degrees for 5 minutes.

  Cool.

  Mama’s Roast Beef Supreme (Coke Roast)

  5-6 lb. beef roast

  8 oz. cola

  flour

  salt

  oil

  pepper

  Season meat to taste with salt and pepper. Dredge roast in flour. Brown roast on all sides in a small amount of oil. Place roast in a baking dish and cover. Bake at 375 degrees for about 3 hours. Uncover during the last 30 minutes and pour the cola over the roast. Baste often. When done, drain off the liquid to use in the gravy.

  Supreme Roast Gravy

  3 Tbsp. butter or margarine

  1 Tbsp. vinegar

  1/2 tsp. powdered mustard

  3 cups broth

  Melt butter in pan, add flour and lightly brown. Add powdered mustard, vinegar, and broth from roast. (Can use bouillon cubes and water with liquid from roast to make 3 cups.) Cook until thickened.

  Author’s Note

  Parker County peaches are known for being some of the best in Texas, and each summer the Parker County Peach Festival is held in Weatherford, Texas. For dramatic purposes, I’ve taken a few liberties with the facts of the peach festival, such as adding a cooking contest.

  Most of the settings in this novel are real and are described as accurately as possible. However, the characters and their actions are completely fictitious products of the author’s imagination, and are not based on any real persons, living or dead.

  br />   Livia J. Washburn, A Peach of a Murder