powdered sugar or strawberries and maple syrup. There was nothing better than strawberries with something sweet.
Then Kori added a familiar item that she hadn’t offered in a while—overnight oats. She started getting them ready right away: oats, apples, maple syrup, and milk into the crock pot. As toppings tomorrow, she’d serve each order with a small side of sliced, toasted almonds and shredded coconut. Her mouth started watering at the thought of her own breakfast.
Finally, she decided to make bread and offer green smoothies again. On hot summer mornings, a cool, creamy, fruity drink was the perfect way to start the day.
Before she could move on to reviewing her final candidate’s résumé, Allen Murphy, she made enough dough for four loaves of bread. She combined the flour and water after measuring on her kitchen scale, and set the yeast and salt next to the bowls to add in a half hour.
Then she sat at her desk again and printed off Allen’s résumé. Of all three interviewees, Allen probably had the most impressive list of skills, though Kori was biased toward Kiera. Since Allen had started working, it seemed he’d been only in the restaurant industry. He’d been a dishwasher, a host, a busser, a waiter and most recently a cook. He’d worked in pizza joints, fast food chains, upscale restaurants and breakfast cafés. He certainly had the background, but as Kori had learned this afternoon with Doug, he may not have the people skills or personality to mesh with what she’d created in Hermit Cove.
Finally, she was ready to go home —after mixing in the salt and yeast. As soon as that was done, she called Ibis and they started heading to the stairs that led to her upstairs apartment. But before she made it there, a pounding on the front door made her stop in her tracks.
“Kori? I see lights on. I know you’re in there!”
Kori relaxed at the sound of the voice. Her mother was still banging on the door so Kori went out front to open it. “Hi Mom. I was just heading upstairs. Come on up.”
“Thanks. I’m starving,” Gale said, heading up the stairs without waiting for Kori who stayed behind to lock the door.
Kori wasn’t thrilled about having her mom stop by unannounced for dinner, but she’d figure something out. She never had a plan for her own meals so Gale would have to deal.
Upstairs, Gale had the fridge opened when Kori found her in the kitchen. “What’s your plan for dinner?” she asked.
“No plan. Whatever you can find enough of for two people.”
“I don’t get it; you plan meals everyday at the café but your own meal schedule is always left to the last minute.”
Kori sat down on a stool and let her mom do the hard work of putting together a coherent dinner. “Yup. I just spent the afternoon planning breakfast so I never have it in me to plan another meal when I get home. Oh, that reminds me, I have to go do one more thing to the bread. Figure out dinner. I’ll be right back.”
Kori rushed downstairs to fold the bread and stick it in the fridge to rise overnight. She looked forward to the morning when she would find it fully risen, full of air bubbles and ready to be baked in to beautiful crusty bread.
“What’d you find?” Kori asked, closing the door behind her and hoping her mom had been successful with dinner preparations. She really didn’t feel like cooking anything else today.
“Spaghetti with garlic butter sauce and sautéed veggies,” Gale said, standing in front of the stove, staring into a pot.
“Thanks. You do know that a watched pot never boils, right?” Kori asked, chuckling.
“Yes. I think you learned that from me—my one skill in the kitchen, boiling water. Why don’t you get to work on the sauce and I’ll get the noodles made?”
Kori was ready to sit and let someone else do the cooking, but her mom was right; Gale was a disaster in the kitchen. There had been plenty of family dinners growing up, but most of them had either been frozen or
Then Kori added a familiar item that she hadn’t offered in a while—overnight oats. She started getting them ready right away: oats, apples, maple syrup, and milk into the crock pot. As toppings tomorrow, she’d serve each order with a small side of sliced, toasted almonds and shredded coconut. Her mouth started watering at the thought of her own breakfast.
Finally, she decided to make bread and offer green smoothies again. On hot summer mornings, a cool, creamy, fruity drink was the perfect way to start the day.
Before she could move on to reviewing her final candidate’s résumé, Allen Murphy, she made enough dough for four loaves of bread. She combined the flour and water after measuring on her kitchen scale, and set the yeast and salt next to the bowls to add in a half hour.
Then she sat at her desk again and printed off Allen’s résumé. Of all three interviewees, Allen probably had the most impressive list of skills, though Kori was biased toward Kiera. Since Allen had started working, it seemed he’d been only in the restaurant industry. He’d been a dishwasher, a host, a busser, a waiter and most recently a cook. He’d worked in pizza joints, fast food chains, upscale restaurants and breakfast cafés. He certainly had the background, but as Kori had learned this afternoon with Doug, he may not have the people skills or personality to mesh with what she’d created in Hermit Cove.
Finally, she was ready to go home —after mixing in the salt and yeast. As soon as that was done, she called Ibis and they started heading to the stairs that led to her upstairs apartment. But before she made it there, a pounding on the front door made her stop in her tracks.
“Kori? I see lights on. I know you’re in there!”
Kori relaxed at the sound of the voice. Her mother was still banging on the door so Kori went out front to open it. “Hi Mom. I was just heading upstairs. Come on up.”
“Thanks. I’m starving,” Gale said, heading up the stairs without waiting for Kori who stayed behind to lock the door.
Kori wasn’t thrilled about having her mom stop by unannounced for dinner, but she’d figure something out. She never had a plan for her own meals so Gale would have to deal.
Upstairs, Gale had the fridge opened when Kori found her in the kitchen. “What’s your plan for dinner?” she asked.
“No plan. Whatever you can find enough of for two people.”
“I don’t get it; you plan meals everyday at the café but your own meal schedule is always left to the last minute.”
Kori sat down on a stool and let her mom do the hard work of putting together a coherent dinner. “Yup. I just spent the afternoon planning breakfast so I never have it in me to plan another meal when I get home. Oh, that reminds me, I have to go do one more thing to the bread. Figure out dinner. I’ll be right back.”
Kori rushed downstairs to fold the bread and stick it in the fridge to rise overnight. She looked forward to the morning when she would find it fully risen, full of air bubbles and ready to be baked in to beautiful crusty bread.
“What’d you find?” Kori asked, closing the door behind her and hoping her mom had been successful with dinner preparations. She really didn’t feel like cooking anything else today.
“Spaghetti with garlic butter sauce and sautéed veggies,” Gale said, standing in front of the stove, staring into a pot.
“Thanks. You do know that a watched pot never boils, right?” Kori asked, chuckling.
“Yes. I think you learned that from me—my one skill in the kitchen, boiling water. Why don’t you get to work on the sauce and I’ll get the noodles made?”
Kori was ready to sit and let someone else do the cooking, but her mom was right; Gale was a disaster in the kitchen. There had been plenty of family dinners growing up, but most of them had either been frozen or
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