Inherit the Word (The Cookbook Nook Series) Read Online Free PDF Page A

entrants based on the recipes submitted. “I’m going to visit all the shop owners and bed-and-breakfasts. Everyone in town, including tourists, should know about our store and the competition. I made up bookmarks, too. Simple giveaways. Who doesn’t like something for free? Take a look at what I’ve added to the displays.”
    To honor the Frisbee contest—I had to honor it; I’d played a lot of Frisbee with David, as well as in college—I had ordered a variety of pizza cookbooks:
Pizza on the Grill: 100 Feisty Fire-Roasted Recipes for Pizza & More
;
Pizza: How to Make and Bake More Than 50 Delicious Homemade Pizzas;
the list went on
.
“How is this for a recipe title: Thai One On Pizza?”
    My aunt chuckled.
    Inspired by the paddle boarding contest—paddle boarding, or surf riding while standing, was depicted in Polynesian art as far back as the 1700s—I’d ordered a few cookbooks by Sam Choy, the chef and television personality who was known as the founder of Pacific Rim cuisine. Granted, Choy hadn’t written any recent books, but some of our customers only care about the quality of the recipes within. Choy’s were fabulous. Our supplier gave us a great discount.
    “And specifically for the Grill Fest,” I said, “I selected grilled cheese books.
Grilled Cheese: 50 Recipes to Make You Melt
and
Great Grilled Cheese: 50 Innovative Recipes for Stovetop, Grill, and Sandwich Maker
. My favorite is
Grilled Cheese, Please! 50 Scrumptiously Cheesy Recipes.
” The author, an expert when it came to grilled cheese, had instilled the book with photos that made my mouth water. She had also included helpful tips about the variety of cheeses that melted well. The recipe I wanted to try, when I was braver as well as more knowledgeable about how to handle a fry pan sizzling with hot butter, was a crab Swiss melt with asparagus. I remembered my mother making tasty appetizers with the same ingredients.
    “Hello, hello.” Katie Casey, our inspired chef, entered from the hallway connecting the shop to the café. She was carrying a tray of what looked like bite-sized sandwiches. Katie and I had known each other since kindergarten, and we had been best friends in high school, but we had grown apart during college. When she applied for the chef’s position and wowed us with her first-rate culinary skills, we’d snapped her up. She stopped beside the vintage kitchen table. “Treats for the sweets. Hot from the grill.” With a nod of her head, she gestured to the tray. I stifled a smile. No matter how hard Katie tried, she always appeared ready to lose her chef’s toque. Her mass of curly hair bobbed with the hat. “And, hoo-boy, might I say that these are perhaps the best grilled cheese goodies I’ve ever made. Pears and blue cheese on the left. Brie, turkey, and green apple on the right. Take one. Or two.”
    I nabbed the Brie version. My aunt took the other. “Wow,” we said in unison as we gobbled our goodies.
    “I know, I know.” Katie bubbled with enthusiasm. “I’m setting these lovelies on the tiered china plate.” We had positioned a long table in the hallway so our guests could sample the café’s wares. As Katie pivoted, she whispered, “By the way, when are they due?”
They
, meaning the eight competitors.
    “At three P.M. ,” I said, after the lunch customers had thinned.
    “Will we need a referee?” she joked, referring to the fact that Lola Bird and Natalie Mumford were among the contestants. Would they reenact the spat that had entertained the crowd on The Pier? “I’ll volunteer,” Katie added. At six feet plus, I didn’t doubt Katie could out-bounce a professional bouncer.
    “And how do you think Mitzi Sykes will act this year?” my aunt said. Mitzi was the eight-time runner-up. “Will she and Natalie have another spatula fight?”
    I grinned. “Wait and see.”
    • • •
    AT NOON, I made a tour of the town and handed out flyers. At 2:30 P . M . , we started preparations for the