Cook the Books

THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
    Published by the Penguin Group
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    Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
     
    This book is an original publication of The Berkley Publishing Group.
     
    This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
     
    PUBLISHER’S NOTE: The recipes contained in this book are to be followed exactly as written. The publisher is not responsible for your specific health or allergy needs that may require medical supervision. The publisher is not responsible for any adverse reactions to the recipes contained in this book.
     
    Copyright © 2010 by Jessica Conant-Park and Susan Conant.
    Interior text design by Kristin del Rosario.
     
    All rights reserved.
    No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
    BERKLEY® PRIME CRIME and the PRIME CRIME logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
     
    FIRST EDITION: March 2010
     
    Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
     
    Conant-Park, Jessica.
    Cook the books / Jessica Conant-Park & Susan Conant. — lst ed. p. cm.
    ISBN 978-0-425-23246-0
    1. Carter, Chloe (Fictitious character)—Fiction. 2. Cooks—Fiction. 3. Boston (Mass.)—Fiction.
    I. Conant, Susan, 1946- II. Title.
    PS3603.0525C66 2010 813'.6—dc22 2009041626
     
    PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
     
    10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
     

 
     
    In loving memory of Lynne Frey
     

A CKNOWLEDGEMENTS
     
     
    As always, many thanks to those who contributed incredible recipes: Authors J. B. Stanley and Mia King, and chefs Justin Hamilton, Bill Park, and Jonathan Sawyer.
    A definite nod to our favorite Desperate Chef’s Wife, Hilary Battes, and to the Chef’s Widow, Amelia Zatik Sawyer, who both run phenomenal Web sites that chronicle life with chefs. Stop by www.desperatechefswives .com and www.chefswidow.com for a good laugh (and maybe a tear or two).
    A huge hug to Michele Scott, who lets Jessica call her three times a day for support and advice about nearly everything.
    Thanks again to our fabulous agent, Deborah Schneider, and to Natalee Rosenstein and Michelle Vega from Berkley for all of their hard work.
     

ONE
     
    I have a love-hate relationship with Craigslist. On the one hand, I adore poking through the online classifieds for items I don’t even want—Swedish bobbin winders, chicken coops, vintage Christmas ornaments—and for enviable extravagances that I can’t afford—such as the services of someone to come to my house to change the cat litter. On the other hand, I hate getting sucked into the vortex of randomly searching for weird items and unaffordable services instead of looking for what I actually need. For example, at the moment, I absolutely had to find a part-time job. I leaned back into my couch and adjusted the laptop so that it balanced comfortably on my knees.
    I was broke because of the cutest baby in the world, Patrick, the three-month-old son of my best friend, Adrianna. One day last August, Adrianna and her husband, Owen, had almost simultaneously gotten married and become parents, and since then I’d spent a small fortune spoiling