The Cooking Test

Before we learn what Bizzy will have to cook in order to win the powers of a kitchen fairy for a day, I thought I'd share a few pictures.

Here in the Pond, they have a celebration called a "Dickens Christmas." It's held in a 1800s former German village that is now a shopping center. The shops also support local artisans, which drew me to them. Saturday night, my Mom and sister and I headed out to check it out.




The shopkeepers dress up in Victorian costume.





They had bagpipes, carolers by candlelight, jugglers and magicians and a theater group that performed.



But I was excited about one thing.




The horse carriage was a ball. The horse was named Pebbles and the carriage driver had a King Charles Spaniel up front who was eating funnel cake off a fork. That's my kind of dog.

The event was gorgeous. Children played surrounded by twinkle lights, gentleman in top hats bowed when ladies walked by and a small crowd sang carols holding candles under the night sky.

And now, for the rest of Bizzy's story.

For the previous edition of Kitchen Magic, go here.

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"What do you mean, a cooking test?" Bizzy shrieked. "Isn't the whole point of a kitchen fairy that you help me cook? I mean, I don't know how to cook. That's why I came to the cabin and that's why you've been trying to teach me...." She sank to the ground, resting her head on her knees.

"I don't make the rules," Sprinkles snapped. "Look, Bizzy, I'm doing everything I can to help you. All you have to do is make cookies."

"What kind of cookies?" Bizzy's voice was cautious. She peeked out from a mass of hair.

"Chocolate chip."

"That's it?" Bizzy asked, raising an eyebrow through her tangled waves. "I just have to make a batch of chocolate cookies."

"That's it," Sprinkles confirmed, her voice sounding strangely hollow. Bizzy narrowed her eyes. "What's the catch?"

Sprinkles gulped. "You can't use a cookbook. You have to create your own recipe."

Bizzy howled and threw herself face first on the sugary ground. "No!" she shouted. "Why did you bring me here? I can't cook a pop tart. How am I going to create a batch of cookies?" Without waiting for answer, she began to bang her head into the ground. "I want to die," she moaned. "Just roast me instead of the turkey."

"If I thought you couldn't do it, I wouldn't have brought you up here," Sprinkles snapped. "Do you remember when you were eating your Mom's Thanksgiving dinner? Do you remember how real the food smelled, how it tasted?"

"Yes," Bizzy said shortly. "What's your point?"

Sprinkles grinned. "My point is that we're in the world of kitchen fairies. Cooking isn't the same here. You cook with your heart, not with ingredients."

Bizzy peeled herself off the ground, ignoring the icing stuck to her jeans. She looked at Sprinkles. "You mean," she said slowly, "That I could imagine a batch of cookies?"

"Basically, yes," Sprinkles confirmed. Bizzy whooped with joy and leaped in the air.

"I never had a problem thinking about food," she yelled, twirling and waving her hands.

"I know," Sprinkles muttered, eyeing Bizzy's tight jeans. "Trust me."

"Oh this is fabulous," Bizzy cried, ignoring Sprinkles' comment. Clapping her hands, she closed her eyes tight. She could see them now. Soft and chewy, the smell of warm chocolate in the air. The buttery sweet taste surrounding the bursts of rich gooeyness. She imagined how they felt in her mouth, chewing slightly as she envisioned plucking one off the pan. She was just about to take a bite when a shout jolted her. Bizzy opened her eyes to see a pan of cookies in her hand.

Sprinkles plucked one off the pan and took a tentative bite. Her eyes widened and Bizzy's heart fell. If she couldn't even think of good food, she was really in trouble.

"Bizzy, these are fabulous!" Sprinkles shouted. "These are really good! These are better than my great-aunts, and she's been making cookies for 700 years!"

"You really think so?" Bizzy blushed.

"I know so." Sprinkles beamed and shoved the rest of the cookie in her mouth. "Let's go find the head fairy!"

To be continued....

Stay tuned, Invisible Friends! Tomorrow, we have the second preview to the story of Rosalita. And this week, my book of Christmas tales comes out! We also have a tour of the Pond in all it's Christmas glory, a new Twirl, some tasty recipes and more fun!